No guts, no glory

MANILA, Philippines - Scott “Gutsy” Tuason is not just a guy with a cool name. He is currently the editor in chief of Lonely Planet Magazine Philippines, an award-winning underwater photographer, a conservationist, travel writer, freelance photojournalist and what you would call the ultimate adventurer. Being a surfer, an ocean lover and a photographer myself, it was very interesting for me to meet a man who is very passionate about what he does. Life is short and I always say Carpe Diem, but Gutsy Tuason doesn’t just seize it. He seizes the days and captures it — figuratively and in his photos — with as much conviction as all of us should.   

He has published three coffee-table books: Anilao, Bahura: A passage through Philippine Reefs, and Ultimate Orient: Philippine South Sea Pearls — sharing with the world what the Philippines has to offer in terms of underwater treasures. Some of the awards that he won are the Grand Prize in Cannes, France for the World Festival of Underwater Pictures for Marine Book Category, the ASEAN Print Awards in Singapore, Philippine National Book Awards, Philippine Quill, Order of Merit in Northern California and the Underwater Photographic Society Annual Photo Contest.

Last March he went to Mexico just to take pictures of sailfish — which are fish that are about 10 feet long and could hurt you with just one poke of their long pointed bills. Next year he is planning to go on a trip to Antarctica to take photos of the leopard seals and to South Africa to take photos of the Great White sharks. Does he get scared? A little bit, but not really. Does he consider himself crazy? No, but others do. Crazy or not, he has managed to capture amazing underwater images of different animals from many parts of the Philippines and other parts of the world.

Here is the conversation I had with the guy who has the guts (excuse the pun) to just do it.

Why is your name “Gutsy”?

I was born in Australia and I used to drink a lot of milk when I was born. People in Australia call children who eat a lot “greedy guts” so that was what they called me.

Which is perfect for you now!

Yeah, I guess.

I saw the amazing pictures you took in Mexico. Did you just go there for the photos?

I purposely went to Islas Mujeres in Mexico to photograph the sailfish. Those fish were 10 feet long — including the long pointed bills. They were really big; I was the only person in the water.

Didn’t you get scared?

It was a bit nerve-wracking because you’re 30 miles out in the middle of the ocean and I was alone. They just throw you into the water and tell you to swim to where the birds are because that’s where the fish are going to be. Then bahala ka na.

Don’t you consider yourself crazy for doing stuff like that? You could be Steve Irwin-ed!

I don’t consider myself crazy. Some people do. Other photographers do what I do as well. Well, I guess if you think about it, only a small percentage of people really do that.

If you were to die like Steve Irwin, what animal would you want to be killed by?

I think I’d take a shark. That would be the way to go I guess. Pretty much have my head bitten off.

What countries have you been to for your pictures?

Pretty much all over South East Asia , Papua New Guinea, Australia, Mexico, the United States, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Alaska (for the Aurora Borealis), Maldives — all over the world.

Was there any situation where you had to choose between your life and your camera equipment?

Not really. A tiger shark tried to take my camera in the Bahamas one time. He bit on to the strobe and wanted to take it away from me. So I just hit the shark with the camera and was like, “No way, you’re not going to take my brand-new camera!”

Don’t you get scared at all?

I’m just so used to it. I really don’t find what I’m doing dangerous. I get more scared about some of the flights that I have to take. In Indonesia I had to take some scary flights to go to some of the very remote places. For me that’s the most dangerous part — flying those Indonesian airlines.

What is your favorite animal to take photos of?

The jellyfish. They’re 90 percent water so you never know how the light and water will affect the way the photograph will look. It makes an interesting photograph.

What is the hardest animal to photograph?

Certain types of elusive fish like the Bloodspot Blenny. They’re very small and hide in rocks. Also certain kinds of sharks like gray hammerhead sharks. They don’t like going near us. You’d be surprised that some of the biggest animals are some of the shyest.

What are your favorite places in the Philippines to take pictures?

