Conservation Through a Camera: Drew Sulock’s Marine Conservation Photography

For this edition of our Behind the Print blog series, we’re extremely excited to feature the incredible work of Drew Sulock. Drew’s photography showcases the stunning beauty of Hawaii and its surrounding waters — from awe-inspiring coastal scenes to intimate glimpses of life beneath the surface.

As a longtime customer and passionate conservation advocate, Drew has trusted Artbeat Studios to bring his vibrant images to life in print. We’re very proud to support his artistic journey and can’t wait for you to dive in and learn more about the stories behind his work.

Website: drewsulockcreations.com

Instagram: @drewmostlyunderwater

Drew suited up and ready with his underwater camera system, preparing for a dive to capture marine life and coastal scenes.

Q&A with Drew Sulock

How did you get started in photography? What inspired you to become a photographer?

Back in school I studied marine ecology because I fell in love with the ocean at a young age, and wanted to do anything I could to help protect it. I spent countless hours assisting on large research projects assessing reef health throughout the Caribbean, mainly counting fish and coral within marine reserves. I loved knowing that my efforts could help protect the reefs, but the entire time I was collecting the data, and especially when we were staring at spreadsheets, analyzing the data, all I wanted to do was show people how beautiful the things I was seeing were.

I admired the National Geographic photographers and their work so much, I knew someday I would switch from counting the marine life, to photographing it.

As a nature photographer, how does your approach differ when shooting underwater vs. on land?

For me, shooting images underwater differs drastically from topside photographs in several dramatic ways. The first thing is, I needed to become proficient with scuba diving. Thankfully I had become a dive instructor several years before attempting to pick up an underwater camera, so by the time I wanted to photograph anything, scuba was second nature.

This is key for an underwater photographer, and adds a whole other set of gear to become acquainted with. Another difference I needed to tackle is the use of strobes for lighting. We lose light and color very fast under water, and in order to bring these images to life, we need to bring our own light source. The strobes that we use do take a lot to master, with the power of the light setting and distance to the subject needing to be spot on for a good shot, the difference of a few inches or one level of power can make or break a shot.

Drew makes a splash with camera in hand, diving into another underwater adventure.

You shoot a lot of underwater photography. What are some of the biggest technical challenges of shooting underwater?

One of the most challenging things to underwater photography is the amount of gear required. When I shoot on land, I simply grab my backpack which is loaded with my camera body, several lenses, a few filters, and a tripod....and I just go.

When I shoot underwater, I need to grab my scuba tank, regulator, mask, fins, and wetsuit, then put my camera in its housing and set up the strobes. I then load the boat up and trailer it to the water. With all this gear, there is so much opportunity to forget something (usually a charged battery of some sort) and so many things can go wrong. It takes a lot of effort to make sure everything is in good order before an underwater shoot.

What’s your favorite place you’ve ever photographed, and what made it special to you?

My favorite place to photograph is more of a where and when is my favorite. The winter on Maui is a special place and time. The humpback whales come back from feeding in Alaska during the summer months, and our waters are teeming with whale activity. The humpbacks are here mainly to mate and give birth, so we often see amazing behaviors above the surface like breaching and tail slapping, as well as underwater like several males fighting for a female, or a newborn calf becoming very curious about the camera staring at it.

In addition to this, Maui in the winter is home to some of the biggest waves on the planet. Occasionally, when a huge storm in the north Pacific sends a swell south, we can get waves over 50ft and our world famous surf break Peahi (Jaws) goes off. This past December we had one of the biggest swells anyone can remember, and thankfully I was able to take the boat out to the channel to document the event. Some of my favorite images I have ever captured were from that day. 

Drew with a happy collector at a local art fair, showcasing one of his vibrant coastal prints.

How do you use photography to advocate for marine conservation?

I have been fortunate to have my work used in several environmental campaigns around the island. Because I come from the marine ecology side of things, it always makes me feel like I am doing something important when my photos can be used in marine conservation. If you venture out around Maui you will see my work on information signage at the beaches regarding reef health and conservation. My work also greets visitors at the airport with information on how to properly interact with the reef and marine life.

Some of my favorite uses of my footage is at the Hawaii Wildlife Center and at the aquarium, both showing images and footage I have taken of the humpback whales. Sometimes I forget where images have been sent to, and it might be my favorite thing to be somewhere out and about on the island and see my work pop up in a spot I did not know to expect it. 

I have also had the opportunity to lead several National Geographic Student Expeditions  where I was tasked with teaching students from middle to high school about both marine conservation and photography. It is always inspiring to see how motivated these students can be about ocean conservation. Several of these students are now working in the marine science field, which is very heartwarming to know that I may have helped guide them to this career path. 

Conservation signage featuring Drew photography, used to help educate visitors about protecting Hawaii’s coral reefs

What advice would you give to new and aspiring photographers?

I think the best advice I have for new photographers is less inspirational, but more practical. When I was starting out, I would see photos online that I fell in love with, but I would not know how to take that style of shot at all. I would then google the technique, usually ending up with a great youtube video on how to get the effect. This usually resulted in having to buy a little more gear, like a faster lens, or certain filters. The most important thing though, was to get the gear and then get out and practice the technique within a few weeks of getting the gear, and then practice it over and over again until you have it burned in your brain. Then when you are in a place, or have an opportunity to use the technique, it will be stored in your memory bank.

This was key for me to learn astrophotography, slow shutter photos at the beach and waterfalls, as well as things like underwater macro photography. It was hard to build my kit when I was starting out, but over the years I accumulated the gear and techniques to create some images that I am proud of.

How do you choose what images to print and in what medium?

The choice of what images to print is often difficult. Many times my favorite photos do not get printed. Because I sell my images at art fairs for a living, I need to showcase both quality images, as well as subjects that people would love to hang on their wall. I have so many amazing photographs of dead trees at sunset on Hawaii beaches, a subject matter I love, but the photos were not as popular as the palm trees, understandable of course. I also have hundreds of great shark photos, but they seem to collect dust compared to the photos of turtles and whales that people have come to Maui to see, again very understandable. 

I print these images almost exclusively on glossy aluminum. After seeing my images on several mediums, I have found that the clarity and color of aluminum is the best for my images. The other added benefit to selling aluminum prints at art fairs is the weight. These prints are very easy for people to pack in their luggage to take home, and also a lot easier for me to lug to each show as compared to acrylic.

Drew at his art fair booth, surrounded by a vibrant selection of his underwater and coastal photography printed on aluminum.

What led you to partner with Artbeat Studios for your fine art printing needs?

I have been showing my photography at art fairs since 2015. In those years I have utilized more than a half dozen print labs around the country. After a couple negative experiences with quality or craftsmanship I decided to give Art Beat Studios a try. Their loyalty program was appealing and I quickly saw their quality was as good as it gets as well. Through the years I have worked with them, it was always apparent that their customer service was as good as it gets as well. It has been easy to remain a loyal customer and I have hundreds of happy clients because of them.