© Oriana Poindexter

Meet APA member Oriana Poindexter, a photographer and marine scientist focused on the intersection of art, science, and marine natural resources.

What inspires you? 
I’m inspired by the beauty of nature, and specifically, the marine environment. I’ve always seen photography as a tool with which I can go explore the natural world, find something interesting or beautiful, and document it in a way that allows me to share that find with others.

What’s your favorite thing about being a photographic artist?
For me, photography is best when an element of chance is allowed to participate with the technology, whether in analog chemical form or digitally. The technological aspect allows us to capture moments of the natural world, but what makes it truly interesting for me is when a chance element is introduced – light behaving in an unexpected way, a surprising composition caused by a subject’s movement, or when hand-printing, the little accidents that can happen in the process that are sometimes frustrating and other times magical.

When you aren’t making photographs, what other pastimes do you have?
If I’m not making photographs, I’m probably thinking about it! I have a large mental list of photographs that ‘got away’ – images that I saw when unprepared to capture them. I spend as much time as I can in the ocean, surfing, free diving, scuba diving or just swimming, and enjoy getting lost in a good book.

Who have been your biggest influences? What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out? 
Emmet Gowin was my photography professor when I was an undergrad at Princeton University, and was hugely influential on my studies, my worldview, and the path I’ve taken since then. He quietly nudged students to explore and experiment, to follow intuition and curiosity, and to make luminous prints. There was lots of good advice along the way – you’re going to waste paper learning to print well; watch the edges of the image while composing; look in order to see.

What are the current challenges that you face as a photographer?
The non-photographic aspects of operating as an independent small business owner are challenging to manage! It’s a balancing act to figure out how to set aside enough time to create but still feel like I’m doing enough on the business and marketing end to line up enough work to make things sustainable economically.

What were you doing before you became a photographer?
I studied photography as an undergrad and have my Bachelors in Visual Arts, but then I went on to graduate school in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. I went on to work for NOAA Fisheries and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography as a fisheries scientist for a number of years, during which I was always photographing, diving, and exploring visually at the same time. I had the opportunity in 2020 to start my own company, Pelagic Projects, which has allowed me to focus on projects that are both artistically and scientifically engaging.

What do you do when you get stuck?
I get in the ocean without a camera – just floating, swimming, watching the way the light moves underwater and seeing the life that drifts by is usually the perfect way for me to get my mind reset.

What is your best advice for your peers? // What advice would you give to yourself if you could go back 10 years? 20 years?
Get outside – with or without a camera. And stop waiting for permission to go start that project you’ve been wanting to do – just start. If it’s interesting and worth doing, the interest/support/etc will come.

Check out more work from Oriana Poindexter.