Today we’re excited to be connecting with Jacqueline Lehr again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.
Jacqueline, thanks for joining us again. Just to level set a bit for folks who may have missed our last interview together, can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hello! My name is Jacqueline Lehr and I’m an Underwater Camera Operator for wildlife projects, commercials, narrative films and more! I began diving when I was 12 years old thanks to encouragement from my dad, who’s been scuba diving his entire life. He handed me my first underwater film camera when I was 14 and that instantly changed my life forever. I took underwater photos for my high school newspaper, I traveled with family and have pictures of me as a kid with sea turtles and tiger sharks.
Cut to now, where I own a RED Raptor camera and Nauticam Underwater Housing, which has helped me gain so much work in my growing career. This past year alone I worked on a Steve Aoki Burger King commercial, Speedo commercial, narrative documentary, network TV series and so much more. I love what I do because I get to let my inner child out to play, shoot and be creative in the fun scenes of the projects I work on. I’m brought in for the fun, specialty shots and that is where I really shine. Whether it’s tracking down sheepshead fish at Catalina or swimming alongside an Olympic swimmer in a pool, it’s been my passion to shoot underwater.
Great, so let’s jump into an update on what you have been up to since we last spoke. What can you share with us?
My journey has had it’s ups and downs like any freelance filmmaker in this business. I’ve learned to embrace the eb and flow as much as possible while trying to find new avenues to work on the projects I’ve dreamed of doing. I am currently furthering my scuba diving education and have begun taking Master Diver and Dive Master training courses through a scuba education system called NAUI. I’ve learned that if I continue advancing not only in my education but my certification levels then I can reach out to those more elusive and exciting jobs in the wildlife filmmaking side of the business.
Once I finish my Dive Master training, I intend to network, reach out to people, meet for coffees, whatever I have to do to get my foot in the door at the big wildlife companies like National Geographic and BBC. I have an amazing underwater camera package for shooting big Hollywood productions but especially wildlife projects. I am an avid diver not just for work but for fun too, so I dive around the world or even in my own backyard in Southern California waters to shoot more footage. I figure the more I practice, the more footage I collect, the more projects I take on, then the more likely I can get to the wildlife projects I’ve always dreamed of being a part of.
Alright, so let’s do something a bit more fast-paced and lighthearted. We call this our lightning round and we’ll ask you a few quick questions.
- Favorite Movie: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
- Favorite Book: 1984
- Favorite TV Show: Friends and/or Nat Geo’s Queens
- Favorite Band or Artist: Rufus Du Sol
- Sweet or Savory: Savory
- Mountains or Beach: BEACH!!
- Favorite Sport (to watch): Football or Baseball
- Favorite Sport (to play): Swimming Laps & Frisbee with my Dog
- Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): Cheerleading, Softball, Soccer and Taekwondo
- As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: Marine Biologist
- French Fries or Onion Rings: French Fries duhhh
- Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: Idk who those guys are haha!
- Favorite Cartoon growing up: Family Guy
- Favorite Childhood movie: The Hunchback of Notre Dam
- Favorite Breakfast Food: Breakfast sandwich with lots of cheese and avocado
What do you want people to remember about you and your brand? What are some of things that you feel are most important, unique, special, etc?
I strive to be that artist that (safely) pushes themselves to extremes to “get the shot” and to work on projects that provide real depth, meaning and education for the world.
Sometimes it’s fun to shoot the music video with the famous artist and I’ll never turn those away because they can be so exciting to share with the world. I also love working with Olympic athletes because they’re some of the most talented people in the world. Collaborating with them and watching them do their thing is another avenue I’ll always enjoy shooting. I worked on a shoot this year where I donned fishing waders and was crawling through a river that was icy Yellowstone run off to shoot a branded commercial for Honda underwater. There are no limits to what exciting and rewarding options there are out there for underwater projects.
What I truly want to convey to people is that I am a very hard worker and I’m also very versatile. I pride myself in being that person who is down for the cause and will fearlessly do what it takes to get the footage we’re after. I love being creative and doing the work but also having a good time while we’re in the thick of things. It’s no fun to work with someone who is rude or bossy. The work turns out infinitely better when the collaborators behind the lens are having fun and working together towards the same goal. Whether that’s tracking white sharks out in Mexico or swimming around a pool in sunny Los Angeles, I can do it all and will do it with a big smile on my face.
Image Credits
Patrick Geraghty
Cynthia Hatfield
Brad Wilder
Mike Delano
