We are delighted and honored to add photographs from two of the world's finest photographers. LeRoy French was a pioneer in underwater photography, developing techniques in the late 1950's that influenced the direction of the field over the next decades. An award-winning photographer and cinematographer, he has stayed close to his roots throughout his career. Included in LeRoy's exhibited photos is a shot that received an award at the International Underwater Film Festival.

Dr. John "Jack" Randall is generally regarded by his peers as the foremost ichthyologist of his generation and has spent more time in the water than many of the 600+ species he has discovered and named. In the late 1950's and early 1960's his technique of photographing "posed" captured fishes set the standard for subsequent scientific fish photography. These and his equally magnificent underwater photos of fishes from around the world have filled hundreds of scientific publications and at least a dozen books documenting the fishes of various regions. The exhibited photos are from his latest book, Reef and Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands (2007, University of Hawaii Press). Enjoy the great photographs of these two diver-photographers. - George Burgess 9 Jan. 2008

George H. Burgess is Coordinator of Museum Operations at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Rhode Island and did graduate work at the University of North Carolina and the University of Florida. George has studied fishes throughout the southeastern United States, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean region. He serves as Director of the International Shark Attack File, Vice Chairman of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, and is Editor of the Museum's Ichthyology web site. Although his photos have appeared in many books and magazines, his photographs are taken primarily for scientific purposes utilizing fishes posed to reveal their anatomical characters.

Noel Burkhead
Research Fishery Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Underwater Photographer
USGS - Florida Caribbean Science Center
7920 NW 71st Street
Gainesville, FL 32653
Phone: 352-378-8181, ext. 324
Fax: 352- 378-4956

Dan Burton ABIPP
Underwater Photographer/Journalist
One, Chapel Platt, Fore Street,
Topsham, Exeter, EX3 0HE, ENGLAND
Tel/ Fax +44 (0) 1392-875446

Interested in diving since childhood, Dan Burton (aged 33), like so many was drawn into the magic of the ocean by Jacques Cousteau. It was not until Dan was eighteen that he had the opportunity to learn to dive. After a year he was introduced to underwater photography by one of his instructor, which then led him to pursue it as his career. Having travelled around the world for 4 years, Dan returned to England to study photography full time. After 5 year of college Dan was awarded a distinction for both his Higher Diploma in photography and a BIPP (British Institute of Professional Photography) Post Graduate course in underwater photography. During his college year he was awarded a variety of awards, and they included gold and silver at the AMI audio visual awards (New Orleans). On leaving college Dan was involved with various Deep water technical diving project using mixed gases. These included the recover of silver from 'El Cazador' Wreck (300 ft) and the first NOAA tri-mix dive expedition to the USS Monitor. During Dan's visits to the US he has been commissioned by Scientific America to photography the NOAA Aquarius Habitat. Other major project include photographing and filming the HMHS Britannic (sister ship to the Titanic) (380ft), which has been his deepest assignment yet. For the past 2 year he has heavily got involved in freediving photography, which has allowed him to capture marine life which would not be possible using SCUBA. This has made him a member of the British freediving team.

His work has been published in book and magazine all over the world, as has appeared in National Geographic, Scientific America, WIRED, BBC Wildlife, ARENA, Titanic Society, Tauchen, AQUA, Tatler, etc. He has been involved in a variety of different film work, and has worked for National Geographic Channel, BBC, History Channel and lately footage for the new Britannic movie released January 2000. His main speciality is people and photojournalism underwater. This has led he to spend time documenting NASA training in their underwater neutral buoyancy tank in Huntsville. AL. USA. He submits stock photography to libraries around the world, including BBC National History Unit Picture Library and Pictor International. He has just been taken on By Interspace Vision for his collection of basking shark.

In his spare time Dan builds his own underwater housings. He is currently working on a housing for a panoramic camera which are unique, and have shown considerable interest from Agencies and Designers.

Will Crampton was born in Canterbury, England, in 1969. He received his Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Oxford, England in 1996. From 1996 - 2000 he was Director of Aquatic Biodiversity Research and a Senior Investigator at the Mamirauá Institute, Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), in Amazonas, Brazil. He is now a Research Associate in the Natural Sciences at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. His research interests include the evolutionary ecology and systematics of the Neotropical Gymnotiform electric fishes, the ecology and conservation of Neotropical freshwater fishes, and the evolution of animal communication and recognition systems. Dr. Crampton has served on several expert panels and committees charged with setting conservation and monitoring priorities for the aquatic resources of the Amazon. He was senior scientific consultant for the 2000 BBC wildlife film 'The Mighty Amazon' and on-screen host for the 2001 Discovery Channel film "Electric Eels."

