"I was suddenly awoken by a bear trying to break in. First, it crawled around on the roof. Then it started pushing and clawing at the windows..."

Wildlife photographer Isaac Szabo lives in northern Arkansas, USA and has a passion for documenting the freshwater life of North America, from the diverse streams of the Appalachians to the crystal clear springs of Florida.

• "They began to circle the building, aggressively tapping their trunks along the walls. I heard rips and the sound of planks dropping coming from my room"

How did your career start?

I had a tropical aquarium as a young adult, and began to wonder what kind of fish might be living in my local streams. I decided to find out by sampling streams with a dip net and soon became captivated by the diversity of form, colour and behaviour of freshwater life. Snorkelling with and photographing fish in the wild was much more fun than keeping them in aquariums.

Why focus on the freshwater world?

It’s a world that is rarely seen. While the beauty of coral reefs is widely recognised, many people are unaware of the fascinating activity that happens in a freshwater stream.

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What’s been your most memorable wildlife shoot?

I spent a month filming hellbenders with a couple of friends in the mountains of North Carolina. Hellbenders are giant (60cm) aquatic salamanders with beady eyes, wide mouths and wrinkled skin, through which they absorb oxygen from the water. Observing the same individuals as they progressed through the breeding season made me feel a strong connection to them.

What’s been your most memorable experience underwater?

Seeing a dense school of several hundred bright pink and electric blue rainbow shiners spawning in a tiny creek in Alabama. North America is home to many species of minnows that develop vibrant colours while spawning but, in my opinion, rainbow shiners are top of the list. 

Any particularly hairy experiences?

During a brook trout shoot in Tennessee, I was sleeping in my campervan when I was suddenly awoken by a bear trying to break in. First, it crawled around on the roof. Then it started pushing and clawing at the windows. I pounded and yelled, but I couldn’t scare it away until I started the vehicle and drove a few loops around the car park. 

• I woke up to a bear cub pulling at my sleeping bag – and then its mother arrived...
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Have you ever missed a great shot? 

Once, in a Florida spring, I was photographing a largemouth bass guarding a nest of eggs when I noticed a white object near the nest. Without thinking, I grabbed the object and moved it out of view. Later, I realised the object was an ancient Native American projectile point. It was a missed opportunity to capture a photo that would have told the unique story of an intersection between human and natural history.

Which species would you like to shoot that continues to elude you?

The bluehead shiner. It’s a rare species of minnow that lives in swamps in the southern US. Males develop bright blue heads and large, showy fins during the spawning season.

Which has been the most challenging shoot you’ve ever done? 

Shooting Southern Appalachian brook trout. First, there’s the effort of hiking several miles up a mountain carrying an underwater camera system, wetsuit, water, food and other gear. Then comes lying in frigid water all day, hoping to get some good shots. Every couple of hours, you take a break to heat some water on a camping stove and pour it down your wetsuit to warm up. After all that, you hike back in the dark with all your gear.

What is your favourite watery species? 

Chub nests are among the most fascinating and beautiful spectacles found in North American streams. The male collects rocks in his mouth and piles them into a large mound over his eggs to protect them from predators. The strategy works so well that many other species of colourful minnows have evolved to spawn in chub nests.

What item would you not be without? 

I love my Nikonos RS 13mm lens. It’s a rare underwater fisheye lens made 30 years ago for film cameras. It still offers probably the best image quality of any underwater wide-angle lens ever produced. It doesn’t normally work with modern cameras, but I modified it.

Any top tips for budding photographers?

Explore subjects that haven’t been covered before or experiment with novel techniques. Focus on something you’re passionate about – especially something close to home, as that can facilitate deep dives on subjects. 

• Isaac Szabo is an underwater photographer. See more at isaacszabo.com
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Top bear image © Getty