Behind the Image With Craig Kolesky
From shooting fast cars in the middle of Cape Town to chasing after ultra runners in the wilderness, Craig has photographed a wide variety of epic sports. Craig brought decades of surf and kitesurf photography experience to our freediving shoot, and, despite all his experience, was blown away by the beauty beneath the ocean’s surface. Craig was like a kid in a candy store!
We connected with Craig after the Cape Town shoot to talk through his favorite images and more.
This image has a real timeless feel about it — the way Zandi is floating free and kind of reaching out into the unknown. What makes it even more special is that it was a last-minute idea that came together for the final image of the shoot.
We had pretty much wrapped the shoot and were all swimming back to the boat. I was watching Zandi move gracefully through the water and as she surfaced she glided into this position as if to reach out. I got her to swim down again and asked her to make a lot of bubbles and to get in the same position but to reach through the vortex. I shot a few frames out of this, but this one just stood out.
“Teamwork was so important and because 90% of the shoot was underwater, communication was key.”
I like this one because it’s a different kind of take on the classic ‘over-under’ and juxtaposes the two worlds.
This split image was actually not planned — we were heading back to land but as a team we spotted the opportunity, jumped in, and got this cool shot showing off both worlds.
Walking on water? There was a bit of trickery in the angle but that adds to the allure and I feel makes you look twice at this photo. I also really like how it seems as though Zandi is standing on an endless ocean.
It may sound like a cliche, but often shots that are not planned are the ones you end up liking the most. There was a tidal pool and at high tide the water was flowing over the wall. We got Zandi to walk on the edge of this wall to get an effect of her walking on water with this seemingly infinite ocean behind her. I had no housing here, so it was a quick, last-minute (and risky) decision to rest the camera on the surface of the water to get the low angle.
What were your goals and hopes from this shoot? What surprised you (for the good and the bad)? Did you have a specific image or story you wanted to tell?
My goals were to portray some sense of the freedom and size of the ocean while making the most of flow and colors. The one image I was after was to make it look as though she was reaching another world, with water and bubbles making a vortex around her, and with some planning we got pretty close. Teamwork was so important in this and because 90% of the shoot was underwater, communication was key. We had some special moments!
This shoot was intense and the athletes were operating at a very high level. When you’re documenting an athlete at that level, what are you looking for so you can make sure you capture that story? What’s going through your mind?
Always have a camera ready and your finger on the trigger. It’s that simple and that complicated all at the same time. You have to shoot every moment possible, sometimes when you least expect it, you can capture that magic moment.
“Flow is the perfect rhythm when everything just connects and lines up. Where everything feels natural.”
What does ‘flow’ mean to you? What does it feel like to be in a state of flow for you?
I compare this to being in a perfect rhythm when everything just connects and lines up. Often when riding mountain bikes and you’ve been on the bike for days, you get into the state of flow where everything just feels natural.
“My goals were to portray some sense of the freedom and size of the ocean while making the most of flow and colors.”
Photography is a unique way to make a living… why have you chosen to be a photographer? What has photography taught you?
I’ve always had a creative side to me since I was young, I used to work a 9-5 job and did not feel like it was my path. Every spare moment I would be out photographing surfing or skateboarding. The ocean was my path to becoming a professional photographer.
Never miss a moment
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Jamie Haines, sailor “I grew up on the ocean, and in order to protect it, we need to solve the climate crisis. It all goes hand in hand.”
Ian Walsh, big wave surfer “As athletes, ocean health and sustainability are at the heart of what we do – without the ocean, we wouldn’t be here.”
Steve Benjamin, filmmaker “I really want people to fall in love with the ocean, to appreciate it more, and to try to alter their behavior around it. Everything ends up in the ocean, and it’s such a dumping ground for humanity. My hope is that people see the ocean as a living entity that needs to be protected.”
Amory Ross, storyteller “How can I describe the ocean? The ocean is impossible to describe because it is endless; it is full of life, wonder, and mystery.”