Don DeMaria is a commercial fisher, diver, and underwater photographer operating out of Summerland Key in the Florida Keys. Born in Jacksonville FL, Don graduated from the University of South Florida in 1974 and has commercially fished since 1972. He has worked part-time as a research assistant with various scientists on different research projects in such areas as the Florida Keys, the tropical western Pacific, South Africa, and Caribbean region. His photographs have appeared in numerous magazines. He currently is cooperating with the Florida Museum's Ichthyology Division on its South Florida internet initiative. He was one of 72 Americans honored as an "Environmental Hero" by NOAA for the year 2000.

Anne is a retired IBM instructor whose favorite pursuit is underwater photography. She was certified in 1970 in North Carolina and started taking photos underwater a few years later. She particularly enjoys photographing invertebrates. Anne has won international awards for her underwater photographs, and has been published in numerous SCUBA diving magazines, and other marine and non-marine related magazines. She also has been published in several books including "Venomous & Toxic Marine Life of the World." Anne and her husband reside in Delray Beach, Florida. When not diving Florida waters, they spend their time diving and cruising the Bahamas on their trawler.

Interested in the ocean as a boy growing up in a beachside coastal city (Perth, Australia), Leroy Ellis (aged 35) spent many a summer swimming, windsurfing, snorkeling or spearfishing. Leroy's subsequent evolution into a scuba diving instructor ultimately focused his attention on underwater photography and videophotography. Leroy recalls, "It was a diving experience in Indonesia in 1999 with two great Mola Mola's (Ocean sunfish) at 130 feet that left an indelible impression on me. I left the water with a firm resolution that something so magnificent and awe-inspiring should be captured on film for all to enjoy, and maybe in some small way I will be able assist and contribute to oceanic conservation and ecotourism efforts." Leroy Ellis is a professional petroleum geochemist and regularly teaches diving instruction in Dallas, TX. He received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (Honours 1) and Doctorate of Philosophy (Organic Chemistry) from Curtin University of Technology in 1995. His professional diving experience includes, IANTD DiveMaster & Specialty Instructor, Gas Blender, DAN O2 Instructor, Scuba Schools International DiveCon & Specialty Instructor and CPR/1st Aid Instructor ratings.

LeRoy French
www.LeRoyFrench.com

LeRoy French began diving in 1955 in northern California. He started developing underwater photography equipment around 1957 and has since then become one of the most experienced photographers in the trade.

His photographs have appeared in major periodicals worldwide and he has received awards from Film Festivals and other major institutions throughout his long and prestigious career. He has produced films from the Pacific to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to name a few. He has appeared on radio and television and has been a staunch supporter of environmental issues. Some of his past credits include: National Geographic, Life Magazine, American Cinematographer, Skin Diver Magazine, Atlanta Film Festival, San Francisco Film Festival, International Underwater Film Festival, and the list goes on. His photographic library consists of thousands of still images and hours of video.

Enjoy the Adventure!

Charles Glatzer M.Photog., CPP
Shoot the Light, Inc.
79 East 24th Street
Huntington Station, NY 11746
(studio) 631-271-951
info@shootthelight.com
http://www.shootthelight.com/

Charles Glatzer, a Certified Professional Photographer with a Master of Photography Degree is an Award winning photographer. A two time recipient of the Kodak Gallery Award of Excellence, "the benchmark for saluting technical execution and visual impact in the photographic arts". Charles possesses a wide range of photographic talents, with a special emphasis in Nature and Underwater photography. FUJI USA continually chooses Charles and his images to represent them. Kodak has also purchased and exhibited his images throughout the US. Represented by the one of the worlds premier stock agencies, his images are published internationally in both the advertising and editorial marketplace. A Photography Advisor for The Potomac Museum Group, Charles will be traveling and providing images for exhibitions throughout the US and Abroad. His outstanding Manatee Images are on display as part of "Manatees: The Edge of Extinction", an ongoing, traveling exhibition. His "Snuggling" Manatee image headlines the Exhibit at the Florida Museum of Natural History this September. He is the Principal photographer for the new Atlantis Marine World Aquarium, NY, an Adjunct Associate Professor at Long Island University, and the Senior Technical and Field Editor for Naturephotographers.net. Charles currently hosts "Shoot the Light " Seminars and Workshops throughout the USA. His Underwater Workshops are ongoing on LiveAboards throughout the World.

