Swimming with sharks
I’ve never really been one to heed warnings. More often than not danger needs to be staring me in the face before I react. On my recent shoot in Hawaii I spent countless hours bobbing in the ocean like a cork without a home. I was almost halfway through the two week shoot, so although this was my first time shooting with an underwater housing in the ocean, I was feeling extremely comfortable in the water by now. In my ongoing quest for outstanding locations I came across Snorkel Bob’s description for Olowalu: “This prolific reef will keep you busy for days or till lunch, whichever comes first. That’s Oscar’s lunch. OLOWALU IS POSTED WITH SHARK WARNINGS.” Blah. Blah. Blah. “Surely,” I reasoned, “the guide was written 10 years ago by some bloke who no longer spends any time in the water.” The location looked like it had lots of potential, and after seeing numerous locals in the water, I decided it was worth a look.
Despite Snorkel Bob’s warning and my wife’s strong opposition I bravely headed to the water’s edge. “Warm sun. No fins surfacing. Seems fine.” Then, less than 2 minutes after submersing myself, it happened. “Oscar” and two of his friends emerged in the distance. I guess that Snorkel Bob dude was right. Now I’m no oceanic expert, nor do I claim to know anything about shark behavior. But a shark is a shark in my book. And I wasn’t about to stick around to see if “Oscar” and his friends were an aggressive species or not. In all my time in Hawaii, I don’t think I ever swam as quickly as I did that afternoon to shore. Typically I can spend hours poking around in the water even when I say I’m only going to be a minute. So when I emerged from the water after only a few minutes, my wife knew but said nothing to save any ounce of manly ego that remained. (She’s cool like that.)
Aside from that one shark incident, my first experinces shooting in the ocean with an underwater housing went extremely well. Shooting with the Ewa Marine housing took a little getting used to, and I quickly learned how difficult is is to compose a shot when both you and your subject are at the mercy of the ocean. The slightest swell, wave or current compound movements significantly.
Lessons Learned: ALWAYS heed Snorkel Bob’s warnings. Shoot TONS of frames to ensure you get the shot you after; between the cumbersome nature of housings and the movement of the water there will be lots of misfires. Using large memory cards helps reduce the number of times you have to get out of the water to change cards. It’s a time-consuming process. When shooting over/unders make sure to dunk your camera in the water frequently. This helps ensure success as water droplets “stick” to the front element differently each time. Rain-X helps, too. Finally, I learned that I can swim almost as fast as Michael Phelps when trying to outrun reef sharks. (Which I have since learn are quite docile animals.)
Equipment Used: Ewa Marine UB-100 housing, Nikon D300, Nikon 12-24mm f/4 lens, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens (only fits in housing when set to 70mm due to it’s length), SanDisk Extreme 4 8GB cards
Additional samples of my underwater work from Hawaii can be found in the “Latest Work” gallery on my website.
Hawaii
Aloha! I just returned from a two week shoot on Maui and wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of the new work. Tons more on the way, so be sure to check out my site next week.
2010 Patagonia Expedition Race
This week marks the start of the annual Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race in Southern Chile. Without a doubt it is one the most amazing adventures and awesome displays of athleticism I have witnessed. It’s location in the heart of Patagonia at the Southern tip of South America is hard to beat as well. For the past two years I’ve had the privilege of covering the race. Sadly, conflicting projects/schedules will not allow me to return this season. Although I will not physically be a part of this year’s event, there is a huge part of me that will be there in spirit. Make sure to check out the race website for updates on this year’s event and keep an eye out for fresh images from my good buddies, Michael Clark and Tony Hoare, who will be covering this year’s race. You can also read more about my past experiences in Patagonia here and here.
A Little Perspective
Transform by Atlanta-based music photographer Zack Arias was one of the most talked about video posts in the photo community in 2009 for good reason. It’s deeply honest, heart filled and inspirational. Anyone in a creative field can relate which is likely what made it so popular. It spread like wildfire in the photo community and beyond. Although the video came out almost a year ago, I’ve sent the link to numerous people this week and thought it was worth bringing back into the spotlight. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. Zack does an incredible job of putting things into perspective.
Also worth mentioning are the follow-up posts by Zack on his blog and the responses from his readers almost 6 months after Transform hit the web. If you enjoyed the video above and haven’t done so already, I would highly encourage you to check his related posts here (1st) and here (2nd). Make sure to read the comments as well. Powerful stuff for all.
Park & Pipe
In my opinion Park City Mountain Resort has the best halfpipe and parks in Utah. Not only are they well groomed but the staff at the resort is phenomenal as well. The images above are from a recent action/lifestyle shoot at the resort with freeskier Ty Peterson. Ty is a killer park and pipe rider who is on the current Winter Dew Tour. Make sure to root him on this weekend (Feb. 4-7) as he competes in the Toyota Championships at Mt. Snow.
Mike Tittel Photography
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