From my very first boat dive of the Backscatter Digital Shootout, I knew I was in for the experience of a lifetime! I arrived at the docks bright and early for our 7:30am departure, to find what can only be described as a full-on underwater photography invasion: kitted-out camera rigs as far as the eye can see, boats brimming with fresh tanks, and photo and filmmaking legends I’d admired for years there before my eyes. And I was about to dive alongside them, to spend two weeks learning everything I could from them – quite simply a dream-turned-reality!
It all began a few weeks prior, when perhaps the heaviest package I’ve ever received arrived at my doorstep from the Backscatter team, full of demo gear for me to test out during my internship. Christmas definitely came early this year – inside was all the kit and accessories I’d need to assemble a professional-level camera rig, ready for Bonaire! For the first time, I’d have a photographer’s dream toolkit at my fingertips, an incredible opportunity to push my skills and creativity in the coming weeks.
Fast-forward to my first day at the shootout, and I found myself aboard a dive boat called the Pressure Drop, surrounded by other eager photographers, splashing in for my first dives in Bonaire. From the moment I descended, I was mesmerized by the reef, with its flowing soft corals and bustling activity. With every dive, a new critter seemed to emerge, from juvenile Spotted Drumfish to majestic Eagle Rays, from shoals of squid to swirling baitballs.
Even the water itself blew me away – as a California diver, I’m conditioned to the cold temperatures and lower visibility of our dives, and while I adore our kelp forests, there’s something truly magical about reefs stretching out as far as the eye can see. And with my camera in hand, I couldn’t wait to capture it all! It was the perfect playground for my photography, for experimenting with new techniques and perspectives.
Each day of diving was followed by an evening of seminars from the Shootout pros, covering everything from the basics to advanced techniques. As someone who had never taken a formal photography class before, I had always found myself admiring the work of pro photographers, wondering how they created such mesmerizing images. Now, I had them right in front of me, open to answering all of my questions. As they gave their lectures, I tried to absorb every ounce of their experience, from the strobe positioning strategies of Jim Decker, to Lightroom magic from Erin Quigley, to the wide angle wisdom with Berkely White. I even got the chance to sit down with the one-and-only Cristian Dimitrius and review some of the filmmaking highlights of his career, quizzing him on how he’d created such amazing shots and storytelling. An incredible learning experience! Before long, listening to the pros started to shift my mindset underwater – I found myself taking a moment before shooting a subject, looking for more interesting details or behaviors that could bring together a story. I began taking images with intention, and I saw my photo skills accelerate more in days than they had in years.
For week two, I decided to shift my focus to video, something I’d only ever dabbled in prior to the shootout. But with aspirations of pursuing wildlife filmmaking, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to develop my knowledge and skillset. With the help of the Shootout team, I dialed in my settings and soaked in everything I could on all of the angles, elements, and editing that weave a wildlife story together. Thanks to Backscatter’s gear team, I even got to try out a video monitor – it was like watching a TV screen underwater!
After a week of video practice, everything finally came together on one of my last night dives of the trip. The aim was to shoot a species called tarpon on the hunt – as the night patrol of Bonaire’s reefs, they snap up any unlucky fish that stray into open water and, clever as they are, often take advantage of our bright dive lights to illuminate their prey. This in mind, Cristian had set out a raft of Keldan lights, coined the ‘moonpool,’ to serve both hunters on the reef that night: 1) providing a beautiful ‘fake moon’ lighting for us story-hunters and 2) attracting the attention of every hungry tarpon in the area. By the time I splashed in, the action was in full swing, with swirling schools of baitfish, bound by the swooping passes of 5-10 tarpon. It was absolutely breathtaking! Drawing on the past two weeks, I focused on capturing the spooky atmosphere of the scene, from the tarpons’ roving eyes to the baitball pulsing with every tarpon attack – I ended up as the last one in the water, with a front-row seat to all the action! The footage was ultimately my favorite from the trip, and I decided to put together a short video from the dive (linked to the play button on the image below).
However, for me, the most special part of the Digital Shootout was meeting so many people from the diving community, from the incredible Shootout pros to fellow participants from all over the world. I was endlessly inspired by the creative ideas and storytelling of everyone around me, and I left the Digital Shootout with so many amazing memories and new friendships. In particular, a huge thanks to friends and crew from my dive boat, for being the most awesome dive buddies for these two weeks. To the Nauticam team, thank you for all your guidance and for entrusting me with your incredible gear. And to the teams at Backscatter and New Media Soup, thank you for running such an incredible event and for all of your invaluable mentorship. I will be forever grateful for your support with this opportunity of a lifetime.
Finally, a very special thanks to Linda Schutt and OWUSS, whose generosity makes this incredible internship a reality!
