The Undersea World of Michele Westmorland

Michele Westmorland is a professional photographer based in Redmond, Washington whose career has taken her across the globe. Specializing in underwater photography, Michele has over 4000 dives and has photographed some of the most beautiful and fragile marine environments.

Recognized by both professional photography and diving organizations, Michele is the recipients of numerous awards and is a member of some prestigious organizations.

We caught up with Michele during one of her brief stops at home to ask about her career, photography, and current projects.

You have been a photographer AND a diver for a long time. How did you get started and did photography get you into diving, or diving get you into photography?

I spent 22 years in commercial real estate before my wonderful second career in photography.  I’ve had a camera in my hands since my 20s but it was when I was relocated to Florida for a major corporation that I learned to scuba dive.  “Just Add Water” was my motto and there has hardly been a dive (well over 4000) where I do not have an underwater camera system at my reach.  Living so close to incredible dive locations allowed me to develop my skills.  Corporate life helped me to put together a business plan that could eventually allow me to leave the office life and explore the world.  What was most important was that my experience in business gave me the tools to recognize that marketing, diversification of imagery, and financial planning are imperative to the success and survival of a photo business.

You have worked for some pretty for prestigious clientele. Who have you worked with and what types of assignments were they?

Over the years, many of my assignments came from magazines.  National and international dive publications were the bulk of my assignment work but new ones developed from other travel focused periodicals.  Skin Diver, Sport Diver, Scuba Diving, Unterwasser, Australasia Sport Diver, Sport Diving Australia, Asian Geo – and the list continues.   I find there are times that require self-assignments to be submitted after the concept and story have been fully developed.  These are difficult because the investment in travel had to come from me.  It’s a risk that photographers sometimes have to take.  In today’s market, it is even more challenging because publications are unwilling to make the investment to cover travel expenses.

Is there any one assignment that stands above the rest for excitement or adventure?

I’ve had several assignments that brought a sense of adventure and exploration.  For diving in an exotic, unknown location “The Blue Hole Expedition” is at the top of the list.  The expedition took place in Papua New Guinea and although I have been to this island nation many times, this story of exploration took months of planning.  A team was developed to dive a mysterious blue hole in a remote river.  Along with the editor of a major dive publication, we enlisted the expertise of a famous cave diver.  What we discovered was that this blue hole was the source of the Eisis River and with crevices in about 150 – 170 feet of water, it was exciting.  We carried the prestigious Explorers Club flag, had a videographer document the event and most important, went diving in a location that no one had ever been to before.

The other and most exciting work has been my passion project “Headhunt Revisited”.  The story is not related to diving at all but instead focuses on cultural traditions.  It is the account of an American woman artist who traveled to Melanesia to paint portraits of indigenous people who had been unchanged by western cultures.  After many trips to the area for diving, I realized that the people of these stunning island nations were equally as important as the marine environment.  Years of research to locate Caroline Mytinger’s paintings and to discover who this adventurous woman was led to a full blown two-month long expedition.  To understand more on this subject, go to the website www.headhuntrevisited.org.  The planning, budgeting, research, logistics have been the most involved of any self-assignment in my career.  It has resulted in many feature articles for print including Smithsonian, Asian Geographic, Explorers Club and many more.  The ultimate goal is to produce a book and documentary film and even with the difficult economic climate I continue to seek support to bring it to completion.  My lecture series continues to be very popular and well received in a variety of venues.

Your type of work requires careful planning and maybe even some good luck. Is there any photo adventure or assignment that was memorable due to dangers or equipment failure or logistical nightmares?

Each trip I take has new challenges.  Sometimes it’s not the creatures of the sea that frighten me; it’s the airline restrictions and TSA!   Especially for one very small woman, the equipment can be a nightmare.

In any underwater photographer’s career, it is not “if” you flood equipment – it’s “when”.  Thousands of dollars can drown in an instant and there is nothing more disturbing when attempting to get important images to complete a book or magazine article than to have a major flood.  Over the years, I’ve been stung by jellyfish (to the point of requiring medical attention), hydroids and one very poisonous lionfish.  I’ve been bit by a moray eel that had his entire mouth firmly grasping my thigh, had sharks bouncing off the dome port of my camera housing and even got into a wee bit of trouble with low remaining air and bottom time trying to photograph tiny pygmy seahorses in 90 feet of water for my book Ocean Duets.  I had the crew drop another air tank over the side so I could spend the appropriate amount of time decompressing

Is there any moment you feel defined your career and success?

