Featured Image courtesy of Hannes Klostermann

Paolo Isgro lives in Belluno (Italy) in the Dolomites National Park, one of the most suggestive alpine locations in the world. Although he lives on the mountains and is fond of nature Paolo has been limited by his altitude sickness and therefore when he tried diving in 2002 he was immediately locked in.

Paolo is a scuba diver and has recently certified in free diving, he tries to travel as much as possible and he is keen to explore distant remote locations.

His work is accessible online on flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/paolobl65/albums

Paolo has recently participated to a number of underwater photography competition, among his latest results:

Ocean Art 2019: 1 and 3 in the Super Macro category

Underwater Phographer of the Year 2020 2^nd in behaviour category

Deep Visions 2019 1^st in cetacean category

Deep Visions 2019 2^nd in Macro category

Deep Visions 2019 best snoot image 

 

Questions and Answers 

When did you start underwater photography and why?

I started in 2006 during my first trip to Indonesia. Photography has been the natural evolution of my love for the ocean. I wanted to extend the emotions of the dives through images to keep as memories for me and others to enjoy. 

How much diving experience did you have when you started?

I had around 50 dives when I started. I have done other 900 dives since then, all with my camera.

Were you a land photographer before starting? 

I did not have significant photography experience prior to diving. I do like to take shots of the diving locations I visit however when I am at home I do not have sufficient time to dedicated to land photography.

Today my underwater photography is concentrated during my trips although I keep studying and learning when am home. 

What was your first underwater camera and housing?

My first camera was a Nikon E4600 point and shoot with a Fantasea housing. One year after I replaced it with an Olympus with a strobe and in 2009 I bought my first DSLR.

What is your current camera rig and why did you choose it?

For wide angle I use a  Canon 80D with Canon 8-15mm FE  or Tokina 10-17mm FE while for macro a Canon 7D with Canon 60mm lens. I also use Inon UCL-67 wet lenses and an inverted Canon 24mm Pancake for extreme super macro.

I use Sea and Sea housing with a 45 degree viewfinder, I have developed my own trim system with self made floats on Stix arm segments. I have of course a macro port, a zen minidome and a 170 dome with 20 and 30 extensions.

My strobes are Inon Z330, OneUW 160 and Inon Z240 as remote snoot rig using triggerfish. I have several snoots including some self made in fiber optic.

I started using Sea and Sea housing in 2009 when I bought the DSLR and I have stayed with this brand ever since. Maybe there are better products now however I have found Sea and Sea to be very sturdy and reliable and I have invested in the ports and accessories so now is difficult to change.

For what concerns the camera right now I think Nikon is better than Canon however I had already built my set of lenses and I really like the reverse ring macro that canon offers. 

What is your favourite underwater photography discipline?

I started with macro and I have a lot of experience with it. I think macro is the easiest discipline in underwater photography you can start critter hunting with a dive guide and just keep shooting. When you have more experience, you start framing correctly and understanding the correct positioning as well as the lighting. Eventually you realise that the background can be at times more important than the subject and that it is not just about shooting but waiting for the subject to be ready for your shot, chasing the peak of the action.

I have also spent time in developing special techniques with reverse rings or with mixed lighting or slow shutter speeds. Sometimes I use vintage lenses to get a special bokeh at very wide apertures. I try to constantly move forwards some experiments are very successful like super macro or slow shutter shots, others still to be improved like vintage lenses. I constantly look at the work of other photographers to understand if there is a technique I am interested in trying. Another point in favour of macro is that most key locations are accessible at reasonable cost, so once on location I recommend to hire a private guide to support you taking the shots and maximise the opportunities.

Ajiex Dharma  in Tulamben  and Obet Curpuz in  Anilao  are the guides that have helped me the most during my trips.

Wide angle is the discipline that today I find more interesting, especially large animals and the possibility to dive in spectacular dive sites. I think I still need to develop my wide angle photography.

Wide angle is the most complex discipline in underwater photography and I recommend to try it once you have already some experience. There are many challenges, firstly you need the location with the right mix of reefs and fish life, those tend to be more difficult to dive with currents, surge, or sometimes deep dives. Balancing ambient and strobe light is complex and requires more powerful strobes to cover fisheye lenses. I find particularly challenging to develop a wide angle vision to frame the shots in such a way that they have depth and energy in the frame. 

Selection of shots

Snoot :

Accelerated panning with snoot :

supermacro with reverse ring :

Macro with vintage lenses :

Ambient light wide angle :

Wide angle :

What has been to date your best trip from a photography viewpoint?

Triton Bay ( Indonesia )   has incredible variety of subjects : 5 different pygmy seahorse  (satomi , pontoi , severn, denise , bargibanti ),  whale sharks,  reef fish and invertebrates of west  papua .  The reefs offer incredible scenes in shallow water thanks to ambient light and the beaches are wonderful.

How many trips have you done in the last 3 years and where?

Lately I have been lucky to make up to 3 trips per year. In the last 3 years I have been to Fiji/Tonga, La Paz, Socorro, Anilao, Tulamben, Gorontalo, Triton bay, Raja Ampat and Weda Halmahera. I prefer staying in resort for two reasons: I can repeat the same dive site over and over and I can stay for longer period of time. Clearly some locations are only accessible by boat but if there is a choice I would always stay in resort, typically I look for small locations with a limited capacity specialised in underwater photography. 

Has there been a defining moment where you think your photography improved significantly?

No. I am self-taught so I have had to study hard. I like to research the theory before trying and as I am far from the sea my progression has been steady and continuous.

It is really important to understand your own limitations and mistakes, this is a key point. Even if you get many likes on facebook or win a competition you don’t understand from there how to move forward and you get stuck in a loop. Having some friends that are experts and open minded that can give you some feedback is extremely useful. 

What is your personal favourite shot among all you have taken?

I think my shot with strobe and accelerated panning of this seahorse really gives the idea of a horse galloping in the wind!

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