Seven Questions with National Geographic Photographer & Explorer Jennifer Hayes
David Doubilet & Jennifer Hayes will be on stage at the Orpheum May 9 for their National Geographic Live show Coral Kingdoms & Empires of Ice. Jennifer Hayes gave VCT a special sneak peek of what’s to come, including her favourite expedition tale to tell and the National Geographic Live story Vancouver audiences will get to see before it goes to print in June!
VCT: If you had to choose an all-time favourite story from Coral Kingdoms & Empires of Ice, what would it be?
Hayes: A mother harp seal comes to my rescue from a male who charged and mauled me in the water. She attacked him and then pushed me out of harms way through the water along with her pup. We know why the male attacked me – I was with his potential mate and he was territorial. But why did the female intervene on behalf of a human? I share the story and then I ask the audience to weigh in on the why.
VCT: What do you find most powerful about undersea photography?
Hayes: We hope pictures will connect all of us to the sea. The sea is like an iceberg - most of it invisible to our naked eye. It is an incredible gift to be able to share the sea and maybe inspire someone to become the next Jacques Cousteau, Bob Ballard, Sylvia Earle. If we succeed in inspiring the next generation we have won. And its not enough to inspire - we must support them.
VCT: If there was one thing you would want everyone to know about the world’s oceans, what would it be?
Hayes: Long ago we thought they were infinite... we were wrong. It is a world that we depend on for every other breath, our weather, our food but we barely know anything about it... as the oceans go, so do we.
VCT: We hear you’ve recently been out in the field working on a project! Can you tell us anything about it?
Hayes: Our most recent National Geographic Story is about ground breaking shark conservation and the ReWilding of Zebra Sharks in Indonesia and we are going to share this story with the audience before it goes to print in June.
VCT: Are there any expeditions coming up that you’re particularly excited about?
Hayes: Yes Yes Yes! We are just back from a collaboration in Antarctica and we are headed to Indonesia, Australia, Papua New Guinea with National Geographic.
VCT: Do you have any activities planned for your time in Vancouver?
Hayes: We are coming to Vancouver a day early to explore. I am obsessed with sturgeon so that may be a focus.
VCT: Do you have any advice for aspiring underwater photographers and photojournalists?
Hayes: Do not be afraid to follow your passion whether it is a pond or the Pacific. We end each show with an invitation to reach out to us, to connect and ask questions that require time we do not have in the auditorium. We want to assist emerging minds to get where they want to be. It means putting them on our shoulders to reach farther.
National Geographic Live’s Coral Kingdoms & Empires of Ice with David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes in on stage at the Orpheum May 9 at 7:30pm.
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