Summers spent at an island cottage in Ontario, Canada created an appreciation for life that exists within and adjacent to water.
I would spend hours snorkeling up and down the shore watching fresh-water perch, bass, crayfish, clams and leeches. It was a lovely way to spend the summer. However, it didn’t match my fascination with what I would see on TV watching Jacques Cousteau and others filming in the ocean and speaking of the critical need to preserve the oceans and “advocating for the silent world which cannot advocate for itself”.
My first attempt at underwater photography was in Grand Cayman using a rental film camera with a plastic housing. The learning curve was much slower when you had to wait a couple days for film to be developed. The pictures didn’t do justice to the reefs and their occupants.
“THE SEA, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder FOREVER.”
Jacques Yves Cousteau
As my dive trips to Grand Cayman became more frequent, I would watch other divers capturing beautiful images with their DLSR’s, underwater housings and strobe lights. I was struck by the impact those pictures had for people who didn’t dive and were as captivated as I was by the world that exists below the ocean surface.
I was planning a trip to Galapagos and decided to invest in equipment that would give me a chance to take pictures that came close to representing what I could see as a diver. My trip to Galapagos included underwater photography workshops with Mike Haber of Jim Church School of Underwater photography and I keep learning every time I pick up my camera. Thankfully, the learning curve is much quicker now that photography has gone digital.
Whether I am exploring close to home or out of the country, I am happy to share my pictures as a way to tell the story of silent worlds. Those stories are important to ensure we preserve and protect the marine life and wildlife that call our oceans and land home.
What you will find on these pages are stories about the ocean, the land and the creatures that share this earth with us. Be prepared for some commentary about conservation and the need to protect our environment. Wanting to preserve our oceans is an automatic reflex for anyone who has experienced the wonder of looking into the eye of a baby humpback whale or hovered over a reef to watch a turtle enjoying a sponge for lunch.
Everything you will see is part of an ongoing learning curve as I work on my photography and storytelling. I look forward to hearing your feedback and hope you enjoy reading the content as much as I do gathering it.
