Underwater Portraits from Recent All Wet Portrait Sessions

The October All Wet Portrait photo sessions at Aqua-tots in Chandler and SWIMkids USA in Mesa were a lot of fun and the photos are truly breathtaking.  We had mermaids, nemo, superman, angels and lots of cute kids.  We had children from 8 months old to 12 years in age and all were really good in the water which is a testament to the great job these swim centers do.  Thank you to Brit, Lana and Steve for hosting these photo sessions.  If you are in need of swim lessons, I highly recommend these two centers.  Have a look at these images and if you are interested in scheduling a photo session, go to www.allwetportraits.com to book your session.

ALL WET PORTRAITS PHOTO SESSION IN CHANDLER!

ALL WET PORTRAITS PHOTO SESSION IN CHANDLER! AQUA-TOTS in Chandler (4040 S. Arizona Ave., Suite #1 - Southwest Corner of Ocotillo and Arizona Ave) will be hosting All Wet Portraits on Saturday, October 2, 2010. This is a perfect time to get a breathtaking underwater portrait of your child or the whole family. These images make truly unique holiday cards. This session is open to the public, but there are a limited number of spaces available so sign up today by visiting the AQUA-TOTS in Chandler or call 480-726-5264 for more information. Sample photos can be viewed at http://www.allwetportraits.com/. 

ALL WET PORTRAITS PHOTO SESSION IN MESA!

ALL WET PORTRAITS PHOTO SESSION IN MESA! SWIMkids USA (2725 West Guadalupe Road @ Loop 101) will be hosting All Wet Portraits on Saturday, September 25, 2010. This is a perfect time to get a breathtaking underwater portrait of your child or the whole family. These images make truly unique holiday cards. This session is open to the public, but there are a limited number of spaces available so sign up today by visiting the SWIMkids USA or call 480-820-9109 for more information. Sample photos can be viewed at http://www.allwetportraits.com/.

Sierra Club Fund Raiser Presentation - Fossil Creek Through a Fish's Eye

I would like to personally invite you to a presentation I will be giving at a Sierra Club fund raiser on Sunday August 15th from 2-4 at the Fair Trade Café (1020 North First Ave., Phoenix).  The slide show and talk is titled "Fossil Creek through a Fish's Eye" and will highlight my photography project for the creek. I will also include a few of my non-fossil Creek underwater shots from around the world to emphasize the importance of conservation of our reefs and sustainable fishing practices. Sierra Club was one of the organizations that supported the restoration and continue to be stewards of Fossil Creek and other areas throughout AZ. Please see the attached flier for more information on the event and I hope to see you there.

There is a suggested donation of $25. For more information and to RSVP, contact Sandy Bahr at (602) 253-8633 or sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS

*** www.scubarews.com NEW WEBSITE ***

I recently rehosted and revamped my scubarews website. Over 200 never before posted images of dolphins, sharks, divers and reefscapes. Have a look at http://www.scubarews.com/ and let me know what you think.

First Place and People’s Choice at Cave Creek Film and Arts Festival

The Cave Creek Film and Arts Festival is a celebration and promotion of the arts in Cave Creek, Arizona. Each year, there are hundreds of entries in categories ranging from film, visual arts, choreography, original song, poetry, short story and photography. Up for grabs, are the coveted Golden Coyote awards and cash prizes in each category. The photography category was juried by Peter Ensenberger, Director of Photography for Arizona Highways magazine and local artist Atalanta Knathbull. Jerry Sieve Chaired the photography category for the second straight year. This year they also introduced a People’s Choice Award to recognize the Community’s favorite artist across all categories.

At the annual gala held on July 17th, I was honored to be awarded first prize and the Golden Coyote award in the Adult Photography category and the 2010 People’s Choice award. The winning image was titled “Paddles Up” and as an added bonus, I will get a solo photography exhibit at the Desert Foothills Library in Cave Creek. Thank you to all who supported me at the photography showcase and voted for “Paddles Up.”

First Place at The 2010 Digital Shootout

Another fun time at The Digital Shootout! This year it was on the quant island of Little Cayman. Lots of first time people at the shootout and a handful of us repeat attendees. One of the best parts of the trip is getting to meet so many talented like minded underwater photographers in one place and swap tips and learn from each. It is always interesting to see what new equipment people have bought or made themselves for use underwater.

At the end of the shootout on Friday night, there is a awards ceremony for the photo competition. As you can imagine, Thursday night the bar was empty as everyone culled through hundreds of images shot throughout the week on about 12 dives. This year, I was awarded First Place in the Wide Angle Traditional (No selective photoshoping, just basic processing) for my image titled “Shooting the Cut”. It features Rusty Sanoian of Backscatter cruising through a cut in the wall on an underwater scooter. He is highlighted by the sun shining through the cut. For my prize, I won a 10 day trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) on the MV Febrina live-aboard. PNG has always been on the top of my list and I hope to take the trip within the next year.

The Digital Shootout is one of the best places to quickly improve your underwater photography skills because of the very approachable experts onsite and the hands-on time in the water. For more information on the shootout and to view the daily blog postings (including all of the images from the contest), visit www.thedigitalshootout.com.

It is referred to as a working vacation and this is a sample of the daily schedule:
- Eat (the food at Little Cayman Beach Resort was awesome and the staff so friendly)
- 2 tank dive in the morning with some great dive guides)
- Eat
- Workshops on underwater photography techniques, post process and related topics led by Berkley White and Todd Sloss.
- Optional dive instead of the workshop or dusk/night after the workshop
- Eat and hang out at the bar (the main gathering place on the whole island)
- Nightly picture review on the custom built “Big Screen”
- Review, organization and post processing of images from the day
- More time at the bar socializing
- Catch a few hours of sleep and repeat

Anyone interested in improving their photo skills, trying out the latest equipment, making new friends, doing some great diving and having the chance to win some truly spectacular prizes should attend the next Digital shootout which will be held in Bonaire in June 2011. Maybe I will see you there…

ALL WET PORTRAITS Website Portfolio Update

After a busy last several months, I have uploaded new images in the portfolio on the All Wet Portraits Website.  We are looking forward to a busy year photographing more babies, children and parents in the water.  Have a look at the new images and please contact us when you want to schedule your next photo session.