Home > Culture > Mentor Showcase > The 2007 Best-of Series: Keith Ellenbogen
The 2007 'Best Of' Series
We have now produced an annual Best Of issue of the ASMP Bulletin for the third year in a row. As before, we selected twenty projects for our issue — but this year, we had nearly 200 excellent submissions! It was a tough decision, and we thank all those who submitted their work. We hope you will enjoy reading about these projects.
Keith Ellenbogen, New York City, NY
Web site: www.bluereef.com
Project: Fulbright Fellowship in Malaysia to document underwater sea life
In a project funded by a Fulbright Fellowship, Keith Ellenbogen lends a voice to the exotic fauna of a Malaysian coral reef. His expertise behind the underwater lens in both stills and video allows him to photograph his bashful subjects within the short window of his air supply. His skills as a technologist and a facilitator linking multiple collaborators enables him to extend the awareness of this precious natural resource as an educational outreach to people around the globe.
Collaborating organizations: Parsons School of Design, Communication Design and Technology Dept, University Sains Malaysia, Computer Science Dept and Center for Marine and Coastal Studies Program, Internet2 K20 Initiatives, and EarthEcho International (Philippe Cousteau’s non-profit organization).
All photos © Keith Ellenbogen
ASMP: How long have you been in business?
I have more recently taken on an active professional role in underwater photography and am currently looking to explore new opportunities that will enable me to travel into the field with all my camera and underwater housing equipment.
ASMP: How long have you been an ASMP member?
A little more than one year.
ASMP: What are your photographic specialties?
I specialize in underwater photography. I have been focusing on bringing the small creatures such as the coral polyps as well as the larger exotic marine animals to life through the interaction of the underwater lens.
ASMP: Please describe the processes and techniques central to the making of this work.
One of the techniques central to the making of my work is to become familiar with the habits and behaviors of the local marine life. Additionally, building relationships with the surrounding local people helps me to better understand the connection we have with our marine environment. This combination enables me to capture moments and expressions — above and below the surface — that otherwise might be overlooked. For example, after diving the same sights daily, and befriending the local people, I was fortunate to meet Jalal, a native fisherman of Mabul Island, who introduced me to the “Sea Gypsies,” a nomadic group of people who live their entire lives at sea. These relationships took time to develop and were essential to my work and sharing their story.
ASMP: What do you consider your most valuable piece of equipment?
I enjoy macro photography and often fluctuate between the 60mm and 105mm lens, depending on the primary subject I am trying to photograph. For the past year, all my underwater images were taken using Sea&Sea’s underwater housing and strobes with the Nikon D200. All the video was taken with the SonyTRV 950 and Sea&Sea’s Video housing VX-950. The housing is key — it’s what makes it possible to take the cameras underwater and allows me to easily control all the functions and settings. The equipment worked great, and it was a pleasure to use the housing and lights each and every dive. Additionally, for postproduction I find my Apple computer invaluable when using PhotoShop and FinalCut Pro.
ASMP: What is unique about your style and approach; what sets you and your work apart from other photographers?
I try to photograph the marine environment in such a way as to create an emotional connection that can also inspire imagination. As an artist and photographer, with an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design, I slowly approach the corals and fish, focusing my underwater lens on their elaborate patterns, shapes, textures, and behaviors. But my love for the ocean and its beautiful inhabitants helps me connect to the environment in a way that I can go after just the right shot, day (and night!) after day. The marvelous variation leaves me in awe and inspired to imagine.
ASMP: How do you select your dive sites?
There are many factors that are involved in selecting a dive destination and site. I chose Malaysia as my host country for the Fulbright Fellowship because it is world-renowned for some of the highest concentrations of corals as well as over five hundred species of exotic and varied marine life. I was fortunate to spend a few months living on Mabul Island, Malaysia, surrounded by the Celebes Sea.
Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai Islands have all the cachet and marine life to attract divers from around the globe. The diving was spectacular. It had the best of both worlds, all the big animals that allow divers to say “I saw a shark” or sea turtle, as well as an array of macro life such as nudibranches, frog fish, and pygmy seahorses.
ASMP: How do the time constraints of shooting underwater affect your selection of what to photograph and the equipment you work with?
Time and air are just some of the constraints limiting underwater photographers. On land, you can set up the cameras and wait all day for your subject. However, my average dive time was about one hour and I dove typically 3-4 times every day, sometimes at night. Given the short available time underwater, it is important to have a background knowledge of marine life that enables you to find and photograph the marine animals efficiently.
To add to the challenge, the animals don’t live in easily accessible locations, I mean they just don’t swim up to you and smile for the camera. By way of example, I was fortunate to photograph the Peacock Mantis Shrimp, one of the most elusive yet dashing and fashionable marine animals. The bright colors of the peacock mantis shrimp are aposematic (conspicuous, serving as a warning) to other animals. This shrimp has one of the fastest moving legs in the world, recorded at a speed of approximately 50 mph, that could easily smash through the lens of your underwater housing or break a finger. As with many fashionable creatures, they are aloof and exciting to see.
ASMP: Does your shooting strategy or visual approach differ between working with stills or video?
