On returning to Sydney I attended Jon Shaw’s underwater cinematography theory course. Jon is a marine biologist and award winning cinematographer who’s work can be found under Ginclearfilm. His wealth of knowledge and experience provided a great introduction into the world of underwater video, managing to bring clarity to the overwhelming number of factors associated with shooting successful footage. The day course addressed all the fundamentals including planning, lighting, focus, composition, shooting, and much more. It was also great to be able to relate technical aspects of cinematography to real life experiences and learn of the challenges you can face when shooting underwater footage.
Spending so much time on the water also requires decent eye protection, and thanks to Mondottica and Mako eyewear I am now prepared for all lighting conditions with some awesome new sunglasses! Gail Hoole, director and Dominic Wiseman, Mako Marketing Manager showed me so many pairs of sunglasses and explained in addition to shape and fit, how important it is to select the right coloured lens for each activity. Stefan was in Cairns when we arrives for our reef trip who was also supported by Mako so Jayne and I met up with him there. Mako has a great range, with the polarised grey and brown perfectly suited for my year ahead- http://www.makoeyewear.com.au/prescription
In September 2012 Catlin Seaview Survey commenced http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/about. The team set out to record the world’s coral reefs and reveal them in 360º panoramic vision. The idea was to develop a baseline record which could be monitored over time, and used to detect changes on the reefs to assist in their protection. After a great start, the project is still going strong with big plans to grow exponentially in coming years. Furthermore, with Google on board the 360 images are accessible to everyone, creating the ideal platform for public awareness and making the record available for scientists to use around the globe. After numerous survey trips with hundreds of kilograms worth of equipment, the Catlin team have now come up with a plan to make the shooting of 360º images much easier, and I am very lucky to be a part of this new venture. Using my Sony A5000 setup, Richard Vevers the executive director of Catlin Seaview Survey, has created a rig enabling me to take 360º underwater images with a single camera. After a successful trial run in Sydney , I am now ready to assist in making the underwater world visible to all. New 360º images to come… Jayne and I are heading to the Coral sea and Great Barrier Reef to try the camera out. See more next blog…..
Amongst more Sydney highlights was dining with one of the pioneers of scuba diving – Valerie Taylor. Valerie has many great experiences to share, with her first underwater venture in 1956 followed by years of marine conservation, photography and videography. It is inspiring to hear Valerie speak of diving and share her passion. It was also fantastic to meet Katie Nodland and her fiancé Jeremy Lindblad – the business development director-Australia of Lindblad Expeditions. Lindblad Expeditions have been operating for many years, pioneering eco-tourist trips to many areas of the globe, they are also huge supporters of the OWUSS and have taken scholars to many exciting parts of the globe. Jeremy has learnt from the best, his father and grandfather – Sven Lindblad and Lars-Eric Lindblad – to provide new ways to experience the world and educate people through real life introduction.
On my final day in Sydney I had the pleasure of breakfast with two of Sydney’s legends of the industry, Peter Fields and David Strike. Peter is a fellow Kiwi and has dived and sailed around Cape Horn plus been a huge part of the Sydney dive community for many years. Peter has just celebrated his 80th birthday but still dives the Sydney wrecks on a regular basis and can can tell the best stories of his experiences. David is the founder OZTeK, the best dive show in Australia and a prominent journalist writing for many magazines, his wealth of knowledge of the industry is as vast as his personality. He has retired as owner of OZTeK but passed the reigns over to Sue Crowe and is still very much involved. To listen to these two gentlemen of the industry and their stories was an experience not to be missed.
