SDOP2014–15
No 6 “Inspiring Shooters” December 02 2015
Cover by David Doubilet
FROM THE PUBLISHER
I have been working in publishing for the past 25 years and in the dive industry, as part of the media, for over 15 years, and I’ve always been closely involved in the editorial content of our publications.
Underwater images from around the world were my greatest inspiration for this amazing journey, and I now work with incredible photographers and their extraordinary art, every day.
I believe these images tell stories, every one different. Each image also addresses the ocean from a different angle. Some are purely artistic, some concern science or history, and some, most importantly, hold a conservation message.
What I love about these images is that wherever in the world they were taken, they were all shot underwater, reminding us that we are all connected – we all inhabit the same Ocean Planet, sharing the same love for the ocean and its creatures.
In putting together this Through The Lens Special Edition, we wanted to celebrate the underwater photographers that have created just some of these breathtaking images – our pick of 122 inspiring shooters you should know.
But what an impossibly difficult task! First, we came to the decision to focus exclusively on photographers rather than videographers (though we couldn’t help including one or two of the latter). Second, we realised that we wouldn’t be able to include images for everyone – there simply wasn’t space in the magazine – so we aimed to provide a varied range of styles and subjects instead.
There’s no question that there are many incredibly talented people whose names could also be included here. Our final selection was the result of a very difficult process, and we are sure that many of you might have made different choices. But the list is not intended to be definitive, or some kind of ranking of talent (it is organised alphabetically). We simply wanted to showcase as many inspiring underwater photographers from around the world as we could, based on our experience.
Here we present you 122 photographers, featuring 17 legends. From old school to new school, from east to west, these are people who have inspired others, who pioneered techniques or styles, pushed boundaries, or simply consistently produced incredible work. We should know about the great photographers behind the pictures, to inspire the next generation of great shooters, and to celebrate the ocean through images.
John Thet (Publisher)
CONTENTS
10 LEGENDS AND PIONEERS
Presenting 17 shooters that have changed the game for underwater photography
1–2. Hans & Lotte Hass 3. Bruce Mozert 4. Luis Marden 5. Jacques-Yves Cousteau 6. Charles Martin 7. Ernie Brooks 8. Stan Waterman 9. David Doubilet 10. Bates Littlehales 11–12. Ron & Valerie Taylor 13–14. Michele & Howard Hall 15. Paul Nicklen 16. Brian Skerry 17. Akira Tateishi
22 INSPIRING SHOOTERS
A showcase of 105 inspirational underwater photographers that should be on your radar
1. Eduardo Acevedo 2. Imran Ahmad 3. Kurt Amsler 4. Michael Aw 5. Roland Bach 6. Laurent Ballesta 7. Franco Banfi 8. Mike Bartick 9. Rico Besserdich 10. Daniel Botelho 11. Todd Bretl 12. Jett Britnell 13. Fred Buyle 14. Seth Casteel 15. Giorgio Cavallaro 16. Eric Cheng 17. Cathy Church 18. Brandon Cole 19. Amanda Cotton 20. Bill Curtsinger 21. Ellen Cuylaerts 22. Ethan Daniels 23. Jacques De Vos 24–25. Anna & Ned DeLoach 26. Christian Dimitrius 27. Matt Doggett 28. Todd Essick 29. David Fleetham 30. Jürgen Freund 31. Tobias Friedrich 32. Stephen Frink 33. Lynn Funkhouser 34. Mauricio Handler 35. Jennifer Hayes 36. Jill Heinerth 37. Shawn Heinrichs 38. Paul Hilton 39. Yoshi Hirata 40. Tim Ho 41. Zena Holloway 42. Jason Isley 43. Henry Jager 44. Darren Jew 45. Steve Jones 46–47. Burt Jones & Maurine Shimlock 48. Elena Kalis 49. Alex Kirkbride 50. Noam Kortler 51. Emory Kristof 52. Gregory Lecoeur 53. René Lippmann 54. Viktor Lyagushkin 55. Robert Margaillan 56. Richard Meng 57. Todd Mintz 58. Adriano Morettin 59. Alex Mustard 60. Amos Nachoum 61. Chris Newbert 62. Flip Nicklin 63. Chuck Nicklin 64. Gianni Pecchiar 65. Doug Perrine 66. Thomas Peschak 67. Wolfgang Poelzer 68. Scott Portelli 69. Norbert Probst 70. Tim Rock 71. Nuno Sá 72. Anders Salesjö 73. Andrew Sallmon 74. Nicholas Samaras 75. Howard Schatz 76. Douglas David Seifert 77. Christian Skauge 78. Michaela Skovranova 79. Harald Slauschek 80. Matthew Smith 81. Marty Snyderman 82. Mark Strickland 83. Bartosz Stróżyński 84. Yorko Summer 85. Indra Swari 86. William Tan 87. Werner Thiele 88. Vincent Truchet 89. Scott Tuason 90. Takako Uno 91. Pasquale Vassallo 92. Mike Veitch 93. Carlos Villoch 94. Allison Vitsky 95. Christian Vizl 96. Michele Westmoorland 97. Berkley White 98. Keri Wilk 99. Todd Winner 100. Aaron Wong 101. Stephen Wong 102. Wu Lixin 103. Norbert Wu 104. Tony Wu 105. Alexey Zaitsev
(This list is not intended to be definitive, nor is it a ranking. This is simply presented as a selection of inspiring underwater shooters, from around the world, arranged alphabetically by surname.)
