FISH BOWL DIARIES: LIFE BEHIND THE LENS

 

FISH BOWL DIARIES: LIFE BEHIND THE LENS

For over a decade, Fish Bowl Diaries have been capturing the raw power and beauty of windsurfing. Behind the lens are Sofie and Paul, a husband-and-wife duo whose journey into photography originated during a trip to Maui in the 90’s. 

In this interview, Sofie explains how Fish Bowl Diaries got started, the challenges of shooting in some of the world’s most breath-taking locations and what it takes to stay at the top of their game in a highly competitive industry. From Maui’s legendary waves to travels across Japan, Fiji and Chile, they’ve documented the sport like few others. Dive in as we explore their creative process, favourite shots, and the reality of life behind the lens.

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Where and when did you guys meet and were you both into photography at the time?
Paul and I met in 1990 in Cyprus. We got married a year later! At the time neither of us were into photography. A few years after we got married, I was gifted some money and we bought a camera. We started out with film cameras and even had our own darkroom, printing both black and white and colour images.

Who came up with the name Fish Bowl Diaries and what was the concept behind the name?
“I, ‘Sofie’, came up with the name. I genuinely have no idea how the name Fish Bowl Diaries came to my mind! Paul hated the name at first, but the quirky name has stuck with us for the last 13 years and has served us well! I’d been shooting so many photos of windsurfing whilst Paul was windsurfing at Ho’okipa and I didn’t want them sitting on my computer so I started interviewing riders and showcasing their images with their interviews on a website. I set up a FB page and a year or two later an Instagram account and the rest is history!”

When and how did you start getting into shooting windsurfing?
“We first came to Maui in the 90s and I was one of those wives who sat on the beach taking photos of her husband! We weren’t professional photographers back then (not even amateur photographers!) and we borrowed a relative’s camera gear.

The pics were pretty awful ????  In 2011, we started coming to Maui on a regular basis. At this point, we were professional photographers and that’s when our windsurfing photography began. I was still one of those wives sitting on the beach taking photos of her husband but also the pros too.  I mostly didn’t even know who they were! We had absolutely no idea that this would lead to a career in water-sports photography.”

What year was your first season in Maui and how long did it take for you guys to get recognized?
“2011 was our first full winter season on Maui but it was probably about three years later that brands wanted to work with us or magazines wanted to showcase our work. In the early years, magazines weren’t interested in our work saying that the market was inundated with images from Maui and there wasn’t a huge demand for more Maui images. Brands didn’t know us so it took a while for them to notice our work and commission us.”

How did you end up living on Maui?
“Paul was selected for the green card lottery so we jumped through a few hoops and ended up on Maui!!”

Do you prefer shooting at home in Hawaii or do you enjoy trips to competitions and new countries?
“Shooting on Maui comes so naturally now. I almost feel like we could do it with our eyes closed! The thing about shooting on Maui is that it’s almost too easy! For the most part, you’re shooting in perfect lighting, good wave conditions and of course, top athletes. You do get stuck in a rut shooting at the same location so it’s definitely nice to be able to go elsewhere and challenge ourselves with a new location, different lighting and weather conditions.”

How did you like going on trips to beautiful places like Japan and Chile? Do you also make a holiday out of the trip?

“It’s always great to be able to travel to new places, meet new people, make new friends and experience new cultures but it’s not as glamorous as it sounds! You usually fly in a day or two before the event and fly out a day afterwards. There’s always so much photographic gear to travel with so you’re never traveling light and during an event It’s not only full days of shooting but also full nights of editing so there’s very little down time to see or do anything else.

When we went to Japan last year, we weren’t there as official photographers. We were there on holiday rather than as photographers for the windsurfing event. We had wanted to visit Japan, so we tied in the windsurfing event as well as our trip to Japan. Once the event finished, we headed off to Kyoto for a few days with Sarah, Bernd & Jake and then fulfilled a 20-year bucket list item and went to Nagano to photograph the snow monkeys and finished up the trip in Tokyo. We’re excited to be heading back to Chile again this year. The people there are so friendly, the location is beautiful and the hosts of the event at Hotel Surazo are very welcoming and warm.”

