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A male eastern hellbender pauses at the entrance to its den, before going on the hunt for a mate. While I prefer the Nauticam EMWL for shooting hellbenders, a fisheye lens behind a small dome can be fantastic for hellbender photography. Their small size makes them easy to fit into tighter spots, allowing less murky water between you and the salamander, while also allowing a wide field of view to put the animal in its context. Inward lighting helped to cut down on backscatter and separate the hellbender from its surroundings (Sony a9, Nikonos RS 13mm f/1.8 Fisheye, Seafrogs housing, dual Kraken Sports KR-S160 strobes, f/6.3, 1/50s, ISO 800)
 

Lurking beneath the surface of streams and rivers across the Appalachian chain—from Pennsylvania to Georgia—is the third-largest amphibian on Earth, and one with perhaps the greatest name: the hellbender. These massive salamanders, which can grow upwards of two feet in length, are truly unique, otherworldly creatures—and unfortunately, they’re also under threat. Hellbenders depend on clean, cold, fast-flowing rivers and streams to survive. Once relatively common throughout the Appalachian Mountains, their populations have declined sharply in recent decades. Urban development, agriculture, and deforestation have led to increased sedimentation and pollution, degrading the waterways they call home. The introduction of invasive species and the rise in frequency of extreme weather events, such as flooding, have only compounded the pressure on their fragile habitats.

But this is no doom-and-gloom conservation piece. Instead, it’s about the challenge and reward of photographing these incredible animals in their natural environments. The shallow, rocky rivers that hellbenders inhabit are not exactly ideal for underwater photography. While the water may be clean, it’s often filled with suspended particulates that make visibility poor, and natural light is frequently limited. This combination of murky conditions, low light, and debris poses a set of challenges for photographers.

When shooting in such conditions, lighting becomes a delicate balance. If you’re relying on ambient light, you often have to push your camera settings more than you’re used to, to achieve proper exposure. On the other hand, using strobes can illuminate an abundance of backscatter, which can ruin a shot if not carefully managed. Lens and port choices also become critical in these conditions. Wide-angle lenses can help get close to the subject while minimizing the water column between the lens and the hellbender. Dome choice is equally as important: A big dome is good for splits but unwieldy, while a small dome is more convenient but will produce slightly weaker image quality.

In the images below, I’ll walk through the specific gear and techniques used to capture each shot. Whether you’re a seasoned underwater photographer or a curious nature enthusiast, you might find a few helpful tips and tricks for photographing one of the most charismatic and elusive amphibians in North America.
 

During breeding season, male hellbenders go on the hunt for females. This is a fantastic opportunity to get pictures of the salamanders outside of the confines of their dens. During these jaunts, with some patience, you can follow the animals around and wait for them to crawl into more open areas or up onto rocks, which makes it much easier to get exaggerated portraits of them. I love to include their feet in images, as it gives a bit more context—plus, they have fantastic feet! Inward lighting is always my go to when subjects are right on the front of the lens in wide-angle situations, especially when the water is not especially clear (Sony a7S III, Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro, Isotta housing, Nauticam EMWL, dual Retra strobes, f/14, 0.4s, ISO 800)
 

This image of a large male hellbender resting at the entrance to his den was shot with natural light only. The advantage of shooting natural light in these environments is a much “cleaner” images, free of backscatter. However, slow shutter speeds, wide apertures, and high ISOs are often required to get a proper exposure when shooting without artificial lighting. Some prefer this look, however, as it appears more like what you see with the naked eye (Sony a7S III, Nikonos RS 13mm f/1.8 Fisheye, Isotta housing, f/8, 1/15s, ISO 500)
 

Looking for all the world like another rock, hellbenders blend in shockingly well, especially when not lit by strobes. Often our inclination is to fill the frame with our subject, but by backing up a bit more, the hellbender is placed in context and its evolutionary adaptations are better understood. The small size of the Nikonos 13mm or a fisheye with a mini-dome are great choices for any type of shallow water photography like this. A big dome can be useful for splits but is often too big and unwieldy in such habitats (Sony a7S III, Nikonos RS 13mm f/1.8 Fisheye, Isotta housing, dual Kraken KR-S80 strobes, f/13, 1/4s, ISO 160)
 

Hellbender fight! Among the most sought after of underwater images, regardless of subject, are behavior images. While animals are constantly doing something, capturing interesting behavior is exceedingly difficult, and this is what makes them so exciting. I do not proclaim that this image of two dueling hellbenders is especially impressive, but it is a fun behavior. Despite being inches below the surface, the dark water and overhanging trees meant compromising settings to get a good exposure (Sony a7S III, Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro, Isotta housing, Nauticam EMWL, dual Retra strobes, f/14, 1/8s, ISO 1000)
 

Up close and personal with a monster hellbender. This fantastic beast was the dominant individual along his section of creek for years, turning back all challengers. Unfortunately, it seems this denmaster was a victim of Hurricane Helene and, while this river system still remains a stronghold for the species, not all of the salamanders made it through the storm and this big guy has vanished. Hellbenders, especially males jacked up on testosterone during breeding season, are quite easy to approach. The Nauticam EMWL has proved to be a fantastic tool for photographing hellbenders, as it is easy to maneuver in tight, shallow environments, while obviously allowing an extremely close perspective and overemphasizing features like that enormous mouth. A very slow shutter speed and a high ISO were required to let the ambient light in to the background (Sony a7S III, Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro, Isotta housing, Nauticam EMWL, dual Retra strobes, f/14, 0.4s, ISO 800)