OceanMemos LT
As 2024 draws to a close, I am excited to officially announce the launch of the Ocean Footage Mastery Program in January of 2025.
Developing a Mentorship Program has made me realise how significant diving has been in my life.
When Blue Planet was released early in 2001, I remember watching it on DVD and being utterly riveted and enthralled.
I have worked in cold environments on several shoots in my career, including Antarctica, Greenland, the Falklands and Norway...
It's easy to make mistakes on location if you don't develop and apply consistent protocols...
I have just returned from an Arctic filming shoot. On reflection, It was a textbook case of a small team operating on the highest level...
For the last twenty years, I have favoured using two-piece double nylon...
Acquiring coverage to cut an underwater sequence requires a variety of shot sizes...
When I was 35 and deeply entrenched in the corporate world, I learned a lesson...
In 2010 I did my TRIMIX and Cave CCR training with Don Shirley in his flooded mine at Miracle Waters. I had never dived in a cave before...
My first rebreather was an AP Evolution, and it served me brilliantly for close to ten years.In 2017 I switched to diving a micro titanium rEvo...
Learning to make better decisions is a skill that few intentionally set out to master. The first book I ever studied on this topic was...
One of the most exciting and intense diving locations I have ever worked in is the Okavango Delta in Botswana.This image of Didier Noirot filming a Nile crocodile...
You do not need to get wet to train for freediving. Many of the world's greatest freedivers train dry. Here are three ways I prepare...
When I was 36, I left a well-paying executive job at a Fortune 500 company to become an extremely poorly paid freelance camera assistant...
Having shot many "Mini-Pixar" natural history sequences and longer format documentaries such as My Octopus Teacher, I found this book...
High-end natural history series like Our Planet and Blue Planet 2 tend to be made up of five to six one-hour programs...
Didier Noirot, one of Jacques Costeaus's cameramen and my great mentor, is a master at creating long emotive takes of fast-moving dynamic action...
When I started in the industry in 2007, the Panasonic VariCam, was the system of choice...
I have been diving for over thirty years.There have been a few close calls during that time...
This image of Steve Benjamin, Didier Noirot and me was shot on the 28th of June 2008...
I have a passion for reading books on human nature and psychology. One that resonates with me is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz....
A tool is only effective in the hands of a skilled operator.. The magic does not lie in the camera itself...
Stable, "objective" camera moves underwater are preferred by high-end production companies when making wildlife nature documentaries...
There are a lot of podcasts on the subject of cinematography.One that I always listen to is...
Being able to shoot cinematic imagery of animals that delight an audience is a cornerstone of the profession...
This portrait of a wildlife cinematographer was shot on Magas Island off the west coast of South Africa...
I have been diving for over 30 years, and only once in all that time have I worn a wetsuit with zips...
To dramatically improve the production quality of your underwater video footage, push these 3 levers...
Slavoj Zizkl is a brilliant Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic, whose thinking is both dense and esoteric yet deeply practical...
When I was nineteen I became obsessed with freediving. Since then I have spent thousands of hours practising this breath-hold diving technique in the ocean...
I was filming footage for my stock archive recently, in the beautiful rivers of the Cederberg in the Westen Cape, South Africa...
Most wildlife cinematographers share the same handful of traits. They are organised, they are highly self-motivated, they have incredible patience and focus...
I was fortunate to assist three talented and highly motivated cinematographers at the beginning of my career. I owe my shooting style and approach to the craft to these three people...
As a professional wildlife cinematographer, I have spent thousands of hours underwater, freediving, on SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) and using Rebreathers...
I had just left my well-paid corporate job and had been running myself ragged trying to work out what to do next. But, like most first-time solopreneurs...
I am no expert on the Creator Economy, but by the end of this year I will be...
If you are interested in learning more about wildlife cinematography, here's the best way to get started:
It turns out that 'Know Yourself" was a Delphic maxim which predated Socrates. According to Prof Dave Spurrit,...
Cinematography is a blend of logic and magic which when masterfully well can evoke the most exquisite of emotions in an audience. Developing an online course...
Dickie Bush and Nicholas Cole are prolific digital writers who sold me on the value of developing a daily digital writing habit...