To me, capturing a moment on film or stirring an emotional chord in the viewer is what photography is all about. Whether it be a stolen moment, or just the way a ray of light falls on a subject's eyes. It is my passion. Now I find myself learning photography all over again with a housed camera and the ability to focus underwater. Oooh. Hard to believe I spent 20 years "eyeballing" the measurements with my trusty Nikonos. I can actually get closer to my subjects- using a lens. Go figure.

For years I felt compelled to document every living creature I could find under the sea. With each dive, I became more and more in tune with the myriad of colors displayed, when they were displayed and why it was displayed. Scientists are still trying to figure out how they display. Perhaps, it is an ancient language. I became aware of the extreme symbiotic living conditions necessary for "the survival of the fittest."

I have witnessed creatures change color right before my very eyes, even when they were sleeping, only to replicate the colors and textures of my gear... sight unseen, and in the darkness. If it were not for the flash on my camera, and the magic that results from photography, I would not have even been aware that this change was happening. Now after years, I seek these changes and try to bring them to all who would never dare go down.

If we evolved from the sea, what innate abilities has mankind forgotten? Sometimes, I cannot imagine how we could have evolved from such a diverse plethora of life. And then again, I can.

I find that I am fascinated by the puissance of water. Whether it be a sea full of bizarre looking creatures or a sudden flash flood. There isn't a day goes by that something "water" doesn't captivate me in some way or another.

In a world that is seemingly "blue" to the naked human eye, I can’t help but wonder... what it is we are missing? The answers are still there for us to discover.

Suzan Meldonian has been a photojournalist, designer and illustrator since 1989. She is also a member of the Women in the Visual Arts. Her work has appeared in the Sundance Film Festival, Scuba Times, Pacific Diver, Underwater USA, Fisheye View, Global Editions, Gordon Fraser Galleries, and (Undersea Adventures). And now the current Newsletter Editor for SFUPS!

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