For those who’re like me, you’ve been anxiously looking for any aid from the Unhealthy Information™ and limitless stream of AI slop plaguing your feed. Joseph Ricketts’ breathtaking wildlife movies could possibly be the antidote. An alligator taking a nap on the ground of a crystal clear spring. Faculties of fish glittering within the darkness. A cosmic cloud of burnt orange tannic river swirling into clear blue water. An enormous salamander battle on an Appalachian riverbed.
Joseph is an ecologist, underwater videographer, and alligator researcher primarily based in Florida. He brings a relaxing and curious gaze to a number of the extra obscure underwater vistas via his work as a scientist and wildlife researcher, together with his images and videography abilities. Together with his undersea strobes, he casts gentle on the mesmerizing conduct of a number of the extra obscure creatures that lurk under the water’s floor, creating stunning movies whereas educating his viewers on the susceptible wildlife he finds there. Documenting Florida’s pure springs and America’s freshwater ecosystems has grow to be a ardour undertaking. The Verge caught up with him to find out about his fascinating YouTube content material.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
Science or images first?
It could most likely be images first. Truly, I bought into wildlife and animals as a child. There was a creek in a park close to our home and we discovered bullfrog tadpoles in there they usually have been actually huge. That simply blew my thoughts and set me on the trail of being thinking about wildlife. My dad bought a digicam sooner or later and on some household journeys I might use it and bought actually thinking about it. All of that collectively led to me getting thinking about science after which conservation, storytelling, and wildlife filmmaking.
How did you get entangled with ecology?
I used to be in Boy Scouts as a child and there was one other child in our group who was actually into snakes. I additionally grew up watching Steve Irwin, who was an enormous hero of mine.
Rising up within the Southeast, folks have very sturdy emotions about snakes. They don’t like them — particularly the venomous ones. It was neat to look at Steve Irwin and the best way that he approached all types of animals, irrespective of how harmful they have been, with immense pleasure and curiosity. To see somebody in my very own group even be thinking about that, it was like, “I can do that too.”
After which, studying to like these animals however nonetheless seeing lots of people who simply needed all of them eradicated from the setting. Even after I was younger, I used to be considering: what does it imply to guard these animals and what does it imply to encourage different folks to vary their mindset? How do you justify defending and conserving an animal that is perhaps doubtlessly harmful? What concerning the environmental significance of predators? I used to be so and passionate, I ended up learning conservation science in undergraduate and grad college.
And you now specialise in alligators?
A number of my skilled work has been with reptiles and amphibians. At the moment I’m learning alligators and crocodiles.
What particularly are you researching?
We monitor alligator populations. I’ve helped out with some tasks on American crocodiles, that are a local threatened species in Florida. One undertaking I helped with was placing satellite tv for pc transmitters on crocodiles we captured and monitoring their actions via city areas in South Florida. The aim of that undertaking was to get a greater concept of their conduct in these extremely city environments as a result of they transfer fairly a bit. They’ve very variable residence ranges. Some will be in a very small space, however then generally they’ll simply up and go for a 20-mile swim to some other place solely. The aim is to learn to higher domesticate protected coexistence with these animals in such a dense and extremely populated space akin to South Florida.
How did you begin moving into underwater filming?
I first began out with a GoPro, as a result of it’s a really accessible and never too costly option to get a digicam underwater. In faculty, my roommates and pals all the time tried to go on some sort of journey throughout spring break. We have been tremendous fascinated with the concept of snorkeling in clear water, as a result of that wasn’t one thing that was round us the place we grew up. So each spring break we drove right down to Florida. We snorkeled within the Keys and found Florida’s springs alongside a few of these journeys.
I might take pictures with the GoPro, although it’s probably not meant for that. However underwater images gear is actually costly and I simply thought, “There’s no means, I don’t understand how I’ll ever have the ability to afford that.”
However then after my spouse and I graduated, we bought married, lived in North Carolina for a short time, after which, as a result of she’s initially from Pensacola, Florida, we moved again. I bought a job performing some ecology work right here in Gainesville.
Someday I used to be simply cruising round Fb Market and I noticed a digicam housing made to suit a 20-year-old digicam that was inside millimeters of the scale of my digicam. It was a tenth of the value of what a median full equipment value. So I bought it. I needed to make some modifications and I really used Lego items to make a number of the controls match my digicam. I had fairly restricted management underwater, however I may do auto ISO, after which management the aperture and the shutter velocity, and pull the set off to get a shot. Once I did video, I needed to begin recording, put the digicam within the housing, shut it, after which I couldn’t do the rest. It could simply be one single shot the entire time. So it wasn’t nice for video, however that’s how I bought began. After which I spotted I used to be a reasonably first rate wildlife photographer.