Anilao, Tubbataha, and Malapascua.

Has all this nature exploration made you a more ecological person?

Absolutely. I’ve seen it firsthand. The good, the bad, the ugly. I’ve seen it all because of diving. I’ve seen coasts full of coral illegally taken, slaughtered sharks in the market and whale sharks killed. The sad thing about it is that you can’t really do much. Half the time it’s not even illegal. I try to do my part and take pictures and try to report it. Otherwise, it’s all just so rampant it’s terrible. Honestly, if nothing drastic happens, in the next 50 years we won’t have any of these animals or coral reefs.

In the Philippines?

In the world. But that’s the way it is. Everybody needs electricity, a car, everybody is leaving a carbon footprint. The more people there are, the more it’s going to get worse. We can lessen it or slow it down, but in the end...

As a surfer, I can feel the temperature change in the water each year. Can you feel it as well?

Oh yeah, totally. When I was diving in Tubbataha I was only wearing a rashguard and board shorts. Everything is changing. Look at what is happening with the world weather. Everything is just so extreme. Russia is burning, there are floods in Pakistan and China, some places are extremely dry or extremely wet, or extremely hot or extremely cold, there are bigger and bigger typhoons.

Are you a big fan of our country?

I love this country. I wish more people would take care of it. But it’s a tough thing because 90 per- cent of the people live in poverty. It makes me mad but if you meet the people who do the illegal fishing, etc., you can’t really blame them because they have to do it. Or they don’t know any better. Or some rich individual is exploiting them to do those sorts of illegal activities. They have no choice.

If you could do anything else besides underwater photography, what would you do?

Underwater photography. Whether I’m getting paid for it or not, I just love the whole process of the adventure, of going to these places, the challenge of getting the image. Sometimes I don’t get the image. And that’s fine. But you’re not always going to get what you want. That’s life. You’re dealing with animals in the wild and you have no control over them. Sometimes they show up, sometimes they don’t and I try to put myself in the best position to get the images. I go to the best places where I can best get the shot, but it doesn’t always happen.

What is your idea of photography?

My idea of photography is that it’s part adventure and part hunting — hunting for the specific animal that you’re trying to find. I’m going to Antarctica next February to shoot the leopard seals and in June I’m going to South Africa for the Great Whites and try to get them flying out of water.

What is your goal in taking photos?

One is to show something that’s never been seen before. And if it’s something common, to show it in a way that’s never been shown. A lot of fish have a lot of character and if I can bring that out in a portrait, then that’s also cool. I also like capturing behavior. Things mating, hunting, eating, and even fish yawning.

Any tips to becoming a successful photographer?

First, you gotta love it. Then you just gotta shoot, shoot, shoot. Whether it be a point and shoot camera or a professional camera — just get in the water and shoot. Dive as much as you can and shoot as much as you can. The more time you spend underwater, the more stuff you’re going to be able to see, the more chances you will have of capturing something special.

What mistake have you learned from taking photos that you said you’d never do again (but you probably will)?

When I used to shoot film, I swore I’d never take pictures without putting film in the camera. But I’ve actually done that twice. A couple of times I’ve also forgotten to take the lens cap off the camera when it’s inside the housing. So when you get underwater... Argh! It’s kind of a hassle.

What are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of my conviction and my passion to just do it. I’m not really proud of the results. I’m proud of the fact that when I’ve set my mind on doing something, I do it.

Any weird/crazy/interesting trivia about you that not a lot of people know?

I sleep on my couch. I have a bedroom and bed and everything. I think it’s the feeling of camping out. I grab my pillow and blanket and camp out on my couch.

One word to describe yourself.

Conviction.

One word your friends would use to describe you.

A**hole. (laughs)

Favorite quote?

“No good deed goes unpunished.”

What do you want people to remember you by?

I hope my photography continues to move and inspire people even when I’m done with this world. Because a lot of those things I photograph may not be around in the future.