89 PHOTO CLINIC
Jason Madsen
93 NOVICE
GETTING GREAT WIDE-ANGLE BLUE
By Joel and Jennifer Penner
Learn how to get great blue water backgrounds by using manual settings
98 INTERMEDIATE
MASTERING COLOUR
By Alex Mustard
Get the colours in your image to “pop” by working with filters and gels
102 PRO
PERFECT UNDERWATER PANORAMAS
By Justin Gilligan
Stitch your images together to create stunning underwater panoramas
No 5 “Edgy & Extreme” September 15 2015
Cover by Scott Tuason
FROM THE EDITORS
Getting “Edgy & Extreme” means understanding and seeing beyond accepted limits. But this can be tricky. Of course, some things are finite, and, especially in diving, setting parameters for safety means sticking to certain boundaries.
But it’s also true that we are often capable of far more than we realise, and that much of the time the most exhilarating experiences we can have are those that involve pushing ourselves beyond our limits. And it’s only as a result of people doing just this, pushing the boundaries of what is considered possible, that diving evolves. Intrepid explorers continue to dive, map and catalogue extreme environments, and, in the process, are opening some of them up to the possibility of being dived by recreational divers. Cave-diving courses take nerves of steel but are no longer the preserve of tekkies. And you can even take dive trips to the Arctic Circle.
As a result of visionaries pushing the envelope, we are constantly learning more about diving with the oceans’ big predators. Only because experienced people have refused to be bound by the limits of accepted wisdom, these days people dive with crocodiles, sperm whales and orcas, having the kinds of extreme, face-to-face encounters that a few decades ago seemed impossible.
But some limits cannot, and should not, be exceeded: We’ve reached the limits of what the oceans can produce, and it won’t be long before we reach the point of no return. According to a study published in the journal Science, we are looking at a total collapse of all fisheries by 2050. Possibly sooner. Thankfully, some reporters are willing to put their personal safety on the line, getting into some extreme situations to bring back the truth about the challenges our oceans are facing.
This issue we are exploring the ocean from its extreme edges, from remote destinations to those at the edges of continents, from encounters with big animals to techniques that scrape the boundary where rec meets tek. Welcome to recreational diving’s bleeding edge.
Alice Grainger (Editor)
Underwater photographers love to push boundaries, often motivated by the urge to be the first – the first to try a new technique, to use new gear, or to capture an image of a new species.
Bill Macdonald, a veteran cameraman, tells us about his recent opportunity to do just that, to show the underwater world to people in an entirely new way. Becky Schott demonstrates that it’s not only camera gear that can improve our images, but advanced diving technology too, while Tim Ho takes us in an entirely different direction, and reveals how shedding ourselves of everything but the essentials can help us achieve incredibly impressive results. Richard Smith reminds us that cutting-edge images aren’t always about the gear or technique, but can also be accomplished by photographing species never captured before.
What all these cutting-edge image-makers have in common is that they are driven by discovery. They have an idea, and then figure out the tools to get it done. We hope this issue of TTL helps you do the same.
