First, it crawled round on the roof. Then it began pushing and clawing on the home windows…

Wildlife photographer Isaac Szabo lives in northern Arkansas, USA and has a ardour for documenting the freshwater lifetime of North America, from the varied streams of the Appalachians to the crystal clear springs of Florida.

How did your profession begin?

I had a tropical aquarium as a younger grownup, and started to marvel what sort of fish is likely to be residing in my native streams. I made a decision to search out out by sampling streams with a dip web and shortly grew to become captivated by the variety of type, color and behavior of freshwater life. Snorkelling with and photographing fish within the wild was far more enjoyable than holding them in aquariums.

Why deal with the freshwater world?

It’s a world that’s not often seen. While the fantastic thing about coral reefs is extensively recognised, many individuals are unaware of the fascinating exercise that occurs in a freshwater stream.

What’s been your most memorable wildlife shoot?

I spent a month filming hellbenders with a few associates within the mountains of North Carolina. Hellbenders are big (60cm) aquatic salamanders with beady eyes, extensive mouths and wrinkled pores and skin, by which they soak up oxygen from the water. Observing the identical people as they progressed by the breeding season made me really feel a robust connection to them.

What’s been your most memorable expertise underwater?

Seeing a dense faculty of a number of hundred shiny pink and electrical blue rainbow shiners spawning in a tiny creek in Alabama. North America is house to many species of minnows that develop vibrant colors whereas spawning however, in my view, rainbow shiners are prime of the record. 

Any notably bushy experiences?

During a brook trout shoot in Tennessee, I used to be sleeping in my campervan after I was all of the sudden awoken by a bear attempting to interrupt in. First, it crawled round on the roof. Then it began pushing and clawing on the home windows. I pounded and yelled, however I couldn’t scare it away till I began the automobile and drove just a few loops across the automobile park. 

Have you ever missed an excellent shot?

Once, in a Florida spring, I used to be photographing a largemouth bass guarding a nest of eggs after I seen a white object close to the nest. Without pondering, I grabbed the article and moved it out of view. Later, I realised the article was an historic Native American projectile level. It was a missed alternative to seize a photograph that might have informed the distinctive story of an intersection between human and pure historical past.

Which species would you prefer to shoot that continues to elude you?

The bluehead shiner. It’s a uncommon species of minnow that lives in swamps within the southern US. Males develop shiny blue heads and enormous, showy fins in the course of the spawning season.

Which has been essentially the most difficult shoot you’ve ever executed?

Shooting Southern Appalachian brook trout. First, there’s the trouble of mountain climbing a number of miles up a mountain carrying an underwater digicam system, wetsuit, water, meals and different gear. Then comes mendacity in frigid water all day, hoping to get some good pictures. Every couple of hours, you’re taking a break to warmth some water on a tenting range and pour it down your wetsuit to heat up. After all that, you hike again at nighttime with all of your gear.

What is your favorite watery species?

Chub nests are among the many most fascinating and exquisite spectacles present in North American streams. The male collects rocks in his mouth and piles them into a big mound over his eggs to guard them from predators. The technique works so properly that many different species of vibrant minnows have developed to spawn in chub nests.

What merchandise would you not be with out?

I like my Nikonos RS 13mm lens. It’s a uncommon underwater fisheye lens made 30 years in the past for movie cameras. It nonetheless presents most likely the perfect picture high quality of any underwater wide-angle lens ever produced. It doesn’t usually work with trendy cameras, however I modified it.

Any prime ideas for budding photographers?

Explore topics that haven’t been coated earlier than or experiment with novel strategies. Focus on one thing you’re enthusiastic about – particularly one thing near house, as that may facilitate deep dives on topics. 

Top bear picture © Getty