I took some pictures and I bought shortlisted in some fairly main worldwide competitions. I didn’t push via to be a finalist, but it surely was sufficient to be, “I even have some talent on this and it’s value pursuing.” It simply sort of saved increase from there. Ultimately I bought one other used housing that was designed for my digicam. By that time, I used to be promoting prints and doing another issues, so I used to be in a position to lastly totally improve my equipment to the place I’m at now.
What sort of tech is in your diving equipment?
I’m utilizing the Canon R5 with a Canon EF-RF adapter and a Canon EF 8-15mm f/4 L fish-eye lens. It’s an excellent wide-angle lens that individuals have a tendency to make use of both for underwater or for skateboard images. It’s somewhat bizarre as a result of all the things’s somewhat distorted and sort of rounded, however if you’re underwater, it’s actually nice for taking pictures that simply sort of immerse you in that system. You possibly can focus extraordinarily near your topic. You will be an inch away and nonetheless concentrate on it. Because the angle is so huge, you possibly can lock in on the attention of the wildlife and sort of seize their face, but additionally the remainder of the scene and their complete physique, even when it’s an even bigger animal.
I exploit an Ikelite 200DL Dive Housing, and I’ve bought two Sea & Sea YS-90DX strobes and two 2900 VTL BigBlue Dive Lights. The strobes connect with the digicam in order that if you pull the set off, it lets off some gentle, as a result of the deeper you go underwater, gentle tends to fade fairly rapidly and that little flash of white gentle simply sort of restores coloration to the scene.
I even have an Ikelite 8-inch Dome Port with an extension that’s huge sufficient in order that the super-wide fish-eye lens doesn’t get reduce off by the design of the dive housing. For those who maintain it proper on the floor it might create a water line so you will get break up photographs.
I exploit Lightroom and Photoshop for enhancing pictures and making prints. I exploit Premiere Professional for enhancing movies.
How do you resolve what you’re going to movie?
I’ve to search out an concept that’s attention-grabbing to me. Generally it’s a narrative that I feel must be instructed, and that I really feel certified with the information to do it. I have to know the placement and be assured that I can get the photographs I want safely. I additionally need to really feel able to telling the story in a significant means.
Science and wildlife are such big topics. It’s laborious. There’s lots of people that are likely to tout themselves as wildlife specialists, however until they’re very, very skilled, that raises a purple flag. I wouldn’t describe myself as that. I’ve to do quite a lot of analysis myself and I be taught issues alongside the best way too.
I’m actually captivated with something aquatic as a result of I really like doing underwater images and videography. That’s the principle a part of my social media and YouTube channel. I particularly love exhibiting folks distinctive environments the place you wouldn’t have a tendency to consider what life appears to be like like underwater. I take into consideration what wildlife I would encounter there, and what conservation story I can weave via that. Additionally, is there sufficient visibility within the water for me to get my digicam in and truly get usable photographs that individuals can join with?
There’s a disconnect that exists between folks and wildlife within the pure world that we now have to actively fight, like local weather change, air pollution, and habitat destruction. There’s one other disconnect between us and what lies beneath the floor, and I actually need to do what I can to bridge that hole. It’s vital that individuals put faces to the creatures that stay in these locations, irrespective of how huge or how small they’re. They’re all vital, fantastic, value studying and value caring about. Aquatic ecosystems are very delicate environments. It’s vital to know what’s there, to know what we’d stand to lose.
Do you’ve got a narrative in thoughts earlier than you dive, or do you normally piece issues collectively after?
I really like images and having the ability to inform a narrative via a single picture, however I additionally love longer kinds, utilizing video to inform tales as nicely.
My artistic course of is certainly evolving. I’ll have the beginnings of an concept whereas I’m making an attempt to work out the storytelling and looking for methods to assist folks connect with it. Sometimes I’ll have an concept of the realm I need to cowl for the shot and what I’m going to concentrate on. One instance was looking for a really specific species of very tiny fish that lives in springs.
That Gulf Coast pygmy sunfish is an exquisite fish.
They’re so cool. So my concept was that it’s going to be about discovering that fish, filming it, hopefully getting some conduct. That was about what I needed to work with, and I used to be fortunate sufficient to see fairly a little bit of conduct.
After I get the footage all edited right down to one of the best clips and have a normal idea of a narrative, that’s after I’ll write the script. Writing the script final is just not regular for many creators, however I need the journey and the motion of going out and snorkeling, exploring these locations, to be the center of the channel. Generally I might need somewhat bit extra script on sure elements, however usually I don’t have any management over what I’m going to see. So I’ve to exit and shoot, after which come again and do the story from that.