Very different. My approach to shooting video is to position myself in such a way as to let the camera roll and the animal to move naturally — not to follow it’s every movement by jerking the camera, but to let it come into and out of the field of view and to seamlessly track. The viewer of video should feel like they are underwater, not like they are behind a video camera. Additionally, if the animal is slow moving or stationary then I am challenged with panning the camera in such as way as to keep the visuals dynamic. In underwater photography you must position yourself correctly, adjust your lights and settings, and patiently wait for that one interesting moment in time. However, don’t forget time is a factor and air will run out, for both video and photography.
ASMP: Have you ever found yourself in a frightening or dangerous situation while shooting underwater? Please describe.
While I have not found myself in a dangerous situation, I often find myself in a dilemma when a dive is coming to an end and it is time to return to the surface. Diving in a remote area in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, I was fortunate to encounter 3-4 manta rays. For about an hour at a depth of 50-60 feet we swam together. They would circle up and back around me, time and time again. They were as curious of me as I of them. I can only imagine what they were thinking. However, after about an hour, air was running low and I had no choice but to surface and say goodbye. It was an experience I will never forget and a real dilemma.
ASMP: How does your background and knowledge of marine life, and your background in technology and design affect your photography?
I am fascinated with life beneath the sea. During my high school years, I volunteered as an assistant aquarist at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. While there, I learned first-hand about the role the oceans play within our global marine environment as well as the habits and behaviors of the marine animals. One of my first experiences underwater was in the Giant Ocean Tank, which is comprised of Caribbean marine animals. Since then I have logged over a couple thousand dives and become a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer. Understanding the habits and behaviors of marine life allows me to be at the right place at the right time when shooting still pictures and video. Additionally, my design and technology background has provided me an opportunity to utilize technology combined with visual expression to create awareness about our marine environment.
ASMP: You recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship to study Malaysian coral reefs. Please describe the process for applying for this award.
It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. One of the goals of the Fulbright is to build international relations between the United States and the host country. They accept proposals in all categories from sciences to the arts.
To apply for a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship you need to choose a host country and complete an online application that includes project proposal, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, a support letter of affiliation from host country, and supplemental materials. All artists must submit work samples related to the project. I was also interviewed by a committee at Parsons School of Design, the university through which I applied. More information can be found at www.fulbrightonline.org.
Once you submit your application, it is reviewed by a Fulbright Committee in Washington D.C. If it is approved by that committee, your application is then sent to the host country for final approval. The entire process takes about 6 months.
ASMP: Was an image presentation integral to this process and, if so, what kind of presentation did you make?
Yes! To apply for a Fulbright Fellowship in the arts, you must submit a portfolio of work that resembles and reflects the body of work outlined in your project proposal. I submitted a DVD that included a public service announcement (PSA) campaign entitled “Critical Impasse” that I videographed, edited and wrote for Philippe Cousteau’s non-profit organization EarthEcho International. This project was part of my graduate thesis at Parsons School of Design. Additionally, I supplied still images of marine life.
As part of the application process, I was also required to give a visual presentation to a committee at Parsons School of Design to evaluate the strength of my application. During this presentation, I was asked a variety of questions that were both technical and design-related. Based on this presentation, Parsons School of Design rated my application and submitted a letter of support to the Fulbright Review Board.
ASMP: Please describe your approach to pitching and involving collaborating organizations in your work. What, if any, type of negotiations are involved in establishing these connections?
One of my strengths is building personal relationships and maintaining contacts. I prefer to network to find the right person and organization before I initiate a dialogue. I also actively try to think of how all organizations and individuals can benefit from this collaboration.
ASMP: Given the global scale of your collaborations, do you have any insights about maintaining communication on such a large scale? What is your favorite method for keeping in touch? Does this differ between contacts?
Even in many remote places, I had access to the Internet and was able to maintain connections and establish future plans. I often used video Internet chatting to stay in touch with family, friends and colleagues back home. During my trip, I would keep an online blog at EarthEcho International, www.earthecho.org/fellowship, where I would post photographs and share some stories in text. At this point in time, I feel I could work anywhere in the world. I carry my laptop with me just about everywhere I go.
ASMP: Do you apply your image making to commercial applications and, if so, what are they?
I recently returned from Malaysia, and I just started to show my work at galleries, participate in pubic art shows, write magazine articles, as well as give presentations. However, I am looking for additional opportunities to share my images and stories.
ASMP: Your work is heavily influenced by technology and interactive media. Given this focus, how important or influential is the single still image to you?
I think there is something magical about a single photographic image, one that can tell a story, evoke a thought, and create emotions. What’s even greater about an image is that an initial impression can be created in a nano-second and then evolve and grow in complexity over time.
ASMP: What do you think is the most fundamental issue facing photographers and other creative professionals today?
For me, I think the move to digital photography and videography is so exciting. There are things I can do now, that in the past were impossible. I remember using my first underwater camera, the Nikonos V. I would go for a dive, take my 36 pictures, send the film away, and wait for the slides to return. A few weeks later, I got them back and some were good, others were not. But with digital technology, I get instantaneous feedback so that I can adjust, change my aperture and/or shutter speed, reposition the lights, and take another photograph.
ASMP: What is your view of how visual aesthetics will be impacted by technology in the future?
I think it is an exciting time. Technology is changing rapidly, and I believe there are many avenues for artistic expression. I am in the process of exploring new opportunities to continue the work I started as a U.S. Fulbright Fellow. I look forward to embracing new technologies and focus on visual solutions to benefit the marine environment, develop awareness and create social change.
