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Scubaverse Underwater Photographer Interview: Susannah H. Snowden-Smith

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In an ongoing series, Scubaverse.com’s Underwater Photography Editors Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown talk to underwater photographers from around the world that they admire.

This interview is with US photographer Susannah H. Snowden-Smith.

I’ve been diving for over 25 years, and photographing even longer. I started my professional photography career as a photojournalist. During my time at the newspaper I started photographing ancient shipwreck excavations part of the year. Combining my passions for diving and photography had always been the goal. With that in mind, three years ago, my husband and I moved to Grand Cayman so I could shoot underwater full-time.

My dad was an avid amateur photographer and I loved watching him shoot with his Olympus film camera. In my family, each of us got a camera when we turned ten. My sisters were all using 110 film cartridges in those skinny little cameras. But when the time came for me to get a camera of my own, I wanted “a camera like Dad has” and so my first camera was a 35mm, $35, point and shoot.

I worked as a photojournalist in the States for many years.   In this work, I always sought out the unique angle, the interesting shot; my images were often referred to as “artistic”. I have taken this artistic approach with me to my underwater work (more on that in question 8, below). To date, I have photographed five underwater excavations all over the world. Since moving to Grand Cayman, I’ve expanded my underwater photography from specializing in underwater archaeology to include marine life, macro, fluorescence, modern wrecks, sharks, over-under shots…I love it all, and love shooting it all! I sell my underwater fine art photographs on Cayman and in the States.

One of my proudest moments was having one of my underwater photographs from a 7th-Century BC Phoenician shipwreck displayed as part of an exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum Of Art. I also landed the cover of Archaeology Magazine (May-June 2016 issue).

I’ve placed in the Underwater Photographer Of The Year contest twice now (2016 and 2017). Seeing my Kittiwake photograph in newspapers around the world was a huge high! And I was “Wrecks Of The World” Champion for 2016: I worked really hard, shooting new images for the contest each month, so having all that hard work pay off was extremely gratifying. I also won all six places in the Scubashooters “Half & Half” contest last August. Split shots are one of my favourite types of shooting, so again, to have these images recognized was really gratifying.

Cayman is my backyard, so I dive here when I’m not traveling. I’ve dived and photographed in Sri Lanka, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Maldives, Rhode Island, Thailand, the Bahamas… But I have so many more places I want to shoot!

You can find out more about my work at www.SusannahPhotography.com. Follow me on Instagram: SusannahPhotography and on Facebook: Susannah H. Snowden-Smith Photography.


N/C: How did your underwater photography start?

S H. S-S: My first underwater camera was a Sea&Sea Motormarine 35 when I was about 12. I’d saved up all my money for it! I took photographs in the local pool, trying to get interesting shots; this involved a lot of photographs of orange golf balls. Thinking back, I guess liked the contrast against the blue pool water. (My mom was not as impressed with the film processing costs and I soon took over paying for them 😉

Around that same time, in 6th-grade, we studied a small segment on underwater archaeology. I was fascinated and set a goal of working in underwater archaeology! I’ve since been the underwater photographer on five shipwreck excavations, from 7th C. Phoenician to 18th C. Ottoman. From underwater archaeology I’ve expanded into photographing marine life, macro, fluorescence, modern wrecks, sharks, over-under shots… I’m loving shooting everything from hammerhead sharks down to dwarf frogfish.

N/C: What is your favourite u/w camera equipment (past & present) & why?

S H. S-S: My Subal D500 housing and Sea&Sea YS-250s are favourites. I love the way the Subal housing feels in my hand. It’s ergonomic, the buttons are where I expect them to be, and it’s rugged. My Sea&Sea YS-250 strobes give out a huge amount of light and the quick recycling is a huge asset.

I love shooting and experimenting with remote strobes. I also love my Nightsea fluorescence kit.

I had a Sea&Sea MDX40 housing that I used for many years. It was very good to me, enabling me to make many images I am proud of.

N/C: What would be your advice to anyone new to underwater photography?

S H. S-S: Stick with it! It’s not going to be instant gratification, and there is so much to learn. I like to tell my students: you’re going to take half of what you know about land photography and chuck it out the window! Underwater photography has a steep learning curve, but the rewards are huge!

N/C: What, or who, has been your single biggest inspiration for your underwater photography?

S H. S-S: Alex Mustard and his work have been a big inspiration for me. I admire his creativity and how he’s always pushing the envelope of ingenuity. I find daily inspriration on Wetpixel, Scubashooters, UWPhotographers and from the scores of underwater photographers who are in my Facebook feed.

N/C: What image are you most proud of and why?

S H. S-S: That’s a hard one. I have photographs that mean a lot to me from different phases of my underwater photo career. I’ve included some of my favourite images for this article, but there are many more that I’m attached to.

N/C: Where is your favourite dive location, and is it for the photography?

