Oceans 4Ever

Tony Wu is an underwater photographer.

Or, as he says himself, he’s a “photographer who takes pictures underwater.”

He’s become somewhat of a cult hero in our house, and a certain young lady wishes she could have a custom album made up of only Angler fish (because they’re so creepy) from him.

One glance at a Tony Wu ocean life image, and you’ll be hooked. Your jaw will drop and your eyes will grow as big as saucers. This fact – and it is one – means he’s good at his job.

But how in the world does someone become an underwater photographer?

He went to college for finance, not photography, and he’s never, ever taken a class on how to take photos.

He taught himself. Along with just a few of his incredible images, here’s his story:

I have been fascinated with nature in general, and the oceans more specifically, for as long as I can remember. I spent a lot of time near the water when I was growing up, walking along the beach, wading in the shallows, always looking for interesting things.

Of course, I grew up during a time when people in general were less worried about kids getting dirty and romping around outdoors, so I had a lot of freedom to wander and explore. In tidal pools and nooks and crannies in tidal areas, I found seaweed of all colors, starfish, juvenile fish, shells, shark eggs, shark teeth and all sorts of other stuff.

I encountered bigger animals too, such as when I had my toes and feet pinched by grumpy crabs, and I caught lots of fish when I stayed up all night surf fishing or hanging out on jetties.

For a kid with endless curiosity and an active imagination, this was a gold mine. I imagined what it was like under the waves, and felt an irresistible urge to explore the seas.

During my final year of high school, I was fortunate enough to take a marine biology class. There were only a few of us in the class. We learned the basics of oceanography, marine biology and geology. Plus, we took field trips to look for, examine and study marine life. That was pretty awesome, especially when we had the opportunity to dissect sharks, which the girls in my class thought was absolutely disgusting, but I couldn’t get enough of.

Coupled with a strong education in other natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), this gave me a solid foundation for my interest in the oceans later in life. Looking back, it was almost a foregone conclusion that I’d spend a substantial part of my life in and around the sea.

The practicalities of life intruded for about ten years, while I attended university and got a normal job in finance. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I had a chance to get certified as a diver. According to my instructor, I was a natural. “Are you sure you’ve never dived before?” was his initial reaction when we hit the water.

The education in natural sciences I mentioned earlier meant I had no problems understanding the scuba course, since much of the theory is based on simple explanations of basic chemistry and physics. My familiarity with the oceans meant I wasn’t scared in the least. And my absolute fascination with marine life meant I wanted to stay as long as possible once I went down.

Photography came later, but actually, the roots of my obsession with creating engaging images of marine life lie in my childhood experiences too. In the time that I wasn’t getting dirty and making a mess outdoors, I spent a lot of time drawing, painting and admiring all forms of visual art, including photography.

I devoured books on art (and the oceans of course) in local public libraries, and I stared for hours on end at magazines like National Geographic, LIFE and any other publications with beautiful images. I read books about photography and painting, and I went to museums whenever I had a chance.

By the time I bought my first real camera, I had a strong sense of what I liked and didn’t like visually. The primary challenge for me was learning how to use a camera properly. Back in the days of film, cameras weren’t as expensive as they are now, but using film (buying it, processing it, storing it) was cost-intensive, and the learning process was arguably slower than it is now, since it took a while between the time you created an image and the time you actually saw it.

So I struggled with land photography for a few years before I took a camera underwater for the first time. And when I finally did go underwater with a camera, the results were disastrous. I’m not afraid to say that my first images underwater were horrible. Absolute junk.

But that only made me more determined than ever to succeed, so I kept practicing and evaluating my mistakes until I eventually figured out what works and what doesn’t. I didn’t take any classes, and no one taught me what to do. I just learned by making lots and lots of mistakes, which is a terrific way to learn…if you learn from your mistakes of course.

So eventually, many of the things that I’ve loved and been interested in since childhood came together: the oceans, marine life, natural sciences, visual art. And now, I spend most of my time pursuing these areas of interest, combining them with new areas of interest, such as writing, public speaking and new forms of mass media.

If there’s one message I’d like to leave for young readers, it’s this: whatever you enjoy doing, pursue it with passion. Learn as much as you can in every way that you can.

Quite often, things that you’re interested in when you’re young may seem to have no practical application at all, but even more often, when you’re older, you’ll be surprised at how useful the knowledge and experience you pick up along the way can be.

I’ve posted a few of my images at http://www.tony-wu.com, and I keep a blog at http://www.tonywublog.com