Documenting Marine Conservation with Edwar Herreño

Backscatter pro client and affiliate Edwar Herreno is a marine biologist, technical diving instructor, conservationist, and award-winning freelance underwater photographer and filmmaker. His work has appeared on CNN, BBC, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and more. He is best known for his ocean conservation work with sharks and the marine wildlife off the coasts of Colombia and Costa Rica at Malpelo, Papagayo Gulf, Bat & Catalina Island, and - his personal favorite - Cocos Island. 1. Much of your portfolio is focused on conservation and shark research. How has documenting these experiences influenced your photography and artistic style? At this moment, I'm 100 percent focused on conservation. Shark populations have drastically declined worldwide, and I'm a witness to this significant change just in the past years. I'm a good example of how important photography is. I was born in the Colombian mountains, 12 hours of driving (900 km) away from the closest beach, but I fell in love with the ocean even before I saw it. I grew up watching Jaques Cousteau movies, and here I am! Thanks to him, I became a marine biologist, diving instructor, and underwater photographer. In these crazy times, I want to tell what the good people are doing to protect the oceans and show the beautiful wonders of the oceans. Regardless of where you live, we breathe the air from the oceans! I meet very good people that give me hope and inspire my work. 2. What photo & video gear do you primarily shoot with, and do you have a personal favorite piece of your kit? I have used a Nikon D850 for the past four years while working for a private charity. Now I'm using my personal equipment: Nikon D800 with the strobes I got from [Backscatter Founder] Berkley White in 2008: Sea&Sea YS-250 pro. Those strobes are the best!! I never had an issue with them. Powerful, reliable, and great for heavy-duty work. I also love the Zen dome. The quality of the images makes a huge difference compared with acrylic dome ports. I like that GoPro has improved a lot! I always take a GoPro mounted on top of the dome and can get amazing videos, too. 3. You’ve spent many hours underwater in challenging diving conditions, at least more than the average recreational vacation diver. What challenges do you face with your camera equipment when frequently diving in dangerous conditions or remote offshore locations? It is essential to have a good housing and equipment, in general. I always take two camera bodies, tools, and spare parts if something happens. Good maintenance is also the key, but even so, I have had minor floods two times, and I had to fix my housing onsite. I was doing more than 800 dives per year for several years, and that's a lot for any equipment. The trips on the tenders/skiffs could be the biggest punishment for any equipment. 4. We love your use of lighting, both natural and artificial when shooting large subjects. What sort of considerations do you make when deciding to use only ambient light or to use strobes? How far the subject is from my camera or how shallow it is. Also, if I’m filming something very nice with the GoPro, I try not to use strobes and only use natural light. On my last trip to Cocos Island, I was filming marbled rays mating, something unique I had never seen before; I turned off my strobes and used natural light because I didn't want to ruin this amazing footage, and they were mating very close to the surface. 5. Photographing sharks can require patience, safety, and familiarity with animal behavior. What tips do you have for aspiring shark and big animal photographers to get great shots without disturbing the animals? Sharks are misunderstood creatures with a very bad reputation. I've been diving with sharks most of my life, and they aren't dangerous at all, but you need to respect them like any other wild animal. My biggest advice is NEVER to chase them! Be patient and wait for them to come; also, remain calm. When you are nervous, they can sense that, and they don't come. This advice applies to all marine life, too. I also want to mention for animal consideration reasons that most sharks aren't affected by the flash of the camera. 6. You’ve garnered serious accolades and placed in several prestigious international photo competitions. What sort of considerations go into selecting a hopefully contest-winning image? The story behind a picture can tell a good/unique history/behavior with a good composition, good light, and technique, too. These are the things that I consider very important. About Edwar Herreño: Edwar has been living, traveling and working as a photographer, videographer, recreational scuba instructor, technical diving instructor, & yacht captain over the years in different countries and has a wide range of experience to guide all types of underwater expeditions. His greatest passion is wildlife and nature photography, especially if it’s in the water. He strives to capture the most compelling images to show off the creatures and environment in ways that amaze and inspire. In addition, he has been working with different underwater film productions including: Mayan Blue (movie), CNN (Anderson Cooper 360, shark finning), BBC - Animal Planet (Caught in the Moment), National Geographic, French TV (Ushuaia Nature), Marine Investigators, Japanese TV. He has also guided numerous underwater expeditions with the most famous underwater photographers, due to his vast knowledge and expertise of local regions. His commitment to the ocean has made him active in marine conservation with several organizations. VIEW MORE OF EDWAR'S WORK

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Documenting Marine Conservation with Edwar Herreño