STUART PHILPOTT'S COLUMN: Photographing a saltwater croc

Mark and Will (the Sport Diver editorial team) have been harassing me for yonks to start a column on the Sport Diver website. So, to stop the never ending frowns and awkward silences, here is the first in my new monthly series...

Just as a brief introduction to me for anyone who doesn’t already know who I am, I have been writing diving articles and taking underwater photographs for some 15 years. I am currently using a Nikon DSLR camera in a Sea and Sea Housing with 2 x YS110 strobes.

I take my work very seriously and try and do my very best whatever the circumstances or conditions I am thrown into. At times I may get a little too carried away and focus on the subject more than the immediate danger but in my mind that’s the nature of the job and I’m willing to take that risk.

I think that the first image on my blog shows, in true paparazzi style, how far I sometimes have to push the limits to get a reasonable picture. I’m not entirely happy with the result and there is definitely some room for improvement but all in all I think it’s a shot worth showing.

This is a 3.5m saltwater croc called El Nino. He lives in the mangroves at a place called Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) some 75km off the mainland of Cuba. El Nino is a very special crocodile. Noel, the resident dive guide, actually stops the boat and calls out for the croc. Unbelievably, El Nino appears from the mangroves and wanders over to the boat like a lost puppy. He gets fed lots of his favourite food - chicken - and in return allows slightly crazy underwater photographers to get into the water with him for a very intimate photo session.

In this picture El Nino’s lethal looking jaws are only a few centimetres away from the dome port of my camera. I was tensed and waiting for the inevitable full-on strike but it didn’t happen and as the minutes ticked away I realised that maybe there was at least one friendly saltwater crocodile in the world. I stayed in the water with El Nino for more than an hour and even returned for a second session. Not once did I see any outward signs of aggression. I had joined forces with a Brazilian film crew who were really pushing the limits and in my opinion provoking the croc. But El Nino simply turned away and swam off.

I tried to get El Nino in various poses and positions below the waterline but felt that the 50/50 shot using a 10mm wide angle lens came out the best. I like seeing the mangroves and El Nino’s eye above and his 60 or so pearly whites below. I used both strobes on low power just to help highlight the croc. Water clarity wasn’t perfect and I had to remove some backscatter using photo editing software.

If you have any questions about Cuba, Jardines de la Reina or underwater photography, either drop me an email on the address listed below, or place a comment on this page.

Safe diving and Merry Christmas,

Stuart

Stuart has been taking underwater photographs for 15 years. He is a regular contributor to Sport Diver and has an uncanny knack of supplying front cover images. For further information about photography courses with Stuart - both here in the UK and abroad - please contact him at adventurediving@yahoo.co.uk.

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