A Conversation With...

My first question "whats this red button for ???"

 

Dive safe

 

DeanB

It goes red from all the polishing you give it.

it does not! you Easterners talk funny...

I will have to hunt you down for calling me an Easterner now. That is a first. LOL

It goes red from all the polishing you give it.

Sir your mind is a pit of filth ...

Dive safer

DeanB

Must have taken a bit of editing to make my words coherent...lol.

Thanks for the including me Alex.

Rand

I will have to hunt you down for calling me an Easterner now. That is a first. LOL

Sounds like a good excuse to visit Lembeh

Managed to get another two "Conversation with"s lined up in El Hierro this week. I'll give more details once they are recorded. Don't want to promise something time won't allow me to get done.

Alex

Kurt Amsler (all-time UW photo great) and Espen Rekdal (current World Champion) committed to tape!

Coming to "A conversation with..." in the next few months.

Alex

Espen, he used to contribute here on occasion.

"world champ"? of?!?!

It's OK to be jealous, Mikey.

haha... Just wondering what the competition is that crowns a world champ. Antibes?

From Espen's website:

The CMAS world championships in underwater photography was held in Jeju island, Korea from 31st of May to 5th of June this year. The competition is biannual and typically draws between 35-50 photographers from 20-30 nations. This year quite unexpectedly we (my wife and I) managed to climb all the way to the top to claim the world champion title.

Some awesome photos on your website Espen. Kudos!

The CMAS Championship certainly has its flaws - but it does crown a World Champion Of Underwater Photography (you can read about it here on Wetpixel). All the Champs I have met are quality shooters, but are well aware that this is within a very specific discipline in underwater photography.

Upcoming...

The December 1st "A Conversation With..." is with the four Spanish Fotosub photographers (David Barrio, Carlos Villoch, Carlos Suarez and Arturo Boyra) and we talk in detail about CMAS style Fotosubs - which I hope people find interesting and help them understand this area of underwater photography better. We also talk about techniques such as wide angle lighting and working with models - Fotosub photographers have always been very highly regarded in these disciplines. And some tips on how to succeed in competitions. Plus plenty of laughs - with four interviewees that regularly compete with each other!

The January 1st "A Conversation With..." will be Kurt Amsler. I could have done a whole year of interviews with him. Hugely knowledgeable and refreshingly opinionated. Based on his massive experience, we talk about changes past, present and future in underwater photography kit and techniques. What important stuff has been forgotten, what photographers can learn from the past. Then we talk about his consultancy work helping Seacam develop underwater photography products that are precisely tailored to the needs of real underwater photographers. And finally talk about the responsibility of photographers to give something back to the ocean - but being active in conservation efforts.

The February 1st "A Conversation With..." will be with Espen Rekdal. We talked for a long time and I do not have space to use it all. We will definitely talk about lighting philosophy and technique. Espen and I both have similar and strong views on the quality of light in underwater photos. Espen may get pushed back to March - so he can be a UWP/Wetpixel combo interview.

Alex

As a general "house-keeping" comment - despite the wide range of nationalities interviewed so far (US, Canadian, English, Spanish, Swiss, Norwegian) everyone will speak (and spell) in the Queen's english in the transcripts! All along I have told people to speak from their passion and I'll correct the sentences later. But I promise I will do a audio file at some point of some of the highlights - so you can hear the real voices, the real enthusiasm...

Alex,

This is really very cool; I think stuff for a book / anthology.......though I'm sure you've already thought of that.

The Martin Edge one is now out in UWP Magazine and here on Wetpixel. Note that interview is in a more traditional style - others will return to the conversation style I want for the series.

It is on the frontpage at the moment, but soon to buried under DEMA coverage, so here is a link:

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/a-conversat...th-martin-edge/

With a good number of these in the bag, I might bring the next one forward and try and get three more out by the end of the year.

Alex

This is really very cool; I think stuff for a book / anthology.......though I'm sure you've already thought of that.

I don't have any plans to do anything else with this series. It is just an enjoyable excuse to speak photography with those I meet. Watch out next time I am in Orlando...

Alex

Latest instalment up. I decided to bring this one forward to the middle of the month to give the series a bit more impetus.

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/a-conversat...photographers/

Let me know what you think.

Alex

Let me know what you think.

 

Alex

Wonderful article Alex, I couldn't stop reading and at the end I wished there was more. It helps that the guys have a passion for what they are doing and have so much fun. It shines through. Well done.

Cheers,

Steve

Let me know what you think.

 

Alex

The series of talks has made me think about my own photography in a more critical and different way. Common to all the talks up till now is an underlying "what can we do new" focus which makes this series some of the most inspirational texts I have read in a long time, and I can´t wait to try some of the ideas I have got from reading them. It´s a pity that snow is piling up outside my window right now, and that my next dive most likely first will happen in February .

Regards Bent C

Hooray! The next installment is up. Espen Rekdal, which you can read here!

Please keep the feedback coming. Tell me what you like and I'll try to include it in future conversations.

Alex

What a great article Alex!!!

Very valuable information and certainly makes a lot of ideas running around in my head.

Thanks for makeing this happen!!

Cheers

Karel

Really well done, Alex!

The discussion of lighting was particularly interesting to me.

Relevant to video work as well as photo...

Thank you for doing this series!

- Mary Lynn