Andrej Belic is an underwater diver/photographer who has been to several locations all over the world to shoot things such as marine wildlife and ships-wrecks.

Askthephotographer.com got the chance to quiz Andrej about his work and how he does it.

How did you get started with photography in general?

My first interest in photography began in the summer holiday 1994 and was based on travel, sports (wavesurfing), and people (friends, party) photography. I began with a borrowed Praktica camera, a 50mm and a zoom tele lens. 2 years later the Nikon F5 was announced, and I was eager to get one as soon as possible. That happened in 1997, when I started my “real” photographer career. I focused on travel, wavesurfing and available light photography. Soon I discovered that standing on the beach with tele lenses while photographing surfers wasn´t exactly the “action” I was capable of. So I took a look at the underwater housing manufacturers and was amazed at the possibilities of in water photography, not only for surfing, but for diving as well.

How long have you been doing underwater photography?

In 2000 I started with dive courses in order to get under the water as soon as possible. Due to the bulk of a Nikon F5 housing I switched to a F100 for underwater photography. Back in the analogue film days wide-angle underwater photography was a challenge You couldn´t do without proper training from pros, so my beginning was quite a hassle. From 2002 on I would consider myself an underwater photographer and not just someone travelling and diving with underwater photography equipment…

Where are you currently located and what work are you doing at the moment?

I live in Vienna-Austria-Europe and underwater photography is just a side job for me. My last trip was to Saudi Arabia, and I plan on going to South Africain June for sharks, whales, dolphins, seals, birds, etc. It´s called the Sardine Run according to the large schools of Sardines and Redeye-Herrings that travel northbound and are being hunted by predators. I´ll keep You informed on this.

What challenges does underwater photography that regular photographers don’t have to contend with?

It´s extreme photography because You have to take pictures in a hostile environment. That means that You have to be quite practiced in diving, so You can do the pictures. And the photography itself is quite demanding. Because of the backscatter (tiny particles in the water that reflect the light) in wide-angle it is not possible to position the strobes as in usual photography. You have to mount them on long arms which is quite difficult when You´re in a current or have no practice at all. Considering all the bulk and weight and required special techniques and the remote locations You are travelling to and the challenges of diving itself I think that this is one of the most demanding photography skills.

How dangerous is it?

Well, practice in diving is everything. Technical diving like deep wrecks or caves is a challenge in itself and a form of controlled risk. You are trained for emergency situations and how to cope with it. If You stay within the learned rules and dive according to Your practiced and technical limits, it´s a safe sport.

What are some of your favorite photographs and why?

My first great shot was this shot in the South of Egypt. It has everything I like in a picture. In the foreground there are various types of corals and fishes, in the background You see the silhouette of the reef with the sun.

The “Umbria” is one of the most famous and beautiful wrecks in the world. Combined with a magnificent looking sunball in the background.

If someone asks me what diving is like, I show him this picture because it says more than thousand words.

This goes to all turtle lovers.

The “dark side of diving” with overhead environment is considered one of the most demanding diving. The turtles swim into this cave when they´re old and want to die. The oldest skeleton in this turtle grave is ca. 150 years old… The cave itself is in a protected area in Sipadan, Malaysia.

Shot in Saudi Arabia. This is a picture of a tiny shrimp that lives with his partner on a red sea slug, called “Spanish Dancer” because of it´s beautiful looking way of swimming. This picture could be called a “red key photo” since it mainly consists of shades of red, almost painting like.

This next shot is a rare example of an underwater high key photo, with a structure almost painting like.

Generally I like pictures with a story behind, wrecks always have a story of their sinking. Pictures with animals could have an interesting biological background, others remind me of a painting.

How would someone get involved in underwater photography?

Be prepared to invest a lot of money before You can earn rewards. It helps if You´re in the diving industry. But anyone who´s interested and dedicated will find his way.

How do you get so close to fishlife? Is there a technique to it?

Some fishes are shy, others are not. If You stay calm, maybe the shy ones will let You get closer. The main problem is Your size, the other the noise of Your regulator. There´s not much You can do about the first one. With the other one there are breathing techniques as well as devices that minimize the sound of You exhaling up to re-breathers where You dive without bubbles. The best technique is good luck and practice.

How much has digital photography changed the way you do things?

Well, up to now digital photography meant to me scanned slide film. The problem with digital photography was the handling of contrasts, especially the highlight tones. The sun balls in some of my favorite pictures wouldn´t have been possible with digital. This has changed with the new Nikon D3/D300 generation, which is capable of reproducing highlight tones (almost) as slide film. Another issue was the DX-Format. Since I don´t want to compromise on quality i was waiting for the first Nikon with a 24×36 digital sensor. Since all my objections on digital photography are now fulfilled, I´m eagerly awaiting my Nikon D3 which should arrive in a few weeks, along with an appropriate housing. The main benefit will be the ability to see, control and correct Your pictures immediately. Another one is the possibility to shoot as many photos as You like on one dive. In June I´m going to South Africa to test it, so I´ll keep You informed on that…

Are their any laws that underwater photographers and divers have to be aware of concerning underwater wrecks?

Wrecks are a special issue. Wreck photography is considered the most difficult branch of underwater photography. Since You use fisheye-lenses You get a 180 degree perspective and have to use 2 strobes for perfect illumination, so a lot of backscatter will be an issue. In order to circumvent that You need long strobe arms with the strobes mounted half a meter on each side and behind the camera itself (Have a look at the diver in uw114). The other issue is the diving. Wrecks can lie pretty deep (50m or more) on the bottom of the sea. So the diving can be quite challenging, You have to beware of the decompression limit and Your air supply. Appropriate training is absolutely necessary. Again, as You stay within Your limits nothing will happen. I hope that my interview will delight a lot of people. And maybe some will be motivated to start diving or even underwater photography. It is a beautiful hobby and work, and it´s quite complex. There will always be something new, some remote location You haven´t travelled yet, a new technique You haven´t been trained, a new wreck You haven´t explored, or a species You haven´t seen or that is still undiscovered if You´re lucky enough. You can do it for your whole life and still there´s more to come. More people have walked on the moon than explored some caves. The deep sea is the last unknown frontier on the planet.

You can check out much more work of Andrej Belic at his photography website.

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