We all have chains of some sort holding us back in life. The beautiful underwater goddess looks to the light as she plans her emergence from the chains that bind her…

We all have chains of some sort holding us back in life. The beautiful underwater goddess looks to the light as she plans her emergence from the chains that bind her…

I made this image after having to cancel a very creative underwater shoot due to weather. Needing to let my creative juices flow, I turned my to-be-assistant for the day into a model. We cobbled the styling together and shot this indoors (obviously), and I added the accents in post. The entire process took 3 hours, from concept to post. The concept was to convey the essence, spirit and soul of music. So what do you think? Did we nail it?

Creating an “underwater studio” and working with models underwater can be challenging, but when it all comes together, the images are unique and beautiful. Most underwater photographers who shoot models all emulate the style of one of the pioneers of this type of photography, Howard Schatz (the man, the legend and my mentor). I see very few unique approaches to underwater photography. I try to go out of my way to create a style that is uniquely my own. I hope that it is as evident when you browse through my images.
This is another of my favorite glamour images from the first of an ongoing series with a great model (Nelly) and an equally great make up artist (Griselle).

A sneek peek from a fab underwater fashion shoot last week. More images to come!

The current print ad campaign for Curacao Tourism features one of my underwater images taken this year in Curacao (obviously). The ad concept is “Unspoiled, Untouched, Unknown”.

Thanks to everyone who added so many wonderful comments to my initial post of Sardine Run underwater images! I promised more, so here are a handful of shark-focused images. Again, this was just simply an amazing experience!






The expedition participants.
Still more to come, stay tuned!
Having just returned from witnessing one of nature’s most amazing spectacles, I haven’t had the time to go through all of the images yet – I’ve been busy pinching myself to see if I was actually dreaming. All I can say is that it was mind blowing. I am still glowing from the experience. The Sardine Run is the largest species migration on earth, taking part on the Wild Coast of South Africa each June/July. I’ll be leading expeditions again in 2010 (sold out) and 2011 (For underwater photographers who wish to join me click here). We’ll be posting a complete story and images on DivePhotoGuide.com, but for now here are some preliminary images that will hopefully blow your mind as much as the experience blew mine. Enjoy!







This is just the tip of the iceberg. More to follow.
Update: I posted a small second set of images here.
We just returned from the 2009 Curacao Dive Festival, where I was invited by the Curacao Tourism Board to present several underwater photography seminars during the week-long event. This was my first time back in the Caribbean in many years, having traveled extensively to Southeast Asia, mainly Indonesia, since 2003. I have to say that I forgot how much fun the Caribbean is. Curacao has great diving, some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, amazing landscapes and off roading, rich culture, and is generally just a fun island. I highly recommend it.



Another image from the “Underwater Geisha” series. This is one of my favorite images of 2009 so far. I enjoy pushing underwater photography as far as it can go. Stay tuned for more…