Matt Weiss (Editor)
CONTENTS
14 MASTER CLASS
By Alex Griffin
Do you keep things simple?
16 OCEAN WATCH
By Csilla Ari
Manta Mentality
28 AUSTRALASIA + OCEANIA
REEFS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
By Richard Smith
For spectacular diving, creatures large and small, crocs and wrecks, get away from it all and revel in the splendour of the Solomon Islands
36 EUROPE
WINTER OF THE ORCAS
By Tobias Friedrich
Subzero temperatures, wild waters, and powerful predators on the hunt: the extreme Arctic Circle promises experiences found nowhere else on Earth
44 AFRICA
OCEANS ON THE BRINK
By Aaron “Bertie” Gekoski
With creatures on the edge of extinction in Africa, and oceans on the brink of collapse, documenting their decline means getting into some extreme situations
50 AMERICAS
BIG DIVING ON THE BIG ISLAND
By Joseph Tepper
Venture out to the fringes of the continent for wild, face-to-face encounters with mantas at midnight, and dolphins in the daylight
56 ASIA
CONFRONTING THE CAVE
By Erin Wildermuth
At the limits of recreational underwater exploration, cave diving requires an iron-clad commitment to safety protocol, and nerves of steel
60 THE WORLD OF
Extreme Dives
62 SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT
Saltwater Crocodiles
65 DANIEL MERCIER
By Leslie Leaney
The Hans Hass Fifty Fathoms Award celebrates Daniel Mercier, the man behind Antibes
68 INTERVIEW WITH A PRO
BILL MACDONALD
Meet the man at the forefront of 360-degree, virtual reality underwater video. You’ve never experienced anything like it
74 NOVICE
EXTREME SIMPLICITY
By Tim Ho
You really can shoot stunning macro with minimal gear: Learn how to push your compact to its limits
78 INTERMEDIATE
SHOOTING FOR SCIENCE
By Richard Smith
Where art meets science: Underwater photography can help broaden our horizons as we discover and document creatures never before described
82 PRO
RETHINKING REBREATHERS
By Becky Schott
Diving without bubbles lets you get up close and personal for that perfect shot, but rebreathers are serious pieces of kit that need treating with respect
86 PHOTO CLINIC
Hazizam Hamdan
90 IMAGE LAB
BANISH THE BACKSCATTER
By Matt Weiss
Use Photoshop to rid your images of the underwater shooter’s biggest enemy
96 BUDDY UP WITH…
JON LANDAU
No 4 “Back to Schools” July 07 2015
Cover by Henry Jager
FROM THE EDITORS
We’re getting back to the schools with this issue, discovering the places where our fishy friends gather in jaw-dropping numbers, where the seas are swarming with scales, where the ocean’s inhabitants create choreographed congregations, and dizzying droves put on dazzling displays.
It seems obvious now, but when I first processed this next bit of information the implications of it blew my mind: When fish create those rippling, shifting schools, each fish is actually behaving in entirely its own interest – according to the research, each one is supposedly entirely unaware of the bigger picture: They apparently have no idea at all of the patterns they are creating.
Yes, those seemingly choreographed displays are what they call “emergent properties” of individuals selfishly following basic rules for their own individual survival. And we see evidence of this same principle everywhere.
This is synchrony, a fundamental force that creates simultaneous action. And it’s one of the most pervasive drivers in all of Nature.
So why is this fact so revelatory? Well it seems to imply that there is an underlying order, and that even when the world can seem too complex and chaotic to understand, perhaps that’s only because we are on the inside of a great “school” looking out.
But that’s enough philosophy for one issue; this one’s about schools, not school, after all…
Alice Grainger (Editor)
In Through The Lens, our core objective is that you, the reader, learn about underwater photography in a way that will help you improve your own images. And like any good education, that includes some history as well as some practical advice.
In this “Back to School” issue we hope you gain some context about the world of underwater photography through an interview with one of its pioneers, Burt Jones, in “Interview with a Pro” (pg. 68). We also want you to improve your photography by adding some techniques to your arsenal, whether it’s basic wide angle photography with a humble compact camera (pg. 74), creating images of animal behaviour (pg. 78), or shooting complex compositions of giant schools of fish (pg. 82).
