Marcia Riederer: the scientist telling stories, above and below the sea

Marcia Riederer is living the life she was meant to live. She describes herself as “a biologist by trade” (which somewhat undersells her degree in Biologic Sciences and Wildlife Management masters) and, by day, she assesses and reports on threats to native Australian plants and animals for the Australian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). However, she also lives a magical second life in the water, a place where, in her words, “…anything can appear and things which were there five minutes ago are suddenly not there anymore.”

It's this underwater life which has brought her to the world’s attention as the winner of the Canon-sponsored Fine Art category of Ocean Photographer of the Year. The critical acclaim is for a moment that was an extraordinary technical feat of photography, but to Marcia, it was an almost transcendental experience – coming face-to-face with a dwarf minke whale on the Great Barrier Reef. “I have one photo that’s only the eye of the whale,” she adds of the same shoot. “It was less than two metres away from me and its eye was the size of my head. It was all I could see. I had to put the camera down because I had tears in my eyes… the connection felt real. And special.”

In Australia, where Marcia lives and her winning photograph was taken, there are strict regulations around engaging with whales. You cannot chase them – so, to have this kind of interaction with one, it’s because the whale wants to come to you. As a biologist and conservationist, she cannot stress enough how important this is in her photography – the ability for two species to meet each other where they are in a gentle, respectful and curious way makes the experience even more spellbinding and captures the imagination of the public far more viscerally.

She began taking photos when she was at university in her native Brazil, borrowing her dads old film camera and using it to show people the places that she so valued. After graduating, she had a short stint in a role which was almost prescient of where she is today. “I had to photo ID dolphins. They have a fin on their back with markings, and you can sometimes use it to identify them,” she explains. “So, I took photos of dolphins coming out of the water for a database.”

Then her son came along and Marcia’s lens turned to him – she didn’t want to miss a minute. “I love having so many photos of this period,” she smiles again. “And, while I didn’t know it at the time, documenting my son growing up was crucial in my development as a photographer”. But it was their move to Australia in 2008 which prompted her to look at photography more seriously and use it not only in her DEECA work, recording flora and fauna, but also for the heartbreaking task of highlighting endangered species or documenting the wake of disasters – such as declining habitats and the impacts of bushfires on koalas.

But, perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t until 2018 that she combined her love of photography with her hobby of diving – and, together with an unexpected discovery, they opened a door to a world that has changed her life, both above and below water. “Diving was always just a holiday thing for me because I live in Melbourne,” she explains. “We have a big bay in our city, but from the outside it doesn’t look too impressive. Then, one day, a friend and I saw a documentary about diving in the bay. We just looked at each other and said, ‘why are we not doing that every weekend!?’” What they learnt changed Marcia’s life.

Not only was there an incredible underwater landscape to explore, practically on her doorstep, but a community of divers, conservationists and photographers – people who are excited by the same things she is. “There are a lot of piers, all with their own characteristics,” she explains. “At some you can see sea slugs and a type of seahorse called a Sea Dragon – they really do look like a dragon – which are amazing and swim sideways. But if you take a boat and go out of the bay, there’s so much more.” 

With the support of her son, partner (who is also an avid photographer), friends and family, she began to spend more and more of her time at – and in – the bay. “We call it our ‘ocean family’,” she says, breaking into a huge smile. “We learn from each other and buddy up because if you go with someone who doesn't take photos, they can find it very boring. They want to look around but photographers, well, we don't move much.” Once a non-photographer diving friend told Marcia that she didn’t need a buddy because “your camera is your buddy”. “Yeah,” she agreed. “I actually think it is.”

Her social media is evidence of this. Filled with stunning pictures of turtles, seals, jellyfish and tiny, otherworldly sea creatures, each captioned with fascinating facts, she hopes it connects her audience with her experience of the ocean and the important work she undertakes every day. “It sounds strange, but when I get in the water, it feels like I’m going home,” she says, her face lighting up. This affinity is something she wants everyone to share, through the photos she takes, in the hope that it will change behaviours.

“If we feel disconnected, we don't feel responsible for what we do. So, that’s why I chose that particular photo to submit to Ocean Photographer of the Year, because we [she and the whale] are looking right at each and in that moment, our worlds are connected. Hopefully, if people like it, they might feel like changing one thing in their life to make things better for the natural world and for our oceans.”

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