Author: Brett Stanley
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Conceptual Photographer Lucie Drlikova
In episode twenty one, host Brett Stanley chats with underwater photographer Lucie Drlikova in the beautiful city of Prague, in the Czech Republic.
Lucie’s work is a beautiful mix of fantasy, wonder, and perfectly executed concepts. She makes a lot of the set pieces, props, and outfits herself – and combined with her crisp clean post production her underwater images really come to life.
They chat about her travels, finding her love for underwater photography, the celebrity and charity projects she’s been involved in, and a very cool technique for helping her clients relax in the water.
Follow Lucie: Website, Instagram, Facebook
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Choreographer Mary Jeanette Ramsey
In episode twenty, host Brett Stanley chats with Mary Jeanette Ramsey – choreographer, performer, and Executive Director of The Aqualillies, an American synchronised swimming troupe or Artistic Swimming as it’s now called.
They chat about working on the Cohen Brothers film Hail Caesar with Scarlett Johansson, helping Beyonce to craft an all black synchronised swimming troupe for her visual album Black is King, and how the sport has evolved from the 50’s when Legend Esther Williams made it famous.
Follow Mary: Website
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Underwater Camera Operator Braden Haggerty
In episode nineteen, host Brett Stanley chats with underwater camera operator Braden Haggerty, a Canadian who’s based in Vancouver. Braden has worked on shows like Batwoman, Altered Carbon, Power Rangers, and the recently cancelled Siren – a drama about mermaids with loads of underwater sequences.
They chat about the process of shooting for TV, what she needs to keep in mind for the visual effects, and how training your stunt people for underwater can make the job go so much smoother!
Follow Braden: Website, Instagram, IMDB
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Surf & Fine Art Photographer Lucas Murnaghan
In episode eighteen, host Brett Stanley is joined by Surf and Fine Art Photographer Lucas Murnaghan. Lucas is based in Toronto and as you’ll hear in the interview he runs a surf shop on the edge of Lake Ontario where there’s a decent surfing community!
Lucas talks about shooting surf photos in Lake Ontario and further afield, and how he started to include male portraiture into his work. We chat about the business of Fine art photography, directing male models, and how being gay might change the lens through which your work is viewed.
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Artivist & Performer Christine Ren
In episode seventeen, host Brett Stanley is joined by underwater Artivist and performer Christine Ren. Christine has a degree in Marine Affairs and Policy which give her a great insight in to how our water ways are being managed and also a strong desire to make some change in the world with her own conservation campaigns.
Christine chats about creating some of the campaigns she’s created, what worked and what didn’t, and how she’s now using water as a way to overcome trauma with her healing Watsu practice.
They also discuss techniques for a better breath hold, and how a lot of her inspiration comes from within.
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Director of Photography Ian Seabrook
In episode sixteen, host Brett Stanley is chatting with Ian Seabrook, a Canadian underwater Camera Operator and Director of Photography who spends most of his time working between Canada, America, and the UK. His work includes underwater scenes in features like Deadpool 2, Batman vs Superman, Lost in Space, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
They talk about learning underwater photography from National Geographic legend David Doubilet, the importance of an open and sharing film community, how a great assistant can make life easier, and nearly being crushed by logs and rolling icebergs in the arctic.
Keep an ear out for Ian’s crack at an Aussie accent – it’s pretty good!
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Art Nude & Lifestyle Photographer Damon Loble
In episode fifteen, host Brett Stanley is discussing lifestyle and nude photography with LA based photographer Damon Loble. Damon has a wonderfully lo-fi style about his images, reminiscent of photos from the 70’s and 80s, and his work with scuba divers totally reminds me of the Hardy Boy’s book covers I used to see as a kid.
Damon also works as a DIT on commercial photoshoots, a job that entails colour correcting files on the fly so the clients can approve the images – this gives him a huge head-start when it comes to grading his own photos.
We chat about the beauty of the Miami sunrise, working with models in the cold open waters of southern California, and how to perfect the elusive under/over shot that he’s so well known for.
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Australian Hair & Makeup Artist Rick Findlater
In episode fourteen, host Brett Stanley is talking to Australian Hair & Makeup Artist Rick Findlater about his experiences working on films like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Impossible – a true story about the devastating tsunami in Thailand back in 2004. He also talks about his time working on the Jacques Cousteau biopic The Odyssey, which took him all around the world including Africa and Antarctica. Rick covers some of the techniques he uses to keep wigs on in heavy water scenes, dealing with the colour changing issues of prosthetics in cold water, and the stress of having divers go searching for a lost wig! -
Indian Cinematographer Priya Seth
In episode thirteen, host Brett Stanley is talking to Indian Underwater Cinematographer Priya Seth. Priya has shot underwater scenes for over 100 Indian films, and whilst she shoots on land too it’s the water that is her most favourite.
We chat about how she got her career started, what it’s like being a woman on set in such a male dominated industry, how she deals with all the different aspects of Indian cinema, and how an all girls boarding school set her up for a challenging vocation.
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Activist, Artist, & Photographer Benjamin Von Wong
In episode twelve, host Brett Stanley is talking to Activist, Artist, and Photographer Benjamin Von Wong. Ben’s work is probably best described as epic, ranging from his earlier photography work which had him collaborating with amazing subjects around the world, to his latest installation work building incredible sculptures and artworks from unusual objects that hope to provoke and motivate people to take action on issues like recycling, child hunger, and of course our oceans.
Whilst not a full time underwater photographer, Ben has created some incredible imagery with very little experience, and his journey from playing in a pool with friends to tying models to shipwrecks is really inspiring.
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