We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Connell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My most meaningful project was documenting the coral reefs of the Dry Tortugas National Park. In 2019, prior to the spread of Stoney Coral Soft Tissue Disease, I was the Teacher Ranger tasked with a job to document the coral reefs in their healthy state before the disease reached them. After word of that the coral killing disease was inching closer to the Lower Keys and National Park waters, it was decided that scientists from Florida universities would aid National Park staff in collecting coral fragments from healthy coral species which would be affected. They are currently in university labs as scientists try to identify means of combating the disease and cross breeding resilient coral polyps. As an environmentalist and educator for the oceans, it was an honor to be taken to all of the unique reef spots that lay unmarked in the Dry Tortugas National Park. Some holding amazing spans of healthy endangered coral species. To capture their beauty and presence in the ocean was incredible and to share it with the world behalf on the National Parks was incredibly rewarding.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a kid I remember watching Blue Planet on cable television and dreaming of a day when I could see the ocean through my own lens. I thought of it just as that, a dream. The ocean continued to draw me in as I studied Marine Science at University. After graduating I worked in fields including environmental education, conservation, and research. My mind was on being apart of the solution for our planet. The continued destruction and creation of debris and waste by humans is devastating to me. I wanted to live a life finding solutions and helping communities care for the ecosystems around them. After a move to the Virgin Islands, I began taking underwater photographs while nature guiding, and it took off from there. I slowly invested in camera gear and then in printing my first piece of art for a local show in Key West. It sold opening night, and from there I believed my passion to preserve nature could shine through my art, and sharing my photographs could be a regular thing. I am not much of a business personality, and definitely don’t keep up with my social media accounts well. But for me, it is being apart of community efforts to spread awareness and empower people to be a part of the solution to preserve our local ecosystems. When people purchase my photography art they always share a story or feeling that comes to them when they look at it. It connects back to a moment where they were apart of nature. Whether ghost photographing, documenting for non-profits, sharing my art, capturing people out in the elements, or even just photographing birds for fun, nature photography will always be apart of life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I love being outside, I love being in nature. We are so lucky to live on Earth and I enjoy capturing her beauty as I experience interactions with wildlife above and below the water. My hope is that my photographs will spread that love and a desire to make sustainable choices and move towards a society that listens to nature rather than destroys it without a thought. We only care about what we know, I want people to know what is out there.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part is being there in the moment, when taking the photograph. The light, the water, the animals, the ecosystem. In that moment, being there is freeing, and capturing it feels like a rare encounter that will never happen the same way again. Each expedtion pushes me to explore more places and understand wildlife more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sinkingsunphoto.com
• Instagram: @sinkingsunphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sinkingsunphoto

Image Credits
The cover photo of me in the water with a camera and the one of me in the rain are credit to Ian Wilson. All other photographs are my own. (some using a tripod)