Of course, we’re all still learning, so if you don’t get it exactly right “in camera”, Erin Quigley’s Image Lab (pg.90) offers some simple fixes. So, open your books, class is about to start…
Matt Weiss (Editor)
CONTENTS
12 MASTER CLASS
By Alex Griffin
Choose Your School
16 OCEAN WATCH
By Julian Hyde and Cynthia Nesha
Reef Check Malaysia
28 ASIA
EYES WIDE UP
By Gil Woolley
The stunning aggregations off Malaysian Borneo’s Sabah will have the eyes of even of most die-hard critter hunter glued to the blue
36 AFRICA
THE GREATEST SHOAL ON EARTH
By Sophia Van Coller
The world’s most iconic schooling event, South Africa’s sardine run, is the schooling phenomenon of the year, attracting predators from above and below in a breathtaking show of Nature at her most dramatic
42 AUSTRALASIA + OCEANIA
SUPER SPAWNERS
By Richard Barnden
Witness pivotal moments in the procreation of life in the seas – Palau’s well-documented spawning events
46 AMERICAS
HOPE SPRINGS IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ
By Christian Vizl
An enforced no take zone in Mexico’s Cabo Pulmo has let the fish life bounce back with a vengeance
52 EUROPE
WATERS OF ABUNDANCE
By Rui Guerra
The islands of the Azores are rare havens for fish life in the middle of the Atlantic, where, in the crystal clear water, sensational sightings await
60 THE WORLD OF
Fishy Diving
62 SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT
The Science of the School
64 DR. SYLVIA EARLE
By Leslie Leaney
The Hans Hass Fifty Fathoms Award celebrates Dr. Sylvia Earle, whose decades long career has established her as one of the most influential figures in marine biology and ocean conservation
68 INTERVIEW WITH A PRO
BURT JONES
Together with wife Maureen Shimlock, Burt Jones, among other accolades, is a pioneer of muck diving, and literally wrote the book on diving in Raja Ampat. He talks to SDOP about a career that has been all about opening up new horizons
74 NOVICE
WIDE ANGLE WITH COMPACTS
By William Tan
Get round the limits of your compact to capture worthy wide-angle shots
78 INTERMEDIATE
CRITTER CONFIDENTIAL
By Mike Bartick
There is never a better time than right now to get out there and start shooting animal behaviour
82 PRO
SHOOTING THE SCHOOL
By Henry Jager
It can be hard to adequately capture on camera the impact of huge schools of fish, but some fundamental techniques can make all the difference
86 PHOTO CLINIC
Pam Murph
90 IMAGE LAB
UNCRAMP YOUR STYLE
By Erin Quigley
Give your subjects room to breathe in the frame with this simple fix
96 BUDDY UP WITH…
CHRIS BOARDMAN
No 3 “Film & Television” March 03 2015
Cover by William Tan
FROM THE EDITORS
“In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum, Senegalese environmentalist, 1968
But for years, the sea was inscrutable; impossible, when looking at its surface, for people to imagine (let alone love or understand) the beauty, the peace, and the drama taking place below…
And then pioneering filmmakers began bringing back images of the life below the waves. And generations of people began learning about and falling in love with the sea and the adventures that it offered the intrepid. We were suddenly introduced to the greater part of our planet and came face to face with the desire, and need, to protect it.
Times have changed dramatically since the early days of underwater filmmaking, and not just in terms of technology and image resolution. Knowledge has transformed the way we interact with, and present, the underwater world on film today. While some of the old movies may seem dated, and some of their messages and practices less than politically correct to a modern audience, we have to remember that we wouldn’t be where we are without them.
We have a tremendous debt of gratitude to pay the early underwater filmmakers – Hans and Lottie Hass, Jacques Cousteau, and Valerie Taylor, all amongst the vanguard who opened up the possibility of conserving the incredible aquatic environment.
This issue is a celebration of underwater film and television, and the people who have brought the ocean into our homes, onto the screen, from the early days, through to the most cutting-edge and exciting modern underwater documentaries. Grab your popcorn and get comfortable. You don’t want to miss this.
Shine on!
Alice Grainger (Editor)
In the words of Sir David Attenborough, the knighted British broadcaster whose interview you’ll find on page 86, “What an incredible natural world we have.” Time to get out there and capture it.
