Photographer duo Sophie Louca and Paul KaraolidesWho is actually behind "Fish Bowl Diaries"?

Manuel Vogel

 · 12.12.2022

The images of Fish Bowl Diaries are omnipresent in the windsurfing world.
Photo: Fish Bowl Diaries
In 1996, Sophie Louca and Paul Karaolides travelled from Cyprus to Maui, borrowed a camera and laid the foundations for what is now perhaps the hippest photo label on the windsurfing scene - Fish Bowl Diaries. An interview about awards, the search for the perfect picture and the limits of Photoshop.

Anyone who has ever looked at a windsurfing manufacturer's product catalogue or website is likely to have stumbled across the incomparable images of Fish Bowl Diaries. Only a few people know that behind the pictures is an "old married couple" - Sophie Louca and Paul Karaolides have been a team for over 30 years, even off the camera. We took a look into the goldfish bowl and asked Sophie and Paul for an interview.

Let's ask heretically: as a surf photographer, aren't you in a lost position in the digital age?

Paul: Why?

Armed with digital cameras, any tourist can pretend to be a professional photographer on the beach and Photoshop will do the rest. So why book a photographer for 700 dollars a day?

Sofie: Yes, to make it as pure windsurf photographers, we probably should have been here 25 years earlier (laughs). The scene and industry aren't as big as they were in the golden 90s and Maui isn't exactly a cheap place to live. But nevertheless, everyone can see the difference between a quickly snapped photo by an amateur photographer and professional photos. Fortunately, we don't depend on windsurfing shoots and earn most of our money with ordinary things like wedding and portrait photos.

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Are weddings and portraits what ambitious windsurfing photographers dream of when they move to Maui?

Sofie: Of course, we enjoy shooting for windsurfing brands such as Goya, Quatro and Naish the most. But we have also discovered our niche in other assignments - and that is "water photography". For example, we shoot underwater portraits or even weddings in or under water, such as that of World Cup pro Sarah Hauser. It's really exciting and not everyone can do it.

Fish Bowl Diaries also work as wedding photographers - like here with Sarah and Casey Hauser.Photo: Fish Bowl DiariesFish Bowl Diaries also work as wedding photographers - like here with Sarah and Casey Hauser.

You came to Maui as a couple from Europe, today many windsurfing brands book you for their product shoots. How did you come up with the idea of trying your luck on Maui and how difficult was it to gain a foothold here?

Paul: We first travelled to Maui in 1996, originally from Cyprus. It wasn't about taking photos, but about realising every windsurfer's dream. Windsurfing in Hawaii! Then we came in 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008 and since 2011 we've been coming every year for four to six months. Last year I was lucky in the green card lottery and I got permanent residency. We have been living on Maui permanently since October 2016.

Sofie: We moved from Cyprus to England in 2000. I bought a camera with our first money. We started out really amateurish, took college courses in photography and then founded Amorphia Photography, where we photographed weddings. Those were the analogue days and we spent a lot of time in the darkroom. On our first trip to Maui, I borrowed a camera from an uncle and after our trip I had all these good pictures and no idea what to do with them. With the rise of the internet, I started a website and published the windsurfing shots there along with interviews. At the beginning, I didn't know much about the sport that I photographed every day and even less about the guys from the scene. I interviewed them, but in a different way than usual. I wasn't interested in this stuff about equipment and moves, I wanted to portray the people behind it.

What's the story behind the name Fish Bowl Diaries?

Sofie: I wish I could tell an exciting story about it, but it was just a fixed idea. Paul wasn't very enthusiastic at first, but that has since changed and today we are happy to have chosen such a concise and memorable name.

Nevertheless, there is still a lot of competition in the photography business today. In your opinion, what distinguishes your photos from those of other photographers?

Paul: I think our experience from countless fashion and portrait shoots has definitely helped us to become better windsurf photographers. The way we edit the pictures afterwards is also an important part of the special look and feel that our photos have. The fact that we work as a team - Sophie shoots from land and I shoot from the water at the same time - also makes us interesting for many brands.

Sofie: Today there are countless photographers, anyone who can hold a digital camera immediately thinks they are a professional photographer. But taking really good photos is not quite so easy: you also need to know how best to use the technology. Perspective, light, image composition, everything has to be right. We started out in the analogue era, when you couldn't just snap away and then delete everything afterwards. You still had to think about it, because every photo cost money. And with the transition to the digital revolution, Photoshop is also something you have to master.

