Testimonials

​

​

​

'Tom and his team have worked for Cornwall Wildlife Trust on many filming and photography projects since 2015 and we are really pleased with his work, his approach and attention to detail. He particularly excels at detailed macro work and video editing and he has contributed massively to helping us promote Cornwall’s incredible, unseen marine life to the public. The ethos of Hydro-Motion Media is exemplary, all of the work Tom does has conservation at its heart and he is generous with advice and time. This is echoed in his willingness to help others, to train interns and other aspiring underwater photographers. As part of my CPD Cornwall Wildlife Trust recently hired Tom to provide me with a day and a half training on underwater photography, lighting and video editing. Tom was well prepared and had studied how to use my camera in great detail. I found his teaching approach laid back and engaging and I learned loads, particularly from time spent filming in shallow rockpools,  which enabled us to talk about every step of the process. I feel much better prepared now to continue to improve my skills with underwater photography and would recommend this training to anyone!'

​

​

​

                                     

                                       

 

​

'I contracted Hydro Motion Media this summer to work on my film about Cornish Rockpool life. Andy and Tom were a pleasure to work with, working around my dates at relatively short notice to construct a schedule and get the shots I needed which included timelapse, slowmotion and incredible macro shots of rock pool creatures within their environment. Many of these animals are very small and have a habit of hiding in tight spots so to film them in their own environment is a difficult task. However, Tom and Andy were able to get me some breathtaking shots illustrating interesting behaviors that would have been otherwise impossible on my own. In addition to that, they are both down to earth guys and the whole shoot was an enjoyable experience.'

​

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

 

' I carried out an internship with Tom over the summer of 2017 for 12 weeks between the 3rd and 4th year of my marine biology degree. Knowing that my interests were already starting to go more down the underwater media route than the scientific one, I found HMM's internship opportunity to be completely different to any other on offer. Over the 12 weeks, I produced films for organisations such as the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and Natural England. By the end, I was confidently skilled in underwater video and timelapse, subject lighting, Adobe Premiere Pro video editing, and drone piloting. Tom's teaching approach made me feel as if I was part of the company, as opposed to being taught day to day. Furthermore, his extensive knowledge of the local marine life, passion for underwater photography and film, and uniquely developed skills in macro videography made the learning process throughout the internship entirely unique. I can now confidently say that the internship reinforced my decision to pursue a career in underwater media, and would recommend the internship to anyone else also considering it as a career path. I was fortunate enough that after the internship Tom offered me a permanent position with the company.'

​

                                 

                                 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

Thomas and I first met a few years ago as one of my first customers at SubAquaCamera.  Over the years we have continued to trade in both directions in a very honest and fair manner. I became aware of his great work in marine conservation so, when the opportunity presented itself, I supported a crowd funding initiative launched by HMM December 2016.  My reward was a guided dive by Thomas in Cornwall. Being a warm water diver, I took the opportunity to see the sights of Cornwall for the first time in a weekend over August.  We did two dives, supported by Andrew Ball, who was completing an internship at the time.  It was very clear that Thomas has an abundance of local knowledge a mentality to share his passion.  By doing so inspires others to follow and thus help to protect the environment in the process. On both days I met with Thomas and Andrew at two different sites.  My favourite of the two was Silver Steps in Falmouth, which I highly recommended.  On both dives Thomas was thorough with the briefing and took the time to understand my experience.  He was also exceptionally patient with my slow dry suit kitting up… 

Both the dives were well guided, especially for a photographer.  It was about moving thoroughly rather than the usual rush around a dive site.  It was also a great benefit having Thomas' personal knowledge of the area as it meant much marine life was spotted over the two hour-long dives. If you can either work with Hydro Motion Media or go diving with Thomas, do it, you won’t regret it!

​