But you don’t have to work for the BBC to produce compelling underwater film stories. Learn to “Channel Your Inner Cousteau” (pg. 90) with basic equipment and a little vision, and you could be the next conservation filmmaker, like Shawn Heinrichs who teamed up with freediver Hannah Fraser to create the viral video, Tigress Shark (pg. 98).
Once you’re ready to bring your story to the big screen (or just your ultra-HD flat screen), you can join the 4K-resolution revolution (pg. 94). With four times the resolution of regular HD, this new format captures details of the underwater world like never before. Whatever the format, there are countless underwater stories to be told.
Matt Weiss (Editor)
CONTENTS
14 MASTER CLASS
By Alex Griffin
Complex Inflation
16 OCEAN WATCH
By Steve de Neef
Building Reefs, Restoring Livelihoods
40 FEATURE
JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU
Courtesy of the Cousteau Society
So much more than the man synonymous with underwater filmmaking, Jacques Cousteau’s incredible achievements span the fields of engineering, conservation and exploration
50 AFRICA
DESCENT TO THE WORLD OF THE DINO-FISH
By Laurent Ballesta
Making the first successful dive to over 100 metres to photograph and film the coelacanth, the “dino-fish” thought to have been extinct for 65 million years
56 ASIA
TALES OF A WANDERING UNDERWATER CAMERAMAN IN ASIA
By Roger Munns
Filming for the BBC isn’t always as glamorous as it might seem, but it’s usually an adventure
62 AMERICAS
LIVE AND LET DIVE
By Daniel Norwood
Filming for the BBC isn’t always as glamorous as it might seem, but it’s usually an adventure
66 OCEANIA
DANGEROUS REEF
By San Cahir
The little islands that made cinema history, with a starring role in Blue Water, White Death and Jaws
70 EUROPE
AMORGOS: THE ORIGINAL BIG BLUE
By Nicholas Samaras
Dive the iconic location of the 80’s freediving movie that became a cult classic
72 SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT
ORCINUS ORCA
74 THE WORLD OF
Celebrity Seas
76 THE PIONEER OF PIONEERS, PART 3
By Leslie Leaney
The third instalment of the life and trailblazing career of the revolutionary underwater filmmaker Professor Hans Hass
86 INTERVIEW WITH A PRO
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
The Godfather of Nature documentaries talks to SDOP
90 NOVICE
CHANNEL YOUR INNER COUSTEAU
By Matt Weiss
With a little vision and a few pointers, you could be well on your way to making your first underwater film
94 INTERMEDIATE
JOIN THE 4K REVOLUTION
By Jon Betz
The lowdown on the technology that has taken the world of videography by storm
98 PRO
DANCING TO END THE WAR ON SHARKS
By Shawn Heinrichs
In a world first, the most viral conservation film ever released features a mermaid dancing with tiger sharks – a project with a vital message that was not without its challenges
104 IMAGE LAB
GOLDILOCKS SHARPENING
By Erin Quigley
112 BUDDY UP WITH…
SHARON KWOK
No 2 “Let There Be Light” January 14 2015
Cover by Shawn Heinrichs
FROM THE EDITORS
Is there anything better than diving in water where the light shines through the blue as far as you can see? Incredible viz is like having a super power – it makes gliding around the reefs feel as if you’re flying through the air. And it’s only possible when nothing gets in the way of the light.
It’s extraordinary that the quality of light is also always unique wherever you go. From the Red Sea to the Cayman Islands, the water might be just as clear, but it’s never quite the same.
But the significance of light underwater doesn’t begin and end with amazing visibility. I mean, this is one of the very basic elements of life we’re talking about…
Light in the ocean doesn’t only rain down from above. Our seas are also full of flashy, fluorescent, photon-emitting creatures. We simply had to go and get the low down on the science behind the blinking, winking critters that could teach science fiction a thing or two, and the insider tips on how to shoot them.
Light is also the very foundation of photography (“photo” does mean “light”, after all). So we tried to get at it from every angle – technical, experimental, and philosophical, and we went to the master, Ernie H. Brooks II himself, for the definitive word on light in underwater shooting.