Rachel Graham
Associate Conservation Scientist
Wildlife Conservation Society
Black Orchid Street
PO Box 37
Punta Gorda, Belize
tel: +501 672-7777

Rachel Graham is looking at how migratory and foraging behaviours can be used as criteria to site and design marine reserves that are more effective at protecting large pelagic migratory fish species. Her study animal is the very large and charismatic whale shark, a pan-tropical species of high value to the dive tourism industry - and of value to Indo-Pacific fisheries. Whale sharks seasonally congregate on the Belize Barrier Reef to feed on the spawn of aggregating snappers. This predictable and, so far, unique phenomenon provides the perfect opportunity to study this little known animal. In particular, she is studying the population size, structure and variability of whale sharks, and their foraging and migratory behaviour - in relation to reef fish spawning aggregations, the spawning aggregation fishery, marine protected areas and the growing whale shark tourism. Partners in Belize include the Department of Fisheries, Coastal Zone Management Authority, GreenReef, Belize Audubon, Belize Tourist Board, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Friends of Laughing Bird Caye, Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, University of Belize, British Military, and Lighthawk. This research is supported by the UK Darwin Initiative and the Natural Environmental Research Council.

Tim Hochgrebe is a Photographer/Videographer currently living in Byron Bay. Tim originates from Germany where he finished his Biology degree BSc (Hons) before moving to Australia to complete his science education with a PhD (Sydney University). He has been a keen diver and marine biology enthusiast for more than 13 years and spent over three years as President of Sydney University Underwater Club. At the moment Tim uses the SONY 3 chip digital video camera TRV-900 in an IKELITE housing to produce his clips. You can view his clips at http://www.planula.com.au.

Steve Jones
http://www.millionfish.com
Professional Enquiries please contact:
Papilio
http://www.papiliophotos.com
Phone: +44 (0)1227 360996
Fax: +44 (0)1227 360996
library@papiliophotos.com

Steve Jones was born in the South Wales town of Aberdare in 1971. He learned to dive at the age of 14 and worked full time as a professional instructor between 1992 and 1997, based initially in the Red Sea, followed by two and a half years in the Maldives. A photographer since the age of 8, his work has appeared internationally in leading wildlife and marine publications, winning extensive critical acclaim. Examples of his images can be seen at the website www.millionfish.com. Commercial sales are handled by Papilio.

Klaus Jost
Marine Engineer/Underwater Specialist
Wildlife & Nature Photography
Professional Enquiries please contact:
75428 Illingen, Wilhelmstrasse 70, Germany
Phone: (0049) 61 02 43 29 30
Fax: (0049) 61 02 43 2932
info@jostimages.com
www.jostimages.com

Inquiries for marine life please contact:
Innerspace Visions/Seapics
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740-2281
Phone: 808-329-4253
Fax: 808-329-6659
info@seapics.com
www.seapics.com

Inquiries for Wildlife & Nature Photography please contact:
Peter Arnold, Inc.
1181 Broadway, New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212/481-1190
Fax: 212/481-3409
peterarnold@earthlink.net

The main emphasis of Klaus Jost's work lies on wildlife, nature and underwater photography worldwide. Numerous trips in the last few years have led him among other things to the big bears into the wilderness of Alaska. He is extremely fascinated by the country and the animals.

His special interest lies in the Great White Shark, Tiger Shark and Bull Shark, which are potentially dangerous to humans (any animal could be dangerous to humans) - and the whole underwater world.

Decades of experience as a marine engineer and underwater specialist in several oceans fit in very well with his work. Klaus Jost has spent almost 13,000 hours under water in large-scale harbor construction projects for professional reasons alone, and has got to know the fauna and flora of most tropical countries very closely.

