Costa/Outside--Andy Maser, DP

Outside commissioned this branded content campaign for Costa Sunglasses, built around Gabby Shepard, the ocean-access advocate and content creator behind Black Girl Blue World. Her mission is to bring everyone to the water, with a particular focus on marginalized communities and people of color who haven't historically seen themselves represented in ocean culture, specifically SCUBA.

We spent two days filming on Catalina Island. I handled all the camera work — topside, drone, and underwater — with the help of a fantastic AC. Our team of two allowed the production to move fluidly above and below the surface of the Pacific while capturing all perspectives without breaking the rhythm of the day.

The dives were the heart of it. Filming Gabby in the kelp forests off Catalina—the light filtering down through long strands of kelp, the fish lurking in the shadows, her signature blue outfit and braids—was one of those situations where the environment and the subject do all of the work and your job is just to not miss it.