ABOUT
Effie Benjamin is a freediver and freelance photographer based between the Monterey Bay, California and Missoula, Montana. Forever checking the tides and chasing the light, her work is deeply shaped by time spent in the ocean and a long-standing relationship with analog photography.
Often shooting on film with a collection of vintage cameras, including the iconic Rolleimarin, Effie blends the physical discipline of freediving with the tactile craft of photography to create images that feel intimate, immersive, and quietly evocative.
Her photographs are made slowly and deliberately, edited and printed one frame at a time in her studio in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Through her work, Effie seeks to foster curiosity, connection, and a deeper sense of care for the environments and people she documents.
Freediving with the Rolleimarin © Joe Platko
Freediving with the Rolleimarin. This photo was taken by Joe Platko on a Nikonos V — likely the first time a Rolleimarin has been shot underwater on a fellow film camera in decades.
Rolleimarin setup — ready for water!
Effie Benjamin and Chuck Davis, with their medium format underwater housings.
Nikonos III with Sekonic Marine Meter — 35mm camera of choice.
Metering with the Rolleimarin in the kelp forests of Monterey, CA.