As a person responsible for the marine and underwater work - this has always been critical for the success of a construction site - Klaus Jost has developed a method which made it possible to produce extensive underwater foundations for quay walls with a degree of accuracy in the area of centimeters - alone in Dammam, Saudi Arabia (contract value: DM 2,650 mn), they measured approx. 4 kilometers. Another exceptional achievement is certainly the construction of four complicating block quay walls: in Karachi/Pakistan, San Pedro/Ivory Coast, Alexandria/Egypt and Conakry/Guinea. The concrete blocks were placed floating (exception: Karachi) and had a weight of up to 100 tons. During the employment of large equipment in a very confined space, most of the time with zero sight under water, water depths of up to 21 meters, an enormous time pressure and 24 hours' work, the demands on all persons participating were great. Also in this area, the underwater foundations and work were a requirement for success.

Since February 2001, Klaus Jost has been a freelancer in the area of wildlife, nature and underwater photography.

Photo and text reports are published worldwide in large magazines, journals and newspapers (National Geographic Germany, GEO, Terre Sauvage, Universum, terra and many others). He has been working with international agencies for many years and he also offers his material directly under www.jostimages.com

Klaus has shifted his focus to the South Pacific. This is a long-term endeavor as Klaus has embarked on the monumental task of trying to document not only Sharks, but also all of the Fish life within the Shark Reef Marine Reserve Fiji.

Becky is an avid scuba diver, but an Event Planner in her day job. She has visited more than 30 islands in the South Pacific, Atlantic, and Caribbean, but just recently took up amateur underwater photography. She uses a simple Sea&Sea 750G underwater camera. Her favorite subjects are anemones and turtles. She resides a long way from the ocean in Troy, Michigan with her husband and two children. You can view Becky's wonderful underwater videos at YouTube.com using "brenkeller" in the search dialogue box.

Bob Klemow has been an elementary school teacher in Hazleton, Pennsylvania for 30 years. He received PDIC certification in 1980, followed by YMCA certification in 1987. In 1992 he purchased his first u/w video camera, a JVC GRAX-10 with an Ikelite case. He became an avid videographer and digitizer. Since 1999, Bob has been using a Canon Optura with Proscan in an Amphibico Explorer. He's taken his wife and camera on over 400 dives enjoying the undersea world in the Bahamas, all over the Caribbean, in Hawaii and on the Great Barrier Reef. He's planning to retire from teaching in the near future and devote himself fulltime to capturing the wonders of life under the sea. You can see some of his more recent work at http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/scubadad/fishies.htm.

Wolfgang Leander
http://www.oceanicdreams.com

Wolfgang Leander (63) started to dive when he was 14 years old. At that time, scuba diving was reserved for the famous and well-to-do, still youthful grown-ups: Hans Hass, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Stan Waterman. Enthusiastic school kids like Wolfgang could afford only the basics: mask, fins, and snorkel. And while most other snorkelers switched to tanks as scuba diving became more affordable and popular, Wolfgang chose to remain a freediver to this day!

Wolfgang is not certified, and he will never be. That already tells you a little bit about him. His lifetime fascination have been sharks, and he is an almost obstinate black and white photographer. Wolfgang says: "When you take black and white pictures, you have to really focus on graphic impact and composition, much more than with color film. The first underwater images I saw back in the late forties were all black and white. I still find them absolutely cool, and I have no intentions to join the color picture taking crowd. Let others take pretty pictures of pretty coral reefs. Why should I? I will stick to the big stuff, and that has to be in black and white. As a freediver I just wouldn't be able to concentrate on taking color photographs of clown fish, almost invisible shrimps, timid seahorses, or tiny cone shells." That is not to say that Wolfgang isn't highly impressed by color photographs taken by such heavy weights as David Doubilet, Bob Talbot, Amos Nachoum, Constantinos Petrinos, Doug Perrine and many other extremely talented and dedicated photographers. All he thinks is that everyone has to find his own niche.

You wouldn't be surprised to realize that Wolfgang's underwater photographic equipment consists of a Nikonos V with two lenses only (28 and 20mm). Period.

Thus, what you have here is a confirmed purist: no bubbles, only black and white photographs, just available light, and, as he said, nothing small, preferably sharks.

Contrary to all photographers featured here, Wolfgang is not a pro. He even isn't a marine biologist or anything like that. He has some 40 years of international banking behind him. Call him a hobby photographer, a freediving shark nut, whatever. He is now a happy retiree. You would expect Wolfgang to have settled in a place where he could dive every day. Right? Wrong! Wolfgang lives in a land-locked South American country, Bolivia. Why? Well, that is a long story, to be told some other time. Anyway, he considers himself fortunate to be able to spend about 5 weeks in the Bahamas and 2 weeks in the Galapagos out of a year.

