Before I fly to any of the many reefs where I have created images, I have reviewed what species of animals have been found in the location and have studied their natural habitat. I have considered the corals and sponges if any that may exist in the habitat. I typically will mull over how I want to create the images I hope to make.

Every dive begins with a decision that shapes the entire day’s work — one that cannot be undone once I enter the water. I must choose whether to shoot with a wide-angle or a macro lens. There is no “one-lens-fits-all” solution for underwater photography, and lenses cannot be changed once submerged. This choice determines not only the style of imagery I can capture but often whether a once-in-a-lifetime encounter becomes an image — or simply a memory.

One of my recurring nightmares is descending with my macro setup and then watching a humpback whale glide into view. Encounters like that are extraordinarily rare, commanding awe and presence. Yet, with the wrong lens, the most I can capture might be the detail of an eye or the texture of barnacles on a fin — beautiful, but hardly the sweeping portrait such a subject deserves.

Before any dive, setting up the housing, strobes, modifiers, and lenses can take an hour or more. Once assembled, I place the camera under a vacuum seal for several hours to ensure it’s watertight. Any leak would not only destroy that day’s work but potentially end photography for the remainder of the expedition — since carrying backup systems on remote dives is nearly impossible.