Nuno Vasco Rodrigues is a Marine Biologist and researcher at MARE IPLeiria. He was named “Conservation Photographer of the Year” by Ocean Geographic Society in 2021, and his photos have been awarded and published in international exhibitions, newspapers, magazines and books. Nuno uses photography to share the underwater wonders while highlighting the threats faced by marine species and ecosystems today, especially as a consequence of climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution.
For the past three years, Nuno has photographed Upwell’s work tagging juvenile loggerhead turtles in the Azores Archipelago in partnership with the COSTA Project and the University of the Azores, which is part of Upwell’s Lost Years Initiative. Nuno took some time to chat with us about the highlights and challenges of documenting sea turtle releases underwater.
Q: How did you get into conservation photography?
A: I had just finished my degree in marine biology, and an opportunity came up to work on a marine species ID book of a Marine Protected Area in Portugal. My task was to organize underwater photos from a local photographer, identify the species and get all the technical details and description. But at this point, I was already an experienced diver, so I decided to start taking photos of the species that we didn’t have photos for yet. These didn't have to be beautiful photos, they just needed to show the main characteristics of the fish or other animal.
Later, I focused on taking beautiful photos and then that evolved into taking photos to tell stories. It was a really big progression, from purely scientific to storytelling purposes. Although every now and then I still do photos for guides, in fact I just finished one for the whole country of Portugal.
Q: Had you worked with sea turtles before collaborating with Upwell and COSTA?
A: I have to be honest, I didn't know much about sea turtles until I started working more closely with the university there in the Azores. I've learned a lot from Fred and from George, it has been a learning curve. I'm constantly fascinated by the story behind all the research that has been done in the Azores since the seventies and has progressed until now. I actually wrote an article about that history for Oceanographic Magazine.
Q: What are your favorite images that you have taken of the turtle releases?
A: Every time I go to schools and universities and give a talk about my work, I always bring a couple of photos from this project. There's a specific photo that I took that has George and Fred on the boat releasing one of these very small turtles, and it's a split shot that is half underwater and half above. And of course, you have the Pico volcano in the background. These are all extremely strong photos for communication, especially to share with people who don't dive, to let them see the world above and below the water.
Q: What is special about working in the Azores?
The Azores is one of the best places I've ever been. It is a special place for me personally but also special in terms of biodiversity. I mean, it's in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the Atlantic. The ocean that's around the Azores is very deep, so you always have surprises. Of course you expect to see certain species, but every now and then there's something that comes from the depths like fish, squid, octopus, or that comes from the other side of the Atlantic.
Q: What are some of the challenges of filming in the Azores?
A: We face a lot of challenges. I remember on one of the release trips we had some rough weather. The currents can be really strong and they can change very quickly. So, If I'm in the water waiting for Fred and George to release the turtle I’m basically fighting the currents. Also, when you're at the surface of the water you're basically bobbing up and down, up and down, all the time. That makes it very difficult to stabilize the camera. If I am farther underwater it is more stable, but since I need to be at the surface, it can be very difficult. And when you add the currents on top of that, it can be really difficult to get good footage and photos.
Even on calm days the surface can be quite choppy, making it difficult to keep focus on and follow small turtles.
Q: You don’t happen to get seasick, do you?
A: I've never gotten seasick during turtle release trips. But yes, every now and then if the sea is really rough, I do get seasick. It doesn’t happen too frequently though.
Q: Is there any part of the in-water filming that's especially fun?
It's kinda sad to say, but I'm so focused on getting a good image that I don't really enjoy the experience as much as I probably should, you know? But, every now and then, once I am able to take all of the photos that I wanted to, I'm able to relax a bit more in the water and just watch the turtles go, or whichever other animal is the subject. That's quite rewarding.
Q: Do you have a favorite story from your experiences documenting the sea turtle releases?
A: During the release in June of 2023 we were extremely lucky and the sea was calm, just glass. It was just a beautiful day. Even in perfect conditions it's still difficult to film the turtles because they're small, and usually, once they’re in the water, they swim off really quick and it's difficult for me to keep up. But on that day, one of the smallest turtles swam towards me after it was released and then stuck around. I was able to get beautiful shots, stills and videos of that turtle, I guess it was enjoying my company.