It is difficult to pinpoint one particular moment. I feel like it is a constant evolution where even a little step forward can spark new energy and creativity.

You are a member of some pretty prestigious organizations and received some high honors as well. Can you tell us about those?

I have the honor to be associated with several prestigious organizations.  The Explorers Club was formed in 1906 and has a long standing reputation of exploration.  I’ve been a fellow national since 1995 and carried flags on 3 expeditions.  My passion project, “Headhunt Revisited” brought recognition from the Society of Woman Geographers and Wings WorldQuest in addition to The Explorers Club.  However, one of my proudest affiliations is as a founding fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers www.ilcp.com.  2011 has been an exciting year for me.  I was asked to be a Keynote Speaker at NANPA with my topic of connecting people to the marine environment.  In March, I was inducted into the Woman Diver’s Hall of Fame www.wdhof.org an honor and recognition that I hold very dear.  To be alongside some of the most fascinating women in science, exploration and the military is humbling.   The July/August “Water Issue” of American Photo featured many notable photographers covering various aspects water – be it environmental or sport driven.  As the only female photographer to be featured in the entire publication, I was proud to be included and hope will that it will open the door to many aspiring women photographers.

Your career embodied more than just assignment and stock. You volunteer your time as well to a variety of very important issues and projects. Can you describe those?

Since I have been rewarded by making a living at what I love doing, I believe it also comes with a responsibility.  Giving back is an important part of nature photography.  Whether I have a specific project that addresses an issue such as coral reef destruction, over fishing or cultural preservation there are times that NGO’s have needs for good visual story telling.  ILCP has several types of venues for this kind of storytelling.  RAVE (Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition) Tripods in the Mud, Tripods in the Sky – all dealing with current concerns that impact the environment.

I find that lectures and classes not only give me a venue to teach photo technique but give me a platform to educate people on the need to protect our environment and respect cultures. For the past 6 years, I have had the pleasure to work with the NANPA College Student Program mentoring young photographers.  There are times that I feel I’ve learned more from the students than what I taught!  It’s the energy and open eyes of these young people that inspire me.

Like all areas of photography, diversity is the key to business success today. What do you think photographers need to do to remain successful in today’s markets?

Diversification is key but having good marketing skills and a good business sense are the only ways you can survive a tough economic climate.  From a business side, it’s the commercial images that pay the bills.  Several years ago I began to see the handwriting on the wall that fish pictures, as compelling as they can be, will not develop an income stream alone.  I had been doing plenty of lifestyle imagery in the once lucrative stock library business but as this has declined significantly over the past few years, I thought I could combine these skills to help resorts and dive operations complete their branding and improve their visual content.  It took time to educate owners/operators as to the value of this.  So many “photographers” who aspire to be a full time shooter, offer their images for free trips.  Tough to compete with from a financial standpoint!  However, what is usually delivered by part-time shooters is lacking a plan, knowledge of lighting and ability to tell a story.  Some of the images may be OK but lack the wow factor. It is an ongoing educational process to convince owners to do an expensive photo shoot – but hard work and an extensive portfolio are paving the way for my business.  I’ve been asked if I like shooting the commercial imagery and I say a big “YES”.  It’s challenging, creative and I sometimes learn techniques that can be crossed over to my cultural and environmental photography.

I have embraced social networking.  Yes, there was a little kicking and screaming going on.  It’s such a time intensive part of marketing!!!  I have found Facebook and blogging to be the most valuable to my business.  Social networking is part of my budget as I have hired a person to pay particular attention to what works, what doesn’t, timing of my posts and blogs.  I work on content that fits my business AND conservation platforms.

Underwater photography has been your business and what you are known for, but you are working in other areas such as remote cultures. Is that adjustment in direction a creative decision or a business decision, or both?

It was Headhunt Revisited that made me realize that nature photography needs to include people. A famous quote by the Dalai Lama XIV cemented this inclusion of people in nature:

Our ancient experience confirms at every point that everything is linked together.

Everything is inseparable.

So many times I have had myopic vision, especially photographing marine life in Melanesia – until I raised my head above the water and noticed people fishing, traveling in traditional canoes, and collecting from the sea for their survival.

From a business and commercial standpoint, photographing people in water environments is a must for tourism photography and to complete a magazine story, providing a sense of scale with reefs, fish and wrecks.  This type of “lifestyle” imagery is a good portion of my income stream.

There are a lot of photographers envious of your adventures and success.  What advice do you have for those who wish to follow you?