We also talked to Shawn Heinrichs, whose beautiful, immediately recognizable, and challenging images are shining a light on the threats facing our marine fauna. Yes, this issue really is an homage to light underwater in every sense; to making it, manipulating it, capturing it, and swimming through it.
Shine on!
Alice Grainger (Editor)
Matt Weiss (Features Editor, Americas)
CONTENTS
12 MASTER CLASS
By Alex Griffin
Weighty Issues
14 OCEAN WATCH
By Laura Robson
Making Waves in Madagascar
24 AFRICA
THE ORIGINAL CORAL KINGDOM
By Simon Rogerson
The cruising sharks and vibrant reefs of Egypt’s Southern Red Sea
32 ASIA
FLASHY CREATURES
By Lindsey Dougherty
The science behind the creatures lighting up Asia’s seas
38 AMERICAS: LOGBOOK
CAYMAN’S CLARITY
By Nina Baxa and Len De Vries
Visibility so good it might go to your head
44 EUROPE
A THOUSAND AND ONE BLUES
By Rico Besserdich
Turkey’s Aegean Sea puts the “Turk” in turquoise
48 OCEANIA: LOGBOOK
LIGHT UP THE KNIGHTS
By Justin Gilligan
The world-class reputation of New Zealand’s Poor Knights is well deserved
50 SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT
FLASHLIGHT FISH
52 THE WORLD OF
Underwater Light
54 THE PIONEER OF PIONEERS, PART 2
By Leslie Leaney
The second installment in the story of the life and career of Hans Hass
64 INTERVIEW WITH A PRO
SHAWN HEINRICHS
Making powerful images in the name of conservation
72 NOVICE
STROBE STARTER
By Mark Fuller
One of the hardest things about using strobes for the first time is getting the positioning right; make it easy with these basic tips
>> READ THIS ARTICLE ON DivePhotoGuide.com!
78 INTERMEDIATE
INTO THE FLUORO DIMENSION
By Mike Bartick
There is a hidden fluorescent universe down there and, if you haven’t already, it’s high time you found it
82 PRO
“LIGHT... THE CORNERSTONE OF IMAGE CAPTURE”
By Ernie H. Brooks II
A vital message for every shooter from one of the world’s most highly esteemed underwater photographers
86 IMAGE LAB
BAN THE CYAN
By Erin Quigley
88 PHOTO CLINIC
STANLEY BYSSHE
No 1 “Cold & Fresh” January 14 2015
Cover by David Doubilet
FROM THE EDITORS
“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is clearly Ocean.” ~ Arthur C. Clarke
He was absolutely right, of course. Just take a short trip out into space. You’ll see that our world is a uniform, indivisible blob of blue whizzing through the vastness; it is an Ocean Planet indeed.
Obviously, on closer inspection, our Ocean Planet does feature patches of land. Terra firma onto which life forms once climbed (on their scaly, rudimentary limbs), dried off, and decided to evolve into less fishy beings. Some, like the whales, didn’t much like it out there, and made a quick-smart U-turn and dived back in (an evolutionary one-eighty us scuba addicts are seemingly trying to emulate, though, it could be argued, with far less grace).
And it is in this spirit of evolution, that we have taken a FRESH look at Scuba Diver THROUGH THE LENS. We wanted to continue to bring you the very best in underwater photography and videography, but also to celebrate the rest that this incredible, diverse Ocean Planet has to offer.
You see, from time to time (unfortunately), we too must also climb out of the water, dry off and walk around as our less fishy, less-neoprene-clad alter egos. And then we all need gear, and gadgets, and things to do and eat and see – and the cooler the better – to help fill the time until the next dive.
We’re also getting with the century. Through the magic of AR Scan you can now use your smartphone to see even more extraordinary images and to make these pages come to life with video. Flip to page 2 for instructions on how to unlock the madness of modern technology.
So, for this issue, we’re taking you on a trip ‘round the freshest freshwater destinations and the places that put the cool in COLD. And, to keep things interesting, at every step we’ve got the inside track on how to spend your time, topside.
Welcome to Scuba Diver OCEAN PLANET.
It’s fresh. It’s ICE cold. It’s intense.
You’re going to love it.
Alice Grainger (Editor)
Matt Weiss (Features Editor, Americas)