Made by José Ricardo Lima on Pixel phone with Kraken case
Deep in the ocean off the coast of Maui, Hawaii, light streams through openings in the rocks of underwater caves.
An avid scuba diver and underwater photographer, Googler José Ricardo Lima used his
On the boat ride to the cave, Lima put on his wetsuit and placed his
Thanks to the work of Lima and his team, who focus on improving Pixel’s camera technology, it’s easier than ever to take extraordinary photos of sea life with your phone.
Underwater photography used to require sophisticated cameras. Now with enhanced video and photo features like Cinematic Blur, which keeps your subjects in focus while blurring the background,
And now you can control your Pixel’s camera while it’s in the Kraken case, thanks to a project Lima helped spearhead. Since touchscreens don’t work underwater, Lima worked with the manufacturer to integrate the case with Pixel’s camera app. Using Bluetooth to automatically connect several buttons to the phone, the case lets you take pictures underwater.
Sea life can be hard to photograph up close, but when you pair your Pixel with a Kraken case, you can take stunning shots from a distance. Pixel 7 Pro can zoom up to 30x with Super Res Zoom2 which Lima used to photograph a moray eel. It allowed him to get amazing detail without startling the fish.
For many divers, the vibrant colors and otherworldly textures of coral reefscapes are one of the best parts of a dive. When you first approach a reef, Pixel’s ultrawide lens can help you photograph the entire environment. Then, when you find a particularly beautiful piece of coral, get close to it and the camera will automatically enable Macro Focus, a Pixel 7 Pro exclusive. This allows the camera to focus on small subjects, like coral polyps, and photograph them in life-size detail.
Underwater photography can also be challenging because of the way light streams in. Once you go below the surface, long wavelengths on the light spectrum – colors like red, yellow, and orange – are reflected by the water, so that only blue and green light are visible in deep water.
Pixel’s
As his team continues to make Pixel better for underwater photography, Lima’s images are stealing all the attention when he’s out on dives. “I talk with other people on the boat after the dive and show them the photos I take,” he says. “They’re always shocked. They can’t believe I took them on my Pixel.”
All images in story photographed by José Ricardo Lima.
Compared to Pixel 6. Speed and efficiency claims based on internal testing on pre-production devices.
Not available for all camera apps or modes.