IT'S STILL A
MAN'S (UNDERWATER) WORLD
"I was face to face with a great white shark, literally three
feet away" my story begins. And the usual response, "but you
were in a cage, right?"
"No, no cage." comes my answer, followed by at least a 30 minute
explanation of why I'm not certifiable and how it is that I
still possess all my limbs. "I worked my way up, starting with
white tip reef, great hammerhead, mako and finally free swimming
with great white sharks" I say, knowing how this must sound to
the average weekend sport diver.
But, I don't have a death wish. I'm not a stunt-person. I'm an
underwater photographer, and what motivates me to push the
envelope, take risks and leave my fear in the dive bag is the
fact that I'm a woman working in a man's world.
Sure, women have come a long way in many aspects of modern
society. We may have a woman president in 2012 for that matter.
But in the world of underwater photography, it has almost always
been the men diving deepest, facing the most dangerous predators
and taking the hardcore risks that put their photos on the
covers of magazines worldwide.
Of course, there are a few notable exceptions. I was working on
a dive boat in Maui when I first saw the classic documentary
"Blue Water, White Death" with Valerie Taylor free
swimming with oceanic white tip sharks. Marine biologists
Eugeunie Clark and Sylvia Earle are highly respected marine
biologists who spent much of their careers working with sharks.
None of these pioneering women really focused on photography,
but they at least proved that there is equality in the
weightless environment of liquid space, if you have the courage.
Unfortunately, for a women to join the ranks of underwater
photographers like David Doubilet, Howard Hall, Marty Snyderman,
Jim Watt and Doug Perrine it will take extreme sacrifice. Be
prepare to endure: bad weather, rough seas, hours in the water
with large, potentially dangerous animals, investing thousands
of dollars in state of the art equipment that will corrode,
flood and be lost, spending 20-30 years honing your craft,
getting "skunked" by animals that fail to show up, and traveling
around the globe non-stop for most of your adult life. And, oh
yea, you still have to find an editor, magazine, or broadcast
entity that will pay to send you on assignment or buy your
photographs.
Yes, there are easier professions, but for me, it is extremely
rewarding to see my work in a magazine or on TV and sharing it
will millions. And sure, it's ego gratification to occasionally
get a shot that the male-dominated icons of this industry might
have missed. Certainly, as a female in this business,
recognition is important, and if it takes free swimming with
several great hammerheads, an overly aggressive mako shark, or
being in open water with a great white shark, to get an
award-winning shot, this is part of the job.
"Oh, you're a wildlife photographer, what do you photograph?"
they ask. Probably wondering what type of butterfly or bird a
5'6", 110lb female might specialize in. "Fish" I answer with a
smile, "just fish."
Caterina Gennaro, has award-winning photos in PADI's "Project
Aware" Photo Contest 3 years running, was a still
photographer on the Discovery Channel "Shark Week"
programs: "Air Jaws", "Air Jaws 2" and was
featured as a diver/photographer in the Discovery Specials
"Diary of a Shark Man" and "Great White Shark:
Uncaged."
