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The Ocean

Ocean Hero: Emory Kristof

Photo: Emory Kristof shooting 3-D video in a submersible

Photograph by David Doubilet

Name: Emory Kristof
Place of Birth: Laurel, Maryland
Current Home: Arlington, Virginia
Occupation: Contributing photographer-in-residence, National Geographic Society

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
When I was in junior and senior high school in the 1950s I took all the math and science courses the schools offered. I thought I would become an engineer like my father. In the middle '50s I saw the first of the Jacques Cousteau films, Silent World, and I wanted to do that—explore underwater using an Aqualung. I used my paper route money to buy a "genuine French Squalle dive mask" and went down almost every summer day to the Georgetown swimming pool, where I would cruise around the bottom of the pool picking up small change (sunken treasure) and hair balls. My other interest was photography. By the time I graduated from high school in 1960 I knew I wanted to be a magazine photographer.

How did you get started in your field?

I attended the University of Maryland as a journalism major and worked as a photographer on all the school publications. I was the yearbook editor-in-chief in my junior year, the U.S. College Photographer of the Year, and a certified scuba diver. I was the first photographic summer intern hired by Robert Gilka in a new program that he started in 1963. When I graduated in 1964 I was the youngest staff photographer ever hired at National Geographic.

What is a typical day like for you?
There really isn't a typical day. My working life consists of researching my projects, being part of designing and testing new systems to be used in the field, and actually going into the field to do the projects. Finally there is the editing of the final video and print products. There are many ways to improve the lives of people and of caring for the planet that is our home. You just have to grab a hold of something that needs doing and pursue it.

What do you like best about your job?
Making the first images of new animals thousands of feet deep with new technology is my favorite part of the job. I know mankind is pushing the oceans very hard without enough knowledge about how the ocean food chain really functions. I am working with marine scientists to try to present a better picture of the animal life in the great deeps. Stories published in the Geographic or used in our TV shows help get this research out to the public. I work closely with my friend of 30 years, Chris Nicholson of Oceaneering, to bring about the construction of new underwater robots and high-definition video camera systems.

What has been your favorite experience in the field?
My favorite experience in the field was my first Alvin dive in 1979 on a hot water volcanic vent at 8,500 feet (2,590 meters) in the Galápagos Rift. With towering red-headed tube worms surrounding the sub, it was like a trip to another planet.

Do you have a hero?
One of my inspirations over the years has been Luis Marden, a photographer who started with the Geographic in the 1930s and who pioneered the miniature cameras and Kodachrome we all used until the recent digital camera revolution. He was also one of the first underwater color photographers who brought back the first great stills of Cousteau's projects. My other heroes are two great engineers I have worked with over the years at National Geographic, Al Chandler and Mike Cole. They made my projects possible.

If you could have people do one thing to help the ocean, what would it be?
My advice to people is to gain a greater appreciation for the oceans and the waters that feed into them, try to reduce pollution, and protect shore habitats where much marine life gets its start.

Emory Kristof: Photographer

Emory Kristof is a specialist in scientific, high-tech, and underwater subjects, including deep-ocean work beyond normal diver depths.
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Ocean Hero: Emory Kristof

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The Ocean

Ocean Hero: Emory Kristof

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