What camera gear do you guys use?
“We’ve been Nikon users ever since we started photography. We now use mirrorless bodies – Z9, Z8, Z7ii. Paul’s first water housing was an SPL which housed a D800. That housing has been a workhorse and has served him faithfully for many years. He uses Aquatech housings for the mirrorless bodies.”

What is your favourite body and lens to shoot action with?
“Paul just bought a new housing for the Nikon Z8 and that paired with the 70-200mm f2.8 lens is his favourite set up. My favourite set up is the Nikon Z8 with the 180-400mm with the built in 1.4x teleconverter. The set up is light enough to hand hold and gives me the creative license to move around and shoot from different angles rather than be stuck with a heavy set up on a tripod.”

What would be the three lenses you take on a trip?
“If it’s just three it would have to be the basics which are rather boring!! 24-70mm f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, and 180-400mm f4.”

Who is the boss in the relationship?
“I assume you mean the business relationship?! ????  Even in this day and age, we live in a patriarchal society. Almost everyone assumes if it’s a husband and wife team, that it’s always the man running the business. 99% of messages we receive start with hey man, hey dude, hey bro, hey Paul! Let’s put it like this … I, (Sofie), am completing this interview, if you send an email or message us on social media, I’m the one who replies, if you see a post on FB or Instagram it’s me that posted it.

Fish Bowl Diaries was originally my brainchild as a way to showcase all the images I’d shot while Paul was windsurfing. It eventually turned into a business which I primarily run. Simple version is, I shoot from land, Paul shoots from water and I get to do all the tedious behind the scenes work!”

Who does all the editing?
“No prizes for guessing it’s me, Sofie! ????”

What is the best location you have ever shot?
“It’s hard to define the ‘best location’ as it always depends on conditions (and who you’re photographing)! The best location one year might be the worst the next due to lack of conditions. Cloudbreak is definitely way up there on the list though. The waves there are breath taking. They’re long and peel beautifully and the barrels are so picturesque. Pe’ahi, which is right on our doorstep, still holds up as one of the most exciting breaks to shoot at.”

Do you have a favourite photo or are there too many to mention?
“Just one?!! Impossible! Completing the text for this interview was easier than narrowing down a selection of images for the interview!

One shot that always comes to mind is an old photo of Robby Naish which I shot at least 20+ years ago. I had no clue about photography or windsurfing and I was using a borrowed camera with an old manual focus 800mm lens. I captured a shot of Robby doing a fully extended table top. I was so proud of that one because at that time I had no idea what I was doing! The tabletop has been my favourite move ever since that shot!!

More recently I’d probably pick one of Robby Swift at Cloudbreak. It’s shot at that magical golden hour which all photographers love. Robby is coming down Cloudbreak’s iconic barrelling wave with Paul at the front of the frame shooting from a jet ski with Ian from Fiji Surf Co. It’s one that’s a bit different than the normal windsurfing image I have the opportunity to shoot. Other than action photos there are also so many lifestyle images we’ve shot over the years which make it to the top of the list. Capturing emotive lifestyle moments during events are just as rewarding as the action shots.

Paul has so many amazing water shots that it’s hard for him to pick a favourite! A couple of stand outs would be images of Morgan windsurfing at Pe’ahi and one of Kai Lenny surfing at Pe’ahi shot from the left.  That angle doesn’t get photographed very often and the perspective from that side is truly unique and magnificent. The other image that comes to mind is one of Robby Naish on a Kona day. Sunny Kona days are always breath taking days to shoot. Robby is doing an aerial, the wave is barrelling, you can see the West Maui mountains in the background and the light Is glorious. It’s a perfect frame. There are more … Definitely too many to mention!”

