William Drumm Follows Opportunity
Denver-based photographer and filmmakerÌýWilliam Drumm’s (EBio, Jour’08) lifelong fascination with the ocean has carried him from remote underwater expeditions to Hollywood studio shoots. In 2024, he shot the aquatic album art for singer Billie Eilish’s third studio album,Ìý.
What piqued your interest first, photography or wildlife?Ìý
I’ve always been obsessed with animals. I lived in Australia as a kid, and we were always at the beach in Melbourne. I fell in love with the ocean at an early age. My affinity for photography came later. At CU, I tookÌýKevin Moloney’sÌý(Advert’87; PhDTechMedSoc’15) introductory photojournalism course, and his passion for the field was contagious. Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØprovided access to high-quality equipment I could check out at any time, expanding my knowledge and skill level.
Are there moments that remind you why this work matters?Ìý
Photographing tadpoles in British Columbia really stuck with me. Freshwater ecosystems are disappearing, and wetlands — critical for biodiversity and water resources — are increasingly being polluted or developed for human use. We were camped next to a lake with tens of thousands of tadpoles that were just full of life. Moments like that remind you how special these ecosystems are.
How have you spanned your work into so many areas?Ìý
It’s hard to make a living as a photographer, so I followed the opportunities. Early on, I had more success with video, so that’s what I pursued. Working with a few scuba diving brands doing videography, I eventually began doing photography for them as well, but quickly noticed a gap in how they were using their content. I saw that as an opportunity to move into marketing, helping brands create and use visual media more effectively. That combination of skills became a turning point in my career.
How did shooting Billie Eilish’sÌýHit Me Hard and Soft come together?Ìý
Her team found my images of people swimming with humpback whales, and it matched their vision for the album cover. Billie and her team wanted photos that felt like the abyss, so I naturally assumed we’d be shooting out in the open ocean. Instead, they told me, ‘We’ve rented a film studio in Hollywood with a pool, and we’re going to shoot it there.’ That experience was definitely a pinnacle moment.
What’s the shot that got away?Ìý
InÌýthe Azores, we were diving for whales and photographing every day, but the conditions were extremely challenging for both diving and shooting. We did hundreds of dives. We even had a 100-foot-long blue whale right beside us at one point, but when we went underwater, we saw nothing but a vast wall of green. Over the entire 20-something-day trip, we came away with almost no usable images. Despite finding all the animals we were hoping for, nature had other plans.Ìý
Photo courtesy of William Drumm