Shooting Salmon

Matthew Sullivan · Issue 142, Jan/Feb 2025 · pp. 60–62

Products mentioned: Nikon D4, Nikon D500, Nauticam NA-D4s housing, Nauticam NA-D500 housing, Nikonos 13mm RS, Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye, Nauticam 140mm Dome Port, Nauticam WACP, Nauticam WWL

Shooting Salmon by Matthew Sullivan Freshwater photography used to be much less mainstream than it is now. Freshwater aquatic realms and creatures have seen a boom in popularity, hopefully leading to greater awareness and protections for these imperiled environments and their inhabitants. Often, when we decide to shoot pictures underwater, we fly off to far-flung tropical destinations for spectacular reefs, or mucky paradises, or adventures with megafauna like sharks or whales. Recently I’ve found myself drawn to a different pursuit. Take the salt out of the water, ditch the scuba gear, and focus on the usually overlooked world of freshwater photography and, more specifically, on salmonids. My obsession began in Alaska in 2018. During a trip to Ravencroft Lodge in Prince William sound, ostensibly for salmon sharks, we got skunked on said sharks. Though they were the main target of the tr…