Who are your favourite riders to shoot and why?
“Impossible to answer this one as there are far too many riders to list and they each have something unique about them!! We work with hugely talented athletes and without their skills on the water we wouldn’t have the images that everyone enjoys. We’re very grateful to all of them!”

What do you guys love about photography?
“I’m not sure we’d be where we are now without photography. It was Paul wanting to windsurf at Ho’okipa that took us to Maui back in the 90s. We were only supposed to go just once but I guess no one ever goes just once! I don’t think his love of windsurfing would have been enough reason for our move to Maui. Setting up Fish Bowl Diaries gave us the real push to move to Maui, which has completely changed our lives.

Photography has taken us to places we wouldn’t have gone and we’ve met so many people along the way, making long lasting friendships. The thought of creating and capturing iconic images that will last long after we’ve dropped off this mortal coil is something quite special.”

How do you stay motivated to keep shooting at such high quality?
“I have major OCD! Sub-par images are simply not an option ???? Obviously the camera gear helps when it comes to resolution quality but I am persnickety about details.  I can’t stand things like uneven horizons, weird editing tones, bad compositions or awful lighting. Unfortunately, the latter is one we don’t always have control of as we sometimes have to shoot in bad weather/lighting but anything we have control over we do our best to manage to a high standard. If we’re working for a client, we especially do our utmost to maintain quality as we want to be sure to give them the best images possible.”

Have you ever had a photography disaster?
“Just before Covid lockdowns, Paul finished up water shooting for a Naish shoot and as he was swimming back to shore the latch opened on the housing and it flooded the camera and lens and housing electronics. Thankfully we got the card out and we were able to retrieve the images. The camera was a right-off and the housing needed the electronics changed.”

Is there a day that sticks out as your most memorable to shoot?
“This is actually the hardest question to answer! Firstly, my memory is atrocious ???? and secondly there have been so many incredible days over the years …. Perfect Kona days, jaw-dropping Pe’ahi, mesmerizing Cloudbreak, Chilean golden hour and massive Ho’okipa days.”

Do you enjoy shooting the big wave season in Hawaii?
“YES! The bigger the better! There’s almost just as much of an adrenaline rush shooting the big waves as there is for the athletes riding the waves.”

Do you Sofie get worried when Paul goes out on the ski at Jaws?
“I’m more worried about him swimming and water shooting at Ho’okipa than I am of him on the ski at Jaws! Although if he’s on the ski with Jason Polakow, then yes, I’m worried ????”

Where do you guys see yourselves in ten years time?
“Retired! Haha! I actually struggle quite a bit with back and neck issues and carpal tunnel so I’m really not sure how much longer I can keep going with shooting and computer work … makes me pretty sad to think I may have to stop sooner than I’d like ????  Paul always says if he can’t windsurf anymore he’d probably not want to live on Maui and I can’t see us lugging around heavy camera gear when we’re 65! I’m sure we’ll still be taking photos but a lot less and we’ll be picky about what we shoot!”

What things annoy you when you see people using or abusing your pictures?
“It is beyond frustrating having people think they have the right to use your images especially without even asking for permission. Many believe images are free to use because they’re online. They are NOT!

To keep a presence in the industry we have to use social media and it’s a great tool but at the same time I almost begrudge posting because we end up finding our work shared on accounts and websites where someone is profiting off our images – either for monetary gain or simply to bulk up their following off the back of our work.”

Will you ever get rich shooting windsurfing?
“HA! I think you know the answer to this question JC!! We’re a couple of decades too late for that!”

Any advice to any up and coming windsurf photographers?
“If you’re serious about any kind of photography as a job, save up and buy the best equipment you can. It will save you money in the long term. If your ultimate goal is to shoot windsurfing for a living then you need to be realistic and accept that you will have to subsidize your earnings with something else! Either another kind of job or shooting another higher paying genre of photography.”

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