I n the world of stylized fashion photography, there is nothing unusual about female boxers, or a karate match between a pair of fashion models. A pretty girl reading a book, wearing a cheongsam or looking at a notebook computer in her lap would hardly pass for challenging camera-work.

Except that photographer Mick Gleissner has found a way to make these images new again with what he calls "water colors" - literally putting his models underwater.

German-born Gleissner spent about 10 days this summer with models from around the world, dressing them up and dropping them into the waters off the Philippines and Thailand for some breathtakingly unusual undersea photography.

"For underwater photography, everybody likes to shoot fish and corals," said Gleissner. "We have seen these images of reefs, fish and people swimming in the nude with only masks on or girls dressed up as mermaids."

Gleissner wanted something different so he designed a project and trained his models to perform normal activities - like basketball or tennis - underwater, without masks or other gear.

The images are stunning and 12 of them have been made into Nautical Angels Underwater, a 2006 calendar that will be marketed in Asia by Fashion TV. A video of the project will also be released soon.

Gleissner, 35, came to photography after studying law in college. A dedicated diver and amateur photographer, he was working at an Internet company when the Web bubble burst and he found himself out of work.

He was vacationing in Cebu on September 11, 2001, when all flights home were canceled because of the World Trade Center attacks.

He decided to stay in Asia.

"I had no desire to get on a plane,"he said. "Diving there [in Cebu] is wonderful, the people are wonderful. I got stuck for half a year and became a photographer, and lived happily in the following years in places like the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore."

Last year, he was photographing a travel TV special in Phuket when the tsunami struck and many of the venues featured in the show were wiped out. He was at a loose end and came up with an idea to make pictures with pretty women inspired by the sea.

He began shooting. "I just wanted to have one or two underwater photos by myself," said Gleissner. But he was getting a great response. "So I said, `Why don't we have an underwater calendar just to set ourselves apart from the bikini calendars?' That's how the idea started.

"Posing underwater produces some visually stunning and surreal images. The many obstacles the photographer and models face in such a setting are what makes these images unique and remarkable."

It is not an easy thing to do. Models have to open their eyes underwater, control buoyancy, hold their breath and try to look normal.

Factors such as visibility, tides, currents, water temperature and natural light under the sea also affect the production.

Gleissner searched an online modeling database for suitable models and found the kind of athletic and risk- taking women he wanted.

His team then trained them to relax underwater and open their eyes in salt water. They also had to learn to hold their breath for up to two minutes.

The calendar was a team effort, including a conceptual artist and numerous layout designers, who had to design and craft the settings. The props had to be heavy enough to remain stable under water. Hidden strings were used to hold objects such as the tennis ball that seems to be suspended in the water.

The models needed special waterproof make-up and had to get used to the hazards of wearing shoes with lead weights.

Safety divers were always nearby to assist.

And which photograph was the most difficult? To his surprise, the one which seemed the simplest was also the most difficult - Swim With The Sharks (not pictured here). In it, a girl is sitting on a chair reading a book entitled Swim With The Sharks. But the paperback book disintegrated in seconds.

"We didn't think of this before and didn't have a back-up book," said Gleissner. Fortunately, the picture worked because he snapped a few shots of the girl wearing a look of shock.