One thing that impacts a trip
for everyone is a thoughtless
diver. Sadly, they can turn up
everywhere. People who care only
about themselves, who tear apart
a reef to get a shot, who are rude
to the crew and other passengers
and who feel entitled are at the
very top of my ‘dislike’ list.
What camera or dive gear can you
not be without?
Of course, my Seacam housing! I
have been using Seacam for over
12 years and I think it is the finest
piece of underwater equipment
available. I use Canon cameras,
Ikelite DS 161 strobes and a Sola
light along with appropriate Canon
flashes for topside fill light.
Do you take anything as a luxury
not related to the trip?
Once in a great while, I like to take
a few pieces of feminine clothing
to wear at dinner and in the
evenings. Yes, the female side of
me gets just a little tired of looking
like the ‘adventure clothing
poster child’. Sadly, with all the
latest weight restrictions and the
amount of equipment I have to
carry, I often find myself pulling
the pretty clothes out of my bag
to pack an extra piece of photo
equipment.
05
What have been your best and worst trips
and why?
Long crossings when the weather does not play
fair are memorable for the wrong reasons. I have
never had a trip cancelled due to rough crossings
but it sure can be miserable for everyone on
board. Also uninformed crew and bad food are
tiresome. The good news is that these have not
happened very often and I have been fortunate
to meet some amazing crew members who
do everything they can to make the trip as
comfortable as possible.
03 Just a small sample
of the amount of kit
Michele has to take
on an underwater
assignment
04 Traditional
fisherman, Kofure
Village, Cape Nelson,
Oro Province,
Papua New Guinea
05 Lionfish really lend
themselves to creative
photography
How do you deal with the
pressure of having to get the
shots?
Every photographer wants the
definitive shot. But what is that?
Those of us who have been
shooting for a long time can tend
to be self-destructive and overly
critical in what we deem as
THE shot. We let our minds
imagine shots that may not be
achievable. It could be due to
weather or water conditions.
There are times that I am
restricted as to the number of days
I have to cover a story so I press
my internal reset button and look
for other angles that align with
conditions and time.