Wolfgang has published some of his work in the Freedivermagazine. He has also created a website (www.oceanicdreams.com) so that other shark enthusiasts can share his passion.

Captain Robert MacDonald
Underwater Photographer
Professional Enquiries please contact:
Express Underwater Photo/Video Services
3618 Alder Drive, H-1
West Palm Beach, FL 33417
Phone: 561-471-9567

Captain Rob MacDonald entering his tenth year with the Eagle brings numerous talents to the position of Master/Second Captain. After graduating from The Florida Institute of Technology, with an AS. in Sport Diving Operations, Rob spent four years working in Freeport, Bahamas with UNEXO as part of their dive staff and photo/video staff. Drawing on this experience, Rob returned to Florida where he started his own business Express Underwater Photo/Video Services. In 1991 Rob began working part time aboard the Eagle as dive-master and photo/video professional in conjunction with his business. After two years he signed on full time and two years later he received his U.S.C.G. Captain's license.I started out with a Nikonos V camera and strobe and now have two housed Nikon 8008's and an Aquatica with an F3. For many years I used local Aqua Sea manual strobes with some success and recently purchased a pair of Ikelite 150 strobes, which I use almost exclusively on TTL. Most of my work is done with a 60mm Nikon lens, or occasionally a 20 or 24mm Nikon wide angle. Film is almost exclusively Fuji Velvia Professional shot at 50 ASA.

Werner was born in Arbon, Switzerland in 1965. He has acted as an Extra in Hollywood movie "Cutthroat Island" and was then inspired to take up photography during his extensive travels to Caribbean, Venezuela, Brazil, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He majored in Mechanical Engineering but was awe-struck with the underwater world while on vacation in Thailand. He enrolled in a Dive Master Course in 1992. He has worked in Thailand and Maldives as a professional PADI Diving Instructor and recently as a Whale Shark Specialty Program Instructor. It was during one of his diving expeditions that his team sighted a whale shark in White Sands Resort, Maldives. This inspired him to capture images of this species on video. His passion towards these gentle giants has encouraged him to develop an identification library, compiling data of whale shark encounters in this region. He is interested in assisting and contributing towards conservation and ecotourism efforts.

Larry Page
Ichthyologist
Curator of Fishes
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
voice & fax: 352-337-6649

Lawrence M. Page is Adjunct Curator of Fishes at the Florida Museum of Natural History and Principal Scientist Emeritus in the Center for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS). He received his PhD from the University of Illinois, held several research and administrative positions at INHS, and recently served as a Program Officer for the National Science Foundation. He currently serves as President of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists and is an Associate Editor for Zootaxa. His research interests include the systematics and natural history of freshwater fishes, and the conservation of freshwater ecosystems. He is author of the Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America, the Handbook of Darters, and over 120 papers on freshwater organisms.

He can also be contacted at:

Principal Scientist Emeritus
Illinois Natural History Survey
607 E. Peabody Drive
Champaign, IL 61820


email: l-page1@uiuc.edu

Pasquale Pascullo
Nature and Wildlife Photographer
www.ppfotos.com

Born and raised in New York City, Pasquale has been a lifelong New Yorker and still resides in what he refers to as "the greatest island in the world", Manhattan. With all of the concrete and steel that makes up New York City, it's hard to imagine that Pasquale built his foundation of Oceanography and Marine Biology knowledge in one of New York City's outer borough high schools, located on the beaches of Queens.

In 1991, Pasquale took his passion underwater as he began scuba diving in the local waters that surround New York's metropolitan area. By the mid 1990's, he ventured further from the cold, low- visibility New York waters, and started exploring waters throughout the world. As they say "the rest is history" as Pasquale has never looked back, and continues to explore the world's oceans today.

Although Pasquale is passionate and dedicated to diving and exploration, he feels his success is a direct result of the people he surrounds himself with, and is very grateful to the family and friends that help him reach his goals and ambitions. Pasquale strongly believes, that no successful picture can be taken without the direct help and work of the local Park Rangers and Dive Masters that accompany him on his assignments. And to every one of these people, he is eternally in debt.

More than anything, Pasquale hopes that his award winning photography can help bring awareness, education and preservation of Mother Nature's true wildlife, whether in the oceans or on land.

