Tell us a bit about yourself. What first inspired your journey towards underwater photography?
I'm originally from Argentina but I've been living in Australia for more than 5 years now.
I studied advertising back home and worked for 3 different marketing companies in a 2-year period. I quickly realized that the 9-5 office job, staring 8hrs at an Excel sheet was not my path in life so I packed my bags, grabbed my best friend and jumped on a plane to the other end of the world in search of adventure.
My first few years here were all about traveling, meeting new people, living new experiences and partying. After a few years I grew older, more mature and started thinking more about the future. I slowly started settling down and saving money but I still hadn't found a purpose in life at this point which was the main objective of why I was running away from home in the first place.
Everything changed when I moved to live in Heron Island, where I learned to scuba dive, freedive and started my underwater photography journey. I began with a pair of fins, a mask, snorkel and a GoPro.
Since that revolutionary experience in an idyllic coral cay in the middle of the GBR, I decided that wildlife photography/filmmaking was what I wanted to dedicate my life to.
That brings me to where I am now, striving to stay in Australia permanently and be able to set up a base here that allows me to travel the world in search of conservation stories that I can tell with my camera. In the meantime, I'm learning as much as I can about photography, diving, boats and everything ocean related. I'm currently a PADI divemaster, AIDA 3 Advanced Freediver, ADAS commercial diver, AMSA commercial skipper, underwater photographer, and studying to become a fully certified boat builder.
Can you share one of your most memorable experiences while photographing underwater?
I joined a snorkeling boat to Julian Rocks with Sundive Dive Center last year and I was freediving by myself when I spotted the blow of a whale a couple hundred meters away from the dive site. I started swimming in that direction with absolutely no hope that I would actually get to them but I thought to myself "might as well check it out." I (obviously) couldn't find them so I stayed out there for a few minutes just diving down and trying to listen for them.
At one point, I decided to make my way back to the rock but as I turned around, I found my way blocked by an underwater meat-bus effortlessly gliding through the water column at an astonishing speed. Right after that humpback whale went by, I automatically took my camera out and started shooting at the mum and calf that were following closely behind, literally no further than 5 meters away from me!
My god, I can still remember it like it was yesterday. The look in their eyes, they were as curious about me as I was about them. The day you swim with a 40 tonne animal for the first time is a day you will never forget.
What challenges do you face as an underwater photographer, and how do you overcome them?
Strictly speaking about photography my biggest issue has always been my colorblindness. I struggle to get the colors just right and it takes me countless of hours of post processing to finally be somewhat happy with the result. I try to always ask for a second opinion to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary to people with normal eye sight. To give you an idea of my struggles, I have asked second opinions of a few of my photos containing people and the feedback I got back was "that person looks like the Hulk." Needless to say I don't like shooting people.
How do you stay updated on the latest techniques and technologies in underwater photography?
I'm fully self-taught in everything regarding photography and videography and I did that thanks to books, the internet and other people. This is the way I stay up to date now as well. I might hear news in Instagram or word of mouth and then if I want to learn more I'll probably head to YouTube or try to get my hands on it myself.
Can you share any tips or advice for aspiring underwater photographers?
I consider myself an aspiring photographer as well so please send me your tips! But for real, I think the most important thing when it comes to photography is practice and passion. If you have the drive and you're willing to put in the work I seriously believe that you can do anything. As much as a cliche as it may sound, I stand by it.
To be more specific, get yourself a beginner camera and go out there. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Read books, watch YouTube videos, watch documentaries, learn about the animals, talk to other photographers, learn to PROPERLY dive with a camera, make contacts in the industry, and showcase your work somewhere (online or physical).
Last tips, don't do this for fame or money, don't sell your soul, stay true to your beliefs, help save the world, and never stop searching.
What are your favorite locations or dive sites for underwater photography, and why?
(In no particular order):
That I know:
Heron Island: you already know why
Julian Rocks: is where I spent most of my time perfecting my craft.
Exmouth: the absolute best place for marine megafauna in Australia.
That I want to visit:
Baja California: hands down the best place for marine megafauna in the world.
Moorea: pristine beaches, humpback whales and overall paradise. Why not?
Antarctica: I want to see what lies underneath.
Have you ever encountered any unexpected or dangerous situations while photographing underwater?
I took a group of friends (confident swimmers) out for a freediving session in Byron Bay once and things didn't really go to plan. We got in the water at Little Wategoes and after 5-10 minutes of leisurely swimming I started feeling a strong current sucking us out to sea. I quickly turned around and let my friends know of what was going on. Three of us started laboriously swimming back to shore and after a few minutes of struggle, we managed to make it to calmer waters. However, as I turned around to check on my other three friends, I quickly realized that they were in trouble.
I carefully made my way back out to them, trying not to get caught in the rip again and one of them told me that he thought he could make it back on his own but that I should help the other two. I grabbed one of them by the arm and we started swimming together, but I could tell there was not much progress being made and we were running out of energy at a scary pace. I resorted to another strategy: falling behind my friend and giving her a push on the leg, then falling behind again and repeating the technique until we finally made it back safe. That was two more friends almost at the shore, but I was still missing the one who was furthest away.
He was usually a strong swimmer and loyal dive buddy, but there may or may not have been a few drinks involved the night before. When I looked back, he was holding on to a rock with no other options left, no energy and short of breath. I swam back to get him and started doing the same technique as before, but he was a bigger guy and it was much harder to move forward against the current. After a few moments I realized we were never going to make it like this, so we decided to change directions to the side and seek shelter from the current behind some rocks (and maybe use them for help as well).
We finally made it back to shore safely and all six of us were relieved that we managed to avoid a dangerous situation.
How do you think underwater photography can contribute to marine conservation efforts?
I think underwater photography can be, and already is one of the best ways to contribute to marine conservation efforts. It's a way to reach more people, and to talk in a different language that maybe more people can understand and relate to. I think science is the best way to learn about conservation and photography is the best way to communicate the findings. I think photography is art and art can spark emotion. Through emotion, people can relate to things that maybe they've never been in contact with before and would never know about if it wasn't for those images. In this way we can get more people interested in the oceans and willing to make a positive change in the world.
Check out some more of Santi's work here:
Instagram: @santireef
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