Dive Into Your Imagination

I can’t believe I just got to be an underwater cinematographer for my first big shoot!  Annie and I have worked together for more than a year now, and she has been training me for moments just like this one. I have to say I was pretty nervous before the big day so Annie took me to the pool the day before to make sure I knew how to operate my camera and the underwater housing like the back of my hand.

Even though I had shot in the ocean many times before this, this was the first time that I was in charge of a real production in underwater cinematography! There was professional lighting, audio, a time schedule, wardrobe, and so on. Oh boy was this a lot to take in and I was completely overwhelmed. There was so much planning that took place to get us ready for the shoot and I had only one chance to get the shots.

On the day of the shoot our call time was 6 am. That means we had to be ready to work at 6! Everyone was a little groggy in the morning but the energy level picked up quickly as the shoot was under way. “J” and Rebecca seemed so excited and a tiny bit nervous about scuba diving, but everyone gets nervous before going in the pool for the first time, not too mention we had all the lights and cameras pointed at them. We started setting up the scene and I jumped in the water to prep my camera and lights. As I was sitting there on the bottom of the pool with my camera, I was surprisingly not concerned with myself. I was thinking about “J” and Rebecca. How cool was it that they were about to breathe underwater for their first time and I was getting to film it!

I remember my first breath underwater and how it felt. I was only a boy and my dad had his scuba gear out. There it was, the tank, regulators, hoses and all. I asked him if I could try breathing off his tank and of course he said yes! I got in our bathtub and took the regulator. Wow! The feeling of cool, compressed air filled my lungs as I looked up at the surface of the water. I was underwater and breathing air! It was like something out of my dreams, and that feeling never left me. Even though I didn’t actually get my scuba certification until years later I always remembered that first breath, and now here I was watching “J” and Rebecca take their first breaths underwater.

The shoot went off without a hitch, “J” and Rebecca were on their ways to being scuba divers! And all my training was finally paying off. I got all the shots I wanted and as I sat at my editing station putting their videos together, I thought how awesome it was that I had come all this way. My love for the ocean was so strong that it had led me here, to this place. I remembered being that little boy breathing underwater for the first time, and now I was an editor and filmmaker working with a production crew shooting underwater cinematography. And on top of all this I was getting to share my love of the ocean with “J” and Rebecca as they journeyed towards being certified scuba divers. I can’t wait to see where the adventure will take us!

Dive Into Your Imagination and stay with us as we explore our world!!!! I am getting to live my dreams and totally believe in our mission of helping others to live their dreams too.