INTERVIEW
Jay Clue & Sam Glenn-Smith
Images by these underwater photographers are featured on PADI’s latest diver certification cards. Niall Hampton finds out more...
Sam Glenn-Smith
As regular readers will recall in our underwater photo project with Mike Coots from issue 246, PADI is the world’s leading scuba diver training organisation, running courses all over the world. A PADI certification card is given to anyone who has successfully completed its training courses, which also verifies a diver’s training levels. A badge of honour in the diving community, the cards are graced with images from some of the world’s leading underwater photographers. As a new batch of certification cards has just been released, we caught up with two of the photographers that feature on them, Jay Clue and Sam Glenn-Smith.
How did you get into marine photography? Jay: I purchased my first camera just before I moved to Baja California in Mexico six years ago. It was a small compact camera with plastic housing. Back then, I knew almost nothing about photography. I’d just run around mashing buttons in Auto mode, hoping I would get some epic shots. Eventually, a close friend sat me down and said, ‘OK, you need to learn how to shoot photos or I’m taking the camera away’. She’s an incredible photographer and I’ll forever be grateful that she took the time to teach me the basics of shooting in Manual mode. Being a big nerd at heart, I began going down rabbit holes online, reading guides and watching tutorials, then going out and practising what I’d learned. I was still horrible at it but I really wanted to be able to capture photos that showed the same beauty I felt when I was in the ocean, so I kept pushing on and practising more and more.
WIN! A PADI Digital Underwater Photographer eLearning course worth £138/$146 – exclusive to Digital Camera.
Enter today at: www.digitalcamera world.com/dc280
This page: A couple holds hands in awe as a curious Oceanic Manta Ray glides in for a closer look in the Revillagigedo Archipelago.
Jay Clue
Shawn Heinrichs
Jay Clue
Photographer and cinemaphotographer
Clue’s creative practice comprises wildlife, adventure travel, astrophotography and conservation photography. His work is driven by a passion to inspire people across the globe to take action and protect the natural beauty of the world.
As well as working as a commercial photographer, Clue also dedicates time to teaching photography workshops and leading unique ocean wildlife trips worldwide.
Clue is a PADI Master Instructor and a Tec Trimix Instructor, as well as a cave diver and Closed Circuit Rebreather Diver.