Painting the Ocean with Light: Ryan Sorensen’s Rise and How Outex Empowers His Vision

Chasing the Glow Beneath the Waves with Ryan Sorensen

Photography sometimes begins as a hobby. For Ryan Sorensen, it began as childhood play - pressing a shutter on his father’s old Pentax SLR, experimenting with a plastic underwater housing on a cheap Kodak film camera while body-boarding. Fast-forward decades, and Ryan is now channeling that early curiosity into evocative ocean and wave imagery from his home region of Newcastle, Australia.

In this blog, we explore Ryan’s trajectory—from keen teen with a camera and the sea to serious photographer—and how his work is being elevated by the hardened, flexible gear of Outex Pro Kit. This is a story of surf, lens, and the boundary-breaking tools that let you dive deeper (literally) into your craft.

A Photographer in the Making

From his own words:

“Photography has been an interest of mine for most of my life, but never taken serious until the back end of 2022. Some of my earliest memories involve me running around with my father’s old Pentax SLR… Then again as a young teen, being gifted a Kodak film camera with a plastic underwater housing to try to use while I was in the water bodyboarding.”

Between body-boarding, surfing and playing in the ocean that surrounds his Australian home, Ryan’s early experiments with camera and water planted seeds. A GoPro Hero 3 in 2012 (with a few busted noses later) renewed his appetite to capture the world inside a wave. But it wasn’t until 2020 — inspired by Instagram photos and a Nikon D5600 purchase — that the hobby sharpened into something intentional.

In late 2022 he stepped up: upgrading gear, taking courses both online and in-person, logging dozens of hours on YouTube and in the field. By 2024 he launched a full portfolio to showcase his favorite ocean-and-landscape shots, widening his reach beyond Instagram.

Relevant notes:

• He grew up surfing/body-boarding and always had an affinity for the sea and camera gear.

• He acquired a Nikon Z 6 II and began combining his landscape/macro roots with his love of the ocean.

• He found himself facing the classic challenge of “I want to shoot in the water—but I also want full lens & camera control, and no compromises.”

The Ocean Becomes the Subject

Ryan’s love of the ocean drives his photographic focus: the motion of waves, the calm stillness of water, the raw power and sometimes the ugly side of nature. He talks about how nearly everyone can relate to water—the flow, the motion, the mood. His aim: to capture it all.

He works in many challenging conditions: returning to the same spot under different weather and lighting; diving under breaking waves to catch slow-shutter imagery; waking up in the dark for winter shoots; even keeping the possibility of shark encounters in mind as he ventures into the lineup at dawn. All this while balancing family (kids age 2 and 4) and work commitments.

A unique ambition:

“A more recent type of shot I have been looking for is slow-shutter beneath the wave. With this type of shot you need to be able to predict where the wave will break, swim into position, dive under the water and hold your breath while you wait for the wave to break and hope to capture its beauty.”

His local beaches near Newcastle give him picturesque vantage points and familiar landmarks he loves revisiting—this allows multiple “looks” at the same place under changing conditions.

The Gear That Liberates Creativity

Key for Ryan’s transition to serious ocean photography was the right gear—not just a camera, but a housing system that would let him go into the water and still change lenses, focus freely, adjust settings on the fly. That’s where the Outex Pro Kit comes in.

Why Outex is a Game-Changer for Ocean & Outdoor Photography

When you’re operating in spray, currents, waves and unpredictable light, you need gear that does not hold you back. The Outex Pro Kit supports that freedom:

• Optical glass ports for professional imaging results — The domes and glass fronts deliver a clarity and quality that ensures the underwater/water-edge shots don’t feel compromised.

• Universal compatibility and fit — Ryan uses multiple focal lengths (17mm thru 180mm) and appreciates that the same housing serves his full kit without needing multiple add-ons or extensions.

• Complete camera & lens functional control through a tactile rich cover — He emphasises that he wanted “something that gave me the option of using all my lenses and have the ability to change all of the settings as I go so that I never miss a shot.”

• Travel-friendly, adds no significant weight or bulk — Especially for outdoor and water excursions, gear that is lightweight and compact is a major asset.

In Ryan’s words:

“I also think it is unreal that using just the Outex Pro Kit and a flat port I can take so many types/styles of images with any of the focal lengths I want… 17mm through to 180mm all with the same housing is fantastic.”

By enabling him to take full-spectrum gear into the water—without fear or compromise—Outex has allowed Ryan to expand his creative comfort zone. That means slow-shutter beneath waves, dynamic motion of surf, macro detail near tide-pools, and landscapes that include both land and sea.

Photography That Moves, Rather Than Just Freezes

Ryan’s approach leans into both technical exploration and artistic feeling. He often slows shutter speeds well below 1/20 to capture the graceful flow of water; or speeds up to 1/1000+ to freeze a moment in sharp relief. He returns to the same locations under different lighting and weather, repeatedly hunting the right moment where conditions align.

This persistent blend of patience, craft and location familiarity makes his portfolio compelling: you can sense the motion, the texture, the splash, the light glimmering through a wave. The housing and lens kit become tools for that expressive vision.

What’s Next & Why It Matters

Currently, Ryan is working on a coffee-table photo book focused on the ocean and waves—bringing his imagery into a tangible form that conveys both stillness and motion. He says:

“I think almost everyone can relate to water and the flow of it. I want to put something together that can capture it all: the calming stillness, the raw power, the beauty, the ugly, and everything in between.”

His story reminds us of the power of perseverance: early teenage experiments with a plastic housing, years of waiting, learning, refining—and then a moment where the actual craft, gear and place converge. For aspiring photographers, especially those drawn to water, surf, motion or landscape, Ryan demonstrates:

• Choose gear that enables rather than limits your vision.

• Revisit locations. Conditions shift; the story changes.

• Don’t fear the technical side (exposure, shutter speed, lenses). Embrace it.

• Combine passion (ocean, waves) with technique and tool.

And remember: when your housing and gear let you go where the moment is, your vision can keep up.

Final Thoughts

Ryan Sorensen may have started by weaving between land, ocean and body-boarding memories, but now he’s photographing the sea as a living canvas: wave lips, salt spray, reflection, motion and texture. With the Outex Pro Kit housing system in his hands, the water is no longer just a subject—it becomes part of the sculpting process of light and form.

For anyone looking to make waves in outdoor and ocean photography (or just to refine their vision), this partnership between creative ambition and professional gear offers a compelling example: find the place, build your craft, and use the right tools to dive in.