Waterproof cameras are no big deal these days, but in the 1930s, Bruce Mozert was the only person in the world who had one. Mozert pioneered underwater photography in Silver Springs, Florida. He had stopped there en route to a shoot in Miami in 1938 when he’d heard that his favorite actor, Johnny Weissmuller, was filming Tarzan there; he ended up staying for the rest of his life (he still lives nearby). Mozert wanted the world to know how amazingly clear the water in Silver Springs was. So he built a giant waterproof housing for his camera, put on some scuba gear, and–for the next 45 years–created memorable underwater scenes of everyday American life. He did fun things like use dry ice to make bubbles and cans of condensed milk to create smoke.
Silver Springs: The Underwater Photography of Bruce Mozert (Amazon)
The Life Aquatic with Bruce Mozert (The Smithsonian)