{"id":21588,"date":"2017-05-26T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2017-05-26T14:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencescosmaincms.cm.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=21588"},"modified":"2017-05-25T13:48:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-25T17:48:45","slug":"adventure-is-out-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/adventure-is-out-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Adventure is Out There"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Story by Jenna Marina<\/em><\/p>\n

Years ago, when anyone asked biology alumna Anai Colyer \u201914 what she wanted to be when she grew up, she dreamed of a life as a wildlife documentarist.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t view it as a practical choice \u2013 rather, a choice of the heart. A self-taught photographer, Coyler\u2019s hobby has led to an Instagram portfolio filled of magical moments underwater in the springs outside of Gainesville; endangered Key deer in Key West; Wyoming moose and hugging monkeys.26<\/p>\n

Now, she\u2019s about to get the summer adventure of a lifetime after winning a National Geographic short film contest with the first film she ever produced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned from this experience is never underestimate yourself,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you have a passion for something and really want to do something, do it. Don\u2019t hold back. Just go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colyer\u2019s love of wildlife and the world began when she was 8 years old. Her father took her underwater for the first time, sharing his tank with her, when the two spotted a pack of dolphins.<\/p>\n

Colyer still remembers trying to reach out to the pack as they clicked sounds to communicate. From that moment, she was hooked.\"\"<\/p>\n

A few years later, she became fascinated with photography after picking up a camera spontaneously to photograph dolphins jumping in the wake of her aunt\u2019s boat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got addicted to capturing that moment,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to share that experience and what I was seeing and maybe get people to go outside themselves and witness it.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduating in 2014, she struggled to find the first open door to a full-time job and career. So she started working part time at a local dive shop and kept snapping photos.<\/p>\n

This past February, a friend called her to suggest she enter National Geographic\u2019s WILD TO INSPIRE filmmaking contest. The grand prize was a trip to Africa to document wildlife for \u201cNat Geo WILD\u201d viewers.<\/p>\n

Disheartened about her struggle to find a job, she did not feel confident about entering the contest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was reluctant. I told him, \u2018You\u2019re out of your mind. I\u2019ve never done a film in my life. I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing. There\u2019s only two weeks left to submit,\u2019\u201d she recalled. \u201cHe was like, \u2018Yeah, yeah, you\u2019re right. You don\u2019t need to go to Africa. Just forget about it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In those two weeks, a sleep-deprived Coyler filmed everything she could while she also learned how to edit audio and video and create a script for her short film.<\/p>\n

As she considered storyline options, she connected with one friend\u2019s piece of advice: \u201cThe only story you\u2019re going to be able to tell well is the story that you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat really hit home,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought, well, the story I know is I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing. I\u2019ve never done this before.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she learned she was one of three finalists in the contest, her immediate reaction ranged from tears to pure joy to wondering if the message she received was a mistake.<\/p>\n

\"\"Two weeks later, at the 2017 Sun Valley Film Fest in Idaho, she heard her name called as the first female winner in the four-year competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole world opened up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She won\u2019t know where she is headed in Africa until two to four weeks ahead of her trip. She does know for sure she wants to extend her time there and take in as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably won\u2019t come back,\u201d she somewhat joked of her first trip overseas.<\/p>\n

Until then she is continuing to practice her film making skills and still always dreaming of what lies ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to go through my life, look back and say, \u2018What if?\u2019 At this stage of life, I just want to travel. I want to experience things,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the beauty and the awe of nature that keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anai\u2019s pro tips<\/u>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If you\u2019re new to photography, you can only learn so much from the internet. The best way to learn is to get out there and practice, practice, practice.<\/li>\n
  2. With wildlife photography, my No. 1 tip is to study the subject and learn to predict its behavior so you\u2019re ready to capture the \u201cwow moment\u201d when it happens.<\/li>\n
  3. With underwater photography, my No. 1 rule is to get close to your subject. Rule No. 2: get closer. Rule No. 3 when you think you\u2019re close enough, you\u2019re not! Get closer! Water reduces color, contrast and sharpness. So to achieve a better photo, reduce the space between you and your subject as much as possible.<\/li>\n
  4. Every photographer, no matter how good they are, still encounters missed shots and gear malfunctions. The key is to never give up.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Story by Jenna Marina Years ago, when anyone asked biology alumna Anai Colyer \u201914 what she wanted to be when she grew up, she dreamed of a life as a wildlife documentarist. She didn\u2019t view it as a practical choice \u2013 rather, a choice of the heart. A self-taught photographer, Coyler\u2019s hobby has led to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":21594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[31,34,38,13,28,29],"tags":[4691,4690,4692,2415,4695,4694,4696,4693],"class_list":["post-21588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-news","category-biology-departments","category-breaking-news","category-news","category-top-news","category-ucf-news","tag-anai-colyer","tag-biology-alumna","tag-nat-geo-wild","tag-national-geographic","tag-national-geographic-short-film-contest","tag-national-geographics-wild-to-inspire-filmmaking-contest","tag-photography","tag-wild-to-inspire"],"yoast_head":"\nAdventure is Out There - College of Sciences News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/adventure-is-out-there\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Adventure is Out There - College of Sciences News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Story by Jenna Marina Years ago, when anyone asked biology alumna Anai Colyer \u201914 what she wanted to be when she grew up, she dreamed of a life as a wildlife documentarist. 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