When it comes to Photoshop, the hairs on the back of many people's necks stand up. As a photographer today, you have to put up with the accusation that what the viewer sees is not what was photographed. Everywhere you look, people are editing, filtering and sharpening. What does that have to do with real photography?

Paul (laughs): Yes, people always think: "If the picture is bad, then I'll just photoshop it!" But that doesn't work! If the important image information isn't on your chip, you might be able to improve the image a little with Photoshop, but you won't get a really good image even then. You can only artistically enhance a good quality image with the corresponding raw data to get that "special" image.

How much time does the post-processing of a photo take these days?

Paul: A lot, and that's why so many outsiders can't understand why a photographer has to charge 500 to 1000 dollars a day. Pictures are taken quickly, but working out the nuances contained in the picture on the computer sometimes takes over an hour.

Sofie: We delete the majority of the photos pretty radically straight away, we're pretty uncompromising about it. The really good pictures are then post-processed: Straightening the horizon, working out contrasts and lighting, re-sharpening, converting all the raw data into the standard JPG format and so on. The computer work accounts for most of the effort. On top of that, you have 50,000 dollars' worth of photographic equipment in the cupboard. Our 600mm lens alone cost 12,000 dollars, which you first have to recoup.

You mostly shoot on Maui, where there is fantastic light, rainbows, the best riders and a perfect photo backdrop almost every day. Compared to other spots, it seems relatively easy to take a good picture there. Or to put it another way: how good can pictures in grey North Sea conditions with small waves actually be?

Sofie: You have to adapt to the special circumstances at each location. Maui is of course easy for us. We know every spot and every perspective and the chance of getting good shots there is extremely high. However, if you're taking photos of surfers in small North Sea waves, for example, I would recommend standing as low as possible. This makes waves and jumps look much higher. The higher you stand as a photographer, the more insignificant and flatter everything appears.

Paul: And when it's dark and grey, that's exactly what I use as a photographer and try to capture the action in a dramatic, threatening way. I would like to shoot more often in dark and stormy conditions...

I'm sure you'd find someone relatively quickly who would swap places with you.

Paul: You just have to think about what makes each spot special. The first time I was in the water in Pozo, it was a big change for me. I was swimming in the middle of the surf zone as usual and surfers were flying at me from all sides and regularly almost landing on my head. I also realised that my small lens with a focal length of 24-70mm, which is in constant use in Hookipa, didn't really capture the spot - windmills and houses could only be recognised as small dots in the background, the images looked interchangeable. So I chose a longer lens and moved further away from the action. This brought the action and background closer together, and in the pictures it looks as if the surfers are flying directly into the windmills. The result was better photos and that I wasn't killed by some crazy windsurfer.

Sophie and Paul also produce spectacular images in PozoPhoto: Fish Bowl DiariesSophie and Paul also produce spectacular images in Pozo

Keyword "kill". How dangerous is your life as a water photographer?

Paul: There are always dangerous moments to get through. I don't know how many times someone has landed directly on top of me. Quite often, anyway. Despite focussing on the subject, you must never lose sight of your surroundings and always keep your guard up. Especially on days with a lot of wind, when people are also jumping, things often get dicey. In any case, my water housing is covered in scratches and marks from fins and reefs.

You watch the best windsurfers through the lens every day. Who is the best free sailor out there, who is the best in the contest and who gets sweaty under pressure?

Sophie: When we turn up, it's like a magnet for the pros. Everyone is buzzing around you and wants good photos. When it comes to free riding, I would say Marcilio Browne stands above everyone, he delivers the best action and is incredibly fun to photograph. When a contest like the Aloha Classic is on, you're always on the safe side if you point the camera at Victor Fernandez, he surfs under pressure better and safer than anyone else.

Paul: When it comes to getting as many good water shots as possible on the memory card in 15 minutes, Camille Juban and Bernd Roediger are definitely the best photographers. They surf like clockwork and jump right over your head with pinpoint accuracy.

You've won a few prizes with your windsurfing pictures, even outside the windsurfing scene...

Sophie: In recent years, we have been nominated for various awards, such as the World Surf League's Big Wave Award, but also outside of the surfing scene. The renowned British Society of Photographers honoured a picture by Paul as the best event photo, and I won the "Best Sports Photo" category with an Aloha Classic Shot by Bernd Roediger. Winning such awards with pictures of a sport that usually has a hard time competing with other sports makes us a little proud.

This interview first appeared in surf 7/2017


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