Diving in our oceans often feels as if one is visiting another planet. As a photographer and videographer, I aim to capture scuba divers and the creatures around them in the often beautifully strange reality that one experiences when visiting a place where humans don’t naturally belong.
Artist Bio
1. Where did you get your training (college, workshops, self-taught?)
“I have been a photographer since running around in the 90s with a disposable camera. Now I largely spend my days struggling with wetsuits and dodging territorial sea turtles for the perfect shot. After attending graduate school at the University of New Mexico for finance and project management, I worked for several years in the film industry and fell in love with cinematography. After completing my scuba diving certification, a producer gifted me with an old GoPro which I then used to launch my underwater portfolio. As for specific artistic training, I spent over a decade in different painting, sculpting, drawing, and composition art courses. Then I paired this experience with over two decades of pushing random buttons to see what they do.”
2. Where does the inspiration come from for your work?
“I often notice small beauties—a ray of light on a person’s face, the dust clouds created by cars driving through the desert, the intriguingly symmetrical lines on a train. I suppose it comes from my artistic training, ~draw exactly what you see~. I find I want to share what I see with others. Even more so when I’m diving because not everyone experiences the surrealistic nature of the underwater world.”
“Specifically, I aim to capture images and videos of other divers and objects that don’t naturally appear under the ocean on their own. Man-made machines that end up under the ocean naturally attract fish and coral by becoming artificial reefs. I find beauty in nature reclaiming something created from metal and abandoned to the elements. Psychologically, we are naturally drawn to images in which other humans are subjects because we relate closely to our own species. These images are more interesting to us because we subconsciously add ‘story’ in our minds.”
3. What are a few fun facts about your life or journey as an artist that are fascinating, interesting or unusual?!
- I have traveled to over 27 countries around the world with more to come.
- I played violin for over a decade and came from a childhood of intense musical training.
- I earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Global Marketing, Political Policy, and Sustainability Studies.
- I worked for the United States Congress during my last semester of graduate school.
- I am completing my technical dive training so that I can follow little bits of string around shipwrecks and caverns.
- In 2021 I left my job by booking a one-way flight to Egypt. Then spent the next two years living, traveling, and taking photos throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe.
- I am available to dive clubs and companies to make presentations on my photography, videography and travels.