Liveaboard/resort videographer

Written by Charlotte Boan Thursday, 29 May 2008 00:00

Illus: Ian Legge

He has shot holiday videos for daily dive trips and liveaboard operations for ten years. After completing a computer degree in the UK, he learned to dive on his travels and didn’t come back.

Salary range: I don’t know anyone who gets paid to shoot holiday videos. If you work via an agency, expect to keep up to 50 per cent of the sale price if you have all your own equipment, or as little as 25 per cent if you use their gear. If you work independently, you make your own deal. Profits are smaller than most would expect. My wage comes from working on the liveaboard as a guide.

Skills/qualifications needed: A steady hand, a good eye and an ability to chat up the punters!

What the job involves: Guiding, then filming and editing. I do a daily video show in the evenings and produce a DVD of the trip for sale.

Best part of the job: The occasional ‘Oh yes!’ moment as you are looking through the viewfinder as something happens.

Worst part of the job: The moment you realise you didn’t have the camera recording when the whale shark came by. Also, the long hours if you are working liveaboards.

Advice to jobseekers: Own more than one camera and housing – redundancy is inevitable, particularly if you work in the tropics where humidity kills electronics. I budget for £3,000-plus a year to spend on equipment.