What are the largest challenges that you simply’re making an attempt to work via?
A giant problem is sustainability and the way I will be constant and never burn out, as a result of it’s a lot of labor, going out to discover and dive, generally not having quite a lot of success and different instances having success. How do I tempo myself? I feel I’ve sort of settled on a reasonably first rate schedule.
One other problem is that quite a lot of YouTube is shock worth and clickbait. I need to use my channel to push again in opposition to that. The algorithm appears to be altering to entertain longer consideration spans and increase genuine and actual content material. However I need to have the ability to use my channel to assist folks admire even little particulars and small issues.
Like in the event you go snorkeling and also you’re within the ocean or on a reef, clearly the actually huge issues just like the sharks and big rays are going to be what stand out to you. However in the event you’re in a tiny pond and there’s nothing round, and you then discover one residing factor, abruptly that factor turns into actually attention-grabbing. I need to have the ability to inform tales about a number of the much less thrilling issues and make these attention-grabbing.
Such because the video you made about Appalachian Hellbenders. I by no means imagined salamanders would duke it out like that. Do you want being primarily based in Florida?
It’s nice, however in quite a lot of methods it’s laborious and irritating, too. Florida has some completely wonderful wildlife and wonderful ecosystems, and as an underwater photographer, it’s an important place to be. There’s the coasts, the Keys, freshwater springs, rivers and streams as nicely. There are quite a lot of locations which might be inside cheap driving distance to search out underwater adventures and tales to inform. It’s irritating as a result of there’s a lot to lose and Florida can also be creating at a really unsustainable charge. There are new developments going up in every single place. A number of spots I really like are degrading. I’ve been going to the springs since faculty and a few of them are virtually unrecognizable from after I first visited them 10 years in the past. It’s a problem globally and undoubtedly across the US, however I feel Florida is experiencing that at an accelerated charge.
It’s a superb place to be as a conservationist as a result of there’s plenty of work to be accomplished, messages to get on the market, however it may be draining and exhausting. Generally [you] really feel such as you’re preventing an uphill battle with no breaks or relaxation.
Seems like politics mixed with being a vacationer and retirement vacation spot.
An enormous drawback is that persons are shifting right here and never taking the time to be taught concerning the pure group that exists previous to their arrival. So folks transfer right here and are stunned to see an alligator of their yard. Or different actually rich folks transfer to South Florida and have crocodiles round, they usually freak out as a result of that’s completely new to them. However that is Florida. We have now venomous snakes, we now have alligators, we now have crocodiles. They belong right here. They’re vital for this ecosystem. For those who can’t embrace that, then I don’t know what you’re anticipating.
There are many methods to be taught to securely stay alongside these creatures. There’s simply an enormous want to satisfy the inflow of recent folks with schooling and reminding those who we would like Florida to stay wild. A lot of the enchantment of Florida is its pure setting and so there’s loads of the explanation why it must be protected, however it’s sort of a continuing battle.
I really like Florida a lot. It’s such an exquisite place, an vital place to guard, but it surely has a ton of challenges going through it.
Are there any spots that you simply actually need to dive into that you simply haven’t had the possibility to but?
As a result of quite a lot of my stuff is Florida-based, I might actually like to do a sequence of diving in each single state within the US. A few of that might be extra predictable, like diving off the coast of Maine. That’d be cool. However although you by no means hear of anybody going to Nebraska or Oklahoma to snorkel, there’s underwater tales to be instructed there and I might love the possibility to do this. So I’m hoping if the channel grows sufficient, there’ll be curiosity sufficient from the viewers to help one thing like that.
After all I might completely like to journey internationally to do some movies as nicely. I feel that’s one thing I would want to earn, as a result of there are undoubtedly different individuals who is perhaps extra certified to inform a few of these tales. However I feel if my channel [followers] have been and needed me to, I might completely love the possibility to do this. There are quite a lot of freshwater springs all over the world.
I simply hope that I can proceed to encourage folks to be form and curious concerning the world round them and take note of the little issues. It’s vital to be aware of our particular person impacts on the world round us, but additionally to carry ourselves as a group and as a rustic to the next customary so far as defending our pure assets and our wildlife, as a result of we don’t get a second likelihood at this. It’s vital that we take it critically and we get it proper.
I feel it’s laborious to be taught to like one thing in the event you don’t know that that factor exists or haven’t been in a position to see it in its residence. So I hope that my underwater movies may help folks to get a glimpse into these underwater worlds to see that they’re locations which might be actually particular, value defending, and value holding wild.