Doug Perrine
Seapics.com / Innerspace Visions
76-223 Haoa St.
Kailua-Kona HI 96740-2281 U.S.A.
Ph. (808) 329-4253
Fax. (808) 329-6659

Congratulations to Doug Perrine for taking top prize at the World Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards in 2004! This prestigious award is sponsored by the Museum of Natural History in London and BBC Wildlife magazine. Click HERE for more information.

Doug Perrine has had a varied career as an English teacher, a marine biologist, a scuba diving instructor, a USCG licensed boat captain, an interpretive naturalist and tour leader, and a photojournalist. His academic credentials include B.S. and M.A. degrees in marine biology from the University of Miami. Currently he is a self-employed writer and photographer specializing in marine life. His photographs appear frequently in calendars, posters, postcards, and other graphic products, and have been published in hundreds of books and magazines, including National Geographic, Audubon, Smithsonian, Time, Natural History, Elle, Esquire, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Omni, Outside, Geo, Airone, Islands, Terre Sauvage, Stern, National Wildlife, Ocean Realm, Wildlife Conservation, BBC Wildlife, etc. Perrine is the author of Sharks (1995) and Mysteries of the Sea (1997). He has served as a consultant for filming projects for the National Geographic Society, the Discovery Channel, Disney, and other companies. His photography has won several awards, including the 1995 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in the Animal Behavior category. Perrine is president of Innerspace Visions, a stock photography library in Kona, Hawaii, which specializes in marine wildlife, with extensive files on whales, dolphins, and sharks, representing over five dozen of the world's top photographers in these fields.

Innerspace Visions, of Kona, Hawaii is one of the world's most specialized photographic libraries. The bulk of its materials is in two files, the International Cetacean Photo File, and the International Shark Photo File. The files contain pictures from over five dozen photographers, including both world-famous underwater photographers, such as Howard Hall, Marty Snyderman, James Watt, and David Fleetham, and scientists with rare photographs not found in other libraries. In addition, Innerspace Visions represents the entire photographic collection of the owner, Doug Perrine. Perrine, who has years of experience working with sharks, whales, and dolphins, both as a researcher and a photographer, and has become intimately familiar with these subjects. By specializing in these two fields, Innerspace Visions is able to offer its clients a breadth of material, and a knowledge of the subjects that is not available from other agencies. Entire books on these subjects have been illustrated with the images from Innerspace Visions. Images from the library are available for licensing for uses in advertising, publishing, graphic arts, etc. The name refers to the world of innerspace, beneath the ocean waves (as opposed to outer space, beyond the atmosphere).

Beneath the surface, the sea gives life to an abundant diversity of fishes—many of which have come face to face underwater with senior ichthyologist, photographer, and adventurer John E. Randall, Ph.D., better known as Jack. He has been engrossed in an exploration of diversity of coral reef fishes since the 1950s, and has shared his discoveries through over 700 scientific articles and 12 guidebooks on fishes from the Red Sea to the Caribbean. Jack has discovered and named 628 new species of fish previously unknown to science, including more valid species of coral reef fishes than anyone else in history.

Growing up in California, the young “Fish Man” could often be found exploring the tide pools of Rancho Palos Verdes, or toting five-gallon jugs filled with seawater from the Santa Monica public beach for his marine aquarium at home. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A. in Zoology in 1950, Jack sailed his 11-meter ketch to Hawai‘i to pursue a Ph.D. in Marine Zoology at the University of Hawai‘i. Jack’s long-standing relationship with Bishop Museum began in 1955, when Museum Director Alex Spoehr notified him that he had been awarded a fellowship in Zoology for research on groupers in Tahiti. He, his wife Helen (now the managing editor of the Bishop Museum’s monographic series Indo-Pacific Fishes) and 3-year-old daughter Lori (now working in ichthyology at the Bishop Museum) sailed their ketch to Tahiti. Jack’s first academic position, assistant professor of the Marine Laboratory of the University of Miami, included three years directing a marine biological survey of the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John. From there he was hired as a professor of biology and director of the Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Puerto Rico. He returned to Hawai‘i in 1965 as director of the Oceanic Institute for one year, and then happily joined the Bishop Museum. Today, his extensive fish collections dominate the Bishop Museum's Ichthyology Department, and because of his research and prolific writings he has been described as the “most productive ichthyologist in history.” Jack is presently half time at the Bishop Museum, supported by a grant from the Engelhard Foundation.