For young photographers still in school, I would absolutely advise them to take as many business classes as possible.  Marketing and accounting are your two most important subjects.  Learning to shoot from a technical aspect is important – AND developing your eye.  But these days also require that you be proficient with all the post-production software and applications.  Interning for an established photographer is a great way to learn what it takes to succeed in this very competitive industry.  Balance it with a job that can pay the bills until there is enough income to sustain the business.  And most important – don’t give away your images!!!  Too many times, people give out free images for the exposure.  For the most part, all exposure gets you is frostbite.  However, there may be an opportunity with HIGH PROFILE business segments that can lead to an assignment job.  So pick and choose wisely.  Don’t do it just because you get to see your name in print.

Can we look at some of your most successful images and have you describe them and why you feel they are successful?

This marketing image for a resort spa was a very time intensive process.  Not only did we have to shoot with and without models, but also include details of the products and treatments.  My photo assistant was my light expert and I had two resort employees to assist with props.

Photographing boat interiors for marketing has a myriad of challenges from lighting to propping.  I have found there is an advantage to having attractive guests who love to participate in the shoot -model released, of course!

Here I photographed from a small skiff, lining up the dive vessel with a beautiful island backdrop to give a “sense of place” for these model released divers entering the water.  I was able to shoot 5 rapid frames with 1 being the winner.

Sometimes, I’m just plain lucky.  While I was photographing the tree-top restaurant for a resort in the Maldives, I noticed the incredible rays of light at dusk.  It took a fast pace to get a couple props, tripod and image composition established before the light disappeared.

Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus). These animals are endangered and on the IUCN Red List because of the demand in the Asian market for their lips – quite the delicacy. They can be found in warm tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region.  The males live up to 30 years and can grow to length of five feet and weight some 400 pounds. I remained in one position and let this big male swim around me in order to obtain a unique angle.  Fishhead  Mushimas Thila reef, Ari Atoll, Feridhoo Region, Indian Ocean, Maldives.

Spinecheek anemonefish in a fluorescent anemone.  This is the cover to my book “Ocean Duets”.  In the film days, you could not capture the impressive orange of the anemone because it was fluorescent.

One of my favorite shots from my expedition “Headhunt Revisited”.  I decided the most creative way to capture all the beauty of the headdresses and body decor was to lay flat on the ground and use a 15mm fisheye lens.  Yes, I had several of these dancers wondering what the heck I was doing!  Oro Province Sing-sing, Kofure Village, Tufi/Cape Nelson area, Papua New Guinea.

Working with indigenous people requires respect.  I always try to engage and ask permission and in the end, this approach makes for a better image.  No anger, no stress – especially when they can see the results on the back of the camera.

I love showing motion of the dancers I am fortunate enough to photograph.  Typically, I use my Canon 24 – 70mm f2.8 lens.  Slow shutter speed takes practice, but when it works, it is very powerful.  Here, men are using 2 colors of mud for body decor.  Village tour and dance performance on Santa Ana Island, Solomon Islands.  Santa Ana has a mixture of Melanesian and Polynesian traditions.

When my photo assistant, Sandy, and I scoured the resort for props, we found a little candle holder that elicits the mood of a beautiful location.  This shot required 3 strobe lights with diffusers.

You are probably asking “What is so special about this shot?”  It’s in the simplicity of diver interacting with a school of fish and plenty of negative space.  This is one of my highest income producing underwater images.

Boat salons can be one of the most challenging subjects.  I prefer to have the cobalt blue at dusk out the windows, which means only 10 minutes to shoot!  But the hardest work came in styling, propping, and lighting the interior.  Over 4 hours of work for a few moments of actually capturing the shot.

By far my favorite all time image.  Once again, this was part luck, part planning.  I was practicing my over/under technique with my housing system when I had not one – but two beautiful turtles swim into the frame.  Endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in large lagoon at The Turtle Center, over-under shot, Le Meridien Resort, Bora Bora, Society Islands, French Polynesia.

Please tell our readers where they can learn more about you.

They can check out my website at www.westmorandimages.com for all sorts of info and imagery. My blog can be followed at blog.westmorlandimages.com. If anyone wants to connect on social media, I can be found at www.facebook.com/WestmorlandImages. My next tours are a big cat conservation safari to Southern Africa and a diving trip to Papua New Guinea, both in 2012. I also have a book featuring pairs of underwater creatures called Ocean Duets. They can find more of my imagery on stock websites for Getty, Corbis, Danita Delimont, Science Faction, Nature Picture Library and Picade.

Tell Michele what you think of her work by leaving a comment!

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Michele’s Book: