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Blue Lens
Teaching underserved youth the art of professional underwater photography and filmmaking — the same craft used by world-class ocean cinematographers working with National Geographic and BBC Earth.
4Hours
3Phases
5Signature Shots
1Golden Clip
Next Program → Guardian of the Kelp
Professional underwater cinematography Blue Lens program Southern California My Clean Ocean
Featuring Joshua Schellenberg
Our Mission
Blue Lens
To master the art of underwater visual storytelling and cinematic composition — turning underserved youth into the next generation of ocean cinematographers and conservation advocates.

Blue Lens is My Clean Ocean's underwater cinematography and visual storytelling program. We teach underserved youth the technical craft of professional ocean photography and filmmaking — the same skills used by cinematographers documenting our planet's most critical marine ecosystems.

Students work with professional Nikon Z9 cameras, Seacam underwater housings, C-Flash 160 strobes, Insta360 X5 cameras, and industry-standard Adobe Lightroom and Premiere Pro. This is not arts and crafts — it's professional training in one of the most technically demanding and visually powerful forms of photography in the world.

Shot 01
Snell's Window
Looking straight up through the surface at the sky — a perspective only achievable underwater.
Shot 02
The Silhouette
A subject backlit by direct sunlight — mastering exposure and contrast in open water.
Shot 03
The Texture
An extreme macro close-up of marine surface detail — coral, shell, rope, or kelp blade.
Shot 04
The Action
A split-shot composition — half above and half below the waterline in a single frame.
Shot 05
The Candid
A fellow student fully absorbed in their craft — capturing the human story behind the lens.
01
Phase One
The Visual Storyboard
45 minutes · Before students touch a camera, they develop their story. Every great underwater film starts with a clear narrative concept.
0:00 – 0:15
The Hero's Journey
Every great ocean film needs a hero — a shark, a piece of kelp, even a piece of trash. Students identify their subject, their narrative angle, and the environmental message they want to convey through professional underwater cinematography.
0:15 – 0:30
Optics & Light Masterclass
A deep-dive into the physics of underwater photography. Why do warm colors disappear below the surface? How do professional cinematographers use C-Flash 160 strobes to restore natural color at depth? Students learn the science behind the image.
0:30 – 0:45
Gear Prep — The O-Ring Ritual
Students learn the most critical skill in underwater photography — sealing a Seacam housing and performing a vacuum test. This is the difference between a great dive and a ruined camera. Mastering gear prep is the foundation of professional ocean cinematography.
02
Phase Two
Through the Lens — The Shoot
2 hours · Students head onto the Southern California coast with professional underwater camera gear in hand. Three modules, five shots, one story to tell.
0:45 – 1:15
Module 1 — Rule of Thirds & Horizon Framing
Students practice fundamental composition techniques along the Newport coastline — learning to keep a level horizon even as the vessel moves through ocean swells. The challenge: Shoot the Horizon. Keep it level. Keep it clean.
1:15 – 2:00
Module 2 — Macro vs. Wide-Angle Duel
Students swap between a 105mm macro lens for extreme close-up detail shots and a wide-angle lens for environmental context. The Insta360 X5 on a pole captures impossible angles — beneath the hull, at the waterline — giving students perspectives no human eye can naturally see.
2:00 – 2:45
Module 3 — The 3-Shot Sequence
The core storytelling exercise used by professional documentary filmmakers worldwide. Every student captures a complete cinematic sequence: Wide (environment), Medium (subject), Tight (detail). This is the foundation of visual ocean conservation storytelling.
03
Phase Three
The Director's Cut
1 hour 15 minutes · Back in the studio, students edit their footage and learn the post-processing skills that turn raw ocean footage into compelling conservation storytelling.
2:45 – 3:30
Review & The Golden Clip Search
Students review their RAW files on a monitor. The mission: find the Golden Clip — one five-second sequence that breathes, that captures something true about the Southern California ocean. This editorial instinct is what separates a good photographer from a great visual storyteller.
3:30 – 4:00
Post-Processing — The Javier Mendoza Signature Look
Students get hands-on time with Adobe Lightroom and Premiere Pro, learning how to color-grade flat underwater footage into the vibrant, high-contrast signature look of professional ocean cinematography. The moment flat blue water becomes something alive.
Why It Matters
Visual Storytelling Protects Our Oceans

Professional underwater photography is one of the most powerful tools in ocean conservation. The images that have moved governments, changed laws, and inspired global movements — from coral bleaching documentation to plastic pollution exposés — were captured by skilled underwater cinematographers with access to professional equipment and training.

By teaching this craft to young people from underserved communities in Southern California, My Clean Ocean creates the next generation of visual advocates for our marine ecosystems. These are not just students learning photography. They are future storytellers, future conservationists, and future professionals in one of the world's most impactful visual fields.

A young person who learns to see the ocean through a professional lens will fight to protect what they see. That is the entire mission of Blue Lens.

Bring Blue Lens to Your School
My Clean Ocean partners with schools, youth organizations, and community groups throughout Southern California to bring Blue Lens underwater cinematography workshops directly to students. Sponsorships are available for students who need full support.
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