S H. S-S: Photography and diving are inseparable for me: anywhere I love to dive, I love to photograph. I have so many favourite places, and so many more that I want to explore (see below). I love shooting in my Cayman backyard but I can’t wait to explore more of the world. I’m excited to get to SE Asia, hopefully soon, for the photo opportunities.

N/C: What are you views on marine life manipulation, moving subjects?

S H. S-S: I’ve been reading a lot about this recently. Horrifying!

N/C: What do you look for when you are making your images?

S H. S-S: As noted above, I am always seeking out the unique angle or interesting way to shoot an image. When I was a photojournalist, I had to photograph the same events over and over again, e.g. the same parade each year. So the challenge was how to cover the same event but come back with fresh, different images each time. Newspaper readers who saw me shoot would joke that I could often be found climbing a tree, or lying on the ground in the middle of a parade. And it was true: I would do whatever it took in order to get the creative shot I had in my mind’s eye. I apply this same creative eye to my underwater work. I’m always asking myself, “how can I make this photo more interesting? How can I take a photo of this subject in a way that I’ve not conceived of before?”

For this, Cayman has been really good for me, pushing me forward in my work. Just like my time as a photojournalist, I’m often shooting the same subjects over and over, which forces me to try and look for a different, more creative image each time. It also means I can experiment to my heart’s content. So when I have with a new lighting technique I want to employ, I can try it out right away.

N/C: What motivates you to take u/w photos?

S H. S-S: A desire to produce creative and unique images. Pushing myself to always improve. Sharing the excitement of the underwater world.

N/C: If you could photograph any one thing/place what or where would that be?

S H. S-S: I have many places and things I’d like to photograph, so narrowing that down to one is impossible. But in the immediate future, I’d like to dive and photograph the wrecks of Truk Lagoon, macro life in the Philippines and Indo, whales and whale sharks…! 😀 I’m looking forward to it all!!

 

Nick and Caroline (Frogfish Photography) are a married couple of conservation driven underwater photo-journalists and authors. Both have honours degrees from Manchester University, in Environmental Biology and Biology respectively, with Nick being a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, a former high school science teacher with a DipEd in Teaching Studies. Caroline has an MSc in Animal Behaviour specializing in Caribbean Ecology. They are multiple award-winning photographers and along with 4 published books, feature regularly in the diving, wildlife and international press They are the Underwater Photography and Deputy Editors at Scubaverse and Dive Travel Adventures. Winners of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Photo-journalist of the Year for a feature on Shark Diving in The Bahamas, and they have been placed in every year they have entered. Nick and Caroline regularly use their free time to visit schools, both in the UK and on their travels, to discuss the important issues of marine conservation, sharks and plastic pollution. They are ambassadors for Sharks4Kids and founders of SeaStraw. They are Dive Ambassadors for The Islands of The Bahamas and are supported by Mares, Paralenz, Nauticam and Olympus. To find out more visit www.frogfishphotography.com

Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

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After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

 Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction


Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

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Gear News

Introducing the RS Series Drysuit from DYNAMICNORD

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drysuit

Cozy and warm in cold water.

It’s drysuit season all year round. With the new RS series premium drysuits from DYNAMICNORD, divers are perfectly equipped for all cold waters.

The sophisticated cut of the RS drysuits allows complete freedom of movement, providing maximum comfort. The high-quality 350 g/m² ripstop material with double ripstop zones on the elbows, knees, and crotch protect ensures extreme robustness as well as long life.

drysuit drysuit

The suit’s features leave nothing to be desired: A high-quality TiZip zipper, easily adjustable inlet and outlet valves, upgradeable with electrically heated underwear, HP bottleneck cuffs made of high-strength latex on the wrists, a 3mm neoprene neck cuff for maximum comfort, a 7mm hood with air outlet and 3mm boots made of double-sided, cross-layered neoprene with ankle straps and fin strap stoppers and a protective but very flexible sole.

drysuit

Noteworthy is the Molle fastening system, which can be used in a variable and compatible manner. This way, the two detachable leg pockets can be attached easily, safely and comfortably.

Alterations of boots to a different shoe size or adjustments to neck or wrist cuffs are done free of charge at the own DYNAMICNORD service centre in Germany in only a couple of days.

The matching Dynaskins made with high-quality Polartec® technology are available in various designs. As an undersuit under the drysuit, as a single suit in warm waters or as a two-piece suit. Polartec® technology’s main features are neutral buoyancy, breathablilty and quick-drying.

drysuit

Dynaskins are made largely from recycled plastic bottles.

The drysuit RS-351 for men and RS-352 for women are now available at your DYNAMICNORD dealer and in the online store.

Colors men and women: Black-Blue and Black-Burgundy

Sizes men: XS-4XL incl. intermediate sizes MS, MT, MLS, MLT, LS, LT, XLS, XLT, 2XLS, 3XLS, 4XLS

Sizes Women: XS-XL incl. intermediate sizes MS, MT, LS, XLS

DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.

www.dynamicnord.com

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