Shannon Housley always knew she wanted to be a photographer. From the day she first picked up a camera, she followed that path – to yearbook and photo editor in high school, to publications and president of the photo society in college. She had something more exciting and unique in the back of her mind, however. Her father had sailed on the JOIDES Resolution as a cementing consultant in 1987 and had told her great stories about the ship, about Dakar, Africa and his adventures along the mid-Atlantic Ridge. Since the age of 13, Shannon had memories about the ship. So when surfing the web one day and seeing an opening for a photographer on the JOIDES Resolution, she wasted no time in applying for it.

As the ship’s photographer, Shannon’s responsibilities include processing film of the whole core photos taken by the technicians, doing specialized close-ups at the requests of the scientists, taking public relations photographs of the ship’s staff and operations, and taking images of any broken equipment to send back to the shore. Taking core close-ups can be extremely tedious for Shannon, as she must track down scientists to be sure she is taking the exact image they requested.

Shannon really believes that she has the coolest job on the ship, since she has general control over her schedule, has her own office space (complete with a darkroom) on board, can work at her own pace, and is doing something she really enjoys. She enjoys the public relations photography and the wonderful opportunities for travel that this job has given her. En route to meeting the ship, or when disembarking from ports, she’s traveled around Guam, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, and Canada. She also loves the people she has had the opportunity to work with on board – one of whom she’s even marrying!

When she’s not on the ship, Shannon works at Texas A&M, scanning photos digitally, fulfilling scientist requests for photos for their publications, and taking public relations shots.

Shannon advises people setting out on their careers to get a degree in something they are passionate about and to do something they really enjoy.

Staff Name: Leah Shannon Housley

Majors: Photography

Education: Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas

Courses: Digital Photography, Web Site Development, Studio Practices, Photographic Design, Landscape Photography, Expressive Photography

Experiences: Film development

IODP Experience: 5 years, 14 cruises

Life Experience: Studio photography specializing in wedding and babies

Interests: Pottery, kayaking, mountain biking, yoga

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