QUESTIONS
& ANSWERS
... with Tom Vierus
Q: Where have you lived so far?
A: Germany: Dresden, Berlin, Trier, Mainz, Aachen, Bremen
South Africa: Belhar (Cape Town)
Egypt: Dahab
Fiji: Suva
Q: What your life advice?
A: Live the 1love strategy!
Q:What do you love most?
A: Photography and videography, diving, all kinds of outdoor stuff, writing, animals, music, travel, good discussions, humble people.
Q: What do you enjoy shooting the most?
A: My passion lies in wildlife photography – above and beneath the surface. Observing animals and capturing their natural behavior is just so enriching. I witnessed so many times how animals share the same basic needs and feelings like we do.
But I also shoot a lot of other stuff from nature in all its facettes over architecture and sports to people.
Q: What are you shooting with?
A: Currently I own a Nikon D90, Nikon D850, Nikon D810 and D7100, a 18-105mm f/4.0-5.6, a Tamron 70-300mm 4.0-5.6, A Nikon 16-35mm f/4, a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, a Nikon 40mm f/2.8, a Tamron 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3, a Nikon 85mm f/1.8, Sigma 50mm f/1.4, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8, TC II, GoPro Black 3+ , GoPro 8 and loads of small stuff.
Q: When did you start photography?
A: Pretty much 12 years back in 2005 in South Africa with my first Sony compact camera.
Q: Where did you learn how to take photos & videos?
A: Lots of shooting, tutorials and more shooting and still learning all the time.
Q: What dive photography equipment do you use?
A: I use a Nikon D850 in an Aquatica housing I use my Nikon D810 in a Dahna housing by BS Kinetics, and use two Inon Z240 strobes, Sola 800, and two 2000 lumen lights.
Q:What’s your education?
A: South African Matric, B.Sc. Biology, M.Sc. Tropical Marine Ecology (finished in 2016 with a thesis on hammerhead shark nurseries in Fiji).
Q: What does Conservation mean to you?
A: Conservation is not a boring, peace-love-happy attitude of smoking hippies (well, maybe it is) but something that each one of us can practice and advocate in everyday life. Lawyers, Doctors, Construction workers, office guys, developed and developing world people, young and old, happy and sad, you name it. It’s about small decisions in life – plastic bag? No. Plastic whatever? No. Endangered fish? No. Trophy hunting? Cheap meat? No. Throwing trash in nature? No. And this list goes on. We all have to power to make a change. Let’s make it for the next generations. That’s what conservation means to me.
Q: What’s your aim in life?
A: I have a few:
First and foremost: Leave the world a bit better than when I came in it.
Spread love for our mother earth and encourage people to make a positive change in their lives.
Spread awareness on animal cruelty with my vegan lifestyle.
I think I should stop here or it will get too boring.
Q: Anything else?
A: Life is too short, live your dreams!
If I could live my life again.
Next time, I would try to make more mistakes.
I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more.
I would be sillier than I have been.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would be less fastidious. Accept more risks, I would take more trips,
Contemplate more evenings,
Climb more mountains, and swim more rivers…
I would go to more places where I have not been,
Eat more ice cream and fewer beans.
I was one of those people who lived
sensibly and meticulously every minute of their life.
Of course I have had moments of happiness.
But if I could go back in time, I would try to
have good moments only,
and not waste precious time. I was someone never went
anywhere without a thermometer, a
hot water bag, an umbrella
and a parachute.
I would travel more frivolously.
If I could live again, I would begin
to walk barefoot at the beginning of the spring
and I would continue to do so until the end of autumn.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds,
I would contemplate more evenings and I would play
with more children.
If I could have another life ahead.
But I am 85 years old you see, and I know that I am dying.
