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People tell me I am living the dream. And I am; part of
it, anyway. Being my own boss means no one pays for
my health insurance, and I don’t have a company-funded
401K. I love making the pictures, but that’s the easy part.
I’ve consciously built a diverse portfolio, and I plan my
assignments strategically. I do extensive research, consult
local experts and quite often revisit destinations hoping to do
something different than I or anyone else has done before.
SF
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Is there a single image that defines your style and
philosophy of photography?
BC
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That’s a tough one with so many thousands of images,
each with a story behind its capture. But my underwater orca
is a good example of making luck happen.
I had tried shooting orcas underwater in almost every way
imaginable: with polecams, on scuba, using a snorkel —
everything. For this particular shot I’d been out for 14 days
straight, spending 15 hours a day in my boat. I won’t say I was
getting skunked, because I had seen whales. But I certainly
wasn’t having any success making underwater images. The
picture I so desperately wanted, and so clearly saw in my
mind’s eye, remained out of reach. Finally, I needed a break
from the frustration and decided to do a pleasure dive on the
reef to look for wolf eels or photograph the kelp. I was in my
drysuit, hanging alongside the boat and preparing to descend
when I heard the familiar sound of a whale exhaling and
saw the distinctive high dorsal fins of orcas. They were close
and heading toward me. It wasn’t outrageous that they were
approaching — I’ve known them to be curious about boats —
but for once I was in the water, in the right place at the right
time with my camera in hand.
They came by for one close pass, and I nailed a few shots.
I was prepared, but I was also incredibly lucky. I may never
replicate that shot; it is highly unlikely all the necessary
factors will come together like that again. As I see it, the
moral to that story is to treat every dive, every expedition, as
if it is your last one, and make every moment of light count.
If I ever give up on a shoot it will be back in my office, after
the fact, not while I’m still in the field. To me, persistence
and dedication are as important as memory cards and fresh
batteries. Perhaps most important of all is the willingness to
truly immerse oneself in the wild.
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