Jack’s first skin diving experience was in the cool seas off California. He may have developed the first wetsuit of sorts out of necessity, dipping his Army longjohn underwear in a dishpan of latex rubber to stay warm during countless hours spent underwater. While a grad student at the University of Hawai‘i, he saw the need to develop a better method of photographing fresh specimens of fishes. Today his images are widely published, and his unique photographic method is utilized by many of his colleagues in ichthyology. Jack regards as the greatest honor his selection as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in 1983, and he is the sole member today. In May 2005, he was the first recipient of the prestigious Bleeker Award in Systematic Ichthyology at the 7th Annual Indo-Pacific Fish Conference in Taipei, Taiwan. The award is named for Pieter Bleeker, the 19th century Dutch ichthyologist regarded by many, including Jack, as the greatest. Jack’s most recent publication, “Reef and Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands,” is by far the most impressive and comprehensive report on Hawaiian fish today, extensively illustrated with Jack’s own stunning photographs. It is a truly splendid culmination of his life’s work in the systematic study of Hawaiian fishes, and it is almost as much of a local treasure as Jack himself. Today, many fish populations around the world are in a serious decline, with overfishing, pollution, and invasive species all taking a toll. In light of such environmental threats, Jack stresses the need for scientists to continue to investigate the diversity of fishes in the Pacific region and utilize the knowledge gained for resource management and sustainability. As he looks to the future, Jack shares, “I would like to see a renewed interest in nature and an understanding of the need to describe the many plants and animals that remain unknown to science. Taxonomy is now more important than ever.” And for any budding young ichthyologists reading this, “There is a whole world of small fishes in the Indo-Pacific reefs living between 250-350 feet that need to be recorded,” says Jack. “There are still more to be found.”

Luiz A. Rocha, PhD
Ichthyologist/Marine Biologist
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Unit 0948
APO AA 34002-0948
U.S.A.
http://plaza.ufl.edu/rocha1/

Luiz A. Rocha is a graduate student at the department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the University of Florida. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1996 and Masters in Sciences in Zoology/Ichthyology in 1999, both from the Federal University of Paraiba, Brazil. With his growing interest in ichthyology and scuba diving, he started taking underwater pictures of Brazilian reef fishes three years ago and keeps acumulating images with the objective of doing a field guide of this poorly studied fauna. His diving experience includes more than 500 dives mostly in Brazil and a couple years working as a dive master. Among his current research interests are the biogeography of Atlantic reef fishes and the description of several marine fishes known only from Brazil. He currently lives in Gainesville, Florida with his wife Claudia.

George Ryschkewitsch
Chemistry Professor - University of Florida
Underwater Photographer
Florida Museum of Natural History
Ichthyology Division
c/o Cathy Bester
Dickinson Hall
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
Phone: 352-273-1942

Ian Shaw
10 St Andrews Drive
Woolgoolga 2456 NSW, AUSTRALIA

I have been diving and taking underwater photographs since 1984. My special interest is the fish life of our local waters, especially the Solitary Islands Marine Park adjacent to where I live in northern New South Wales.

As a member of a local marine interest and research group called the Solitary Islands Underwater Research Group Inc. I have been involved in various scientific research projects including habitat mapping, studies into coral bleaching, design and construction of an underwater interpretive trail and a photographic inventory of the animals and fish of the local waters. This last project, especially the fishes, has captured my imagination and we have photographed about 250 species so far.

I started out with a Nikonos V camera and strobe and now have two housed Nikon 8008's and an Aquatica with an F3. For many years I used local Aqua Sea manual strobes with some success and recently purchased a pair of Ikelite 150 strobes, which I use almost exclusively on TTL. Most of my work is done with a 60mm Nikon lens, or occasionally a 20 or 24mm Nikon wide angle. Film is almost exclusively Fuji Velvia Professional shot at 50 ASA.

Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch
Professional Underwater Photographer
Professional Enquiries please contact:
Innerspace Visions/Seapics
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740-2281
Phone: 808-329-4253
Fax: 808-329-6659

Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch was educated at Eton and London University where he originally read zoology but finally completed his degree in philosophy. His interest in marine life originated with snorkeling in the Mediterranean. This soon led to scuba-diving and underwater photography. He has several books to his name including "Shark - A Photographer's Story," "Reef - A Safari through the Coral World" and "Mangrove - The Forgotten Habitat." Besides marine life, he also enjoys archaeological photography, especially Egyptology. Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch believes that an underwater photographer works best alone, and he seeks to record marine life and seascapes as naturally as possible.

David Snyder is a professional marine biologist who for the past 16 years has worked for Continental Shelf Associates, Inc. a marine environment consulting firm in Jupiter, Florida. He received his Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Florida in 1978. He received his Master of Science in Marine Biology/Ichthyology from Florida Atlantic University. His diving experience includes more than 1,000 dives over the past 20 years. He has been taking underwater photographs for about 18 years. Mr. Snyder's underwater fish photographs have appeared in several technical and popular publications including regional field guides. Although Mr. Snyder has traveled to various parts of the world (e.g., Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Bonaire, Grand Turk, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Philippines), to photograph fishes, one of his favorite sites for fish is still the southeastern coast of Florida. He currently lives in Tequesta, Florida with his wife and daughter.

John Soward
Phone: 978-225-8178
www.fishandbirdart.com

John Soward is completely self-taught. He has no list of galleries and awards. His college study bent toward literature, not art or art history. He photographs and paints because that is what he loves to do, and when you love to do something, you are usually quite good at it. John spends time learning to really "look" at the fish, not just see it. It is a study, a careful analysis of these creatures that inhabit our bodies of water. He is not interested in depicting scenes of fish swimming around coral reefs, he photographs and paints studies of one fish. It is his attempt to capture the first impression of form and color.

Donald Tipton
Professional Underwater Photographer
Professional Enquiries please contact:
Underwater Images and Video
2827 Primrose Road
Columbus, GA 31907
Phone: 706-563-9655

Donald Tipton began his professional photographic career in 1982 and has worked in commercial and advertising photography since that time. He makes his home in Columbus, GA with his wife, Angelyn and children, Jonathan, Andrew, and Katherine. His education in music and art have augmented his pursuit of photographic excellence. In 1987, Tipton obtained his basic open water rating through NASDS. He continued his studies in diving, obtaining his NASDS instructors rating in 1989.

Photography has been an essential component of Tipton's diving from the beginning . His work is a celebration of color, texture, and form that few people will ever experience firsthand. While Donald is a marine photographer it is also essential to show the wildlife in their habitats. He attempts to show beaches, marshes,intercostal waterways, and other wildlife environments in ways that we often overlook.

While many photographers work only with color images, Donald works with both black and white and color images. He feels that sometimes a subject matter will be stronger when you remove the colors and have the viewer only concentrate on the subject.

Donald works extensively with marine mammals and other oceanic animals that are very difficult to approach. For this reason, he makes use of Drager rebreathers in most of his shoots.

His work regularly appears in magazines, advertisements, and art galleries. His new book "Upon the Face of the Waters" is Donald's vision to help all people to understand the many faces of the oceans. It will be available this year.

Susan Trammell
1219 NE 3rd St.
Gainesville, FL 32601
Ph. (352)357-3557

Susan Trammell started her career as a scientific illustrator in 1980 drawing archaeological artifacts and later began to focus more on natural science illustration. From 1989-1998 the majority of her clients were scientists in the various departments at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. In November of 1998 she moved to Gainesville, Florida, and has been busy doing projects for scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History, USGS and Florida Bureau of Agriculture.

Her illustrations are usually done in pen and ink, watercolour or carbon dust techniques. She has also done illustrations on the computer including some 3d artwork. If you are interested in discussing the possibility of having illustrations done, please refer to the contact information above.

James L. Van Tassell
Ichthyologist/Marine Biologist
Dept. of Biology
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549
Ph. (516) 606-9661
http://home.att.net/~jvantassell

James Van Tassell is currently a Scholar-in-Residence at Hofstra University, New York. Jim has investigated the ecology, distribution, and systematics of the fishes from the Canary Islands since 1977. He received his BS from Wagner College, MS from Adelphi University, and PhD from the American Museum of Natural History/CUNY. Jim together with Stephan Lensch have been photographing the fishes of the Canary Islands to train volunteers involved in conducting underwater visual surveys.

Ronald E. Watson
Ichthyologist
3658 NW 41st Lane
Gainesville, Florida 32605-1468
Ph: (352)367-9434
Fax: (352)271-4330

Ronald Watson is a freelance ichthyologist whose primary research interest are gobies (Gobioidei), especially freshwater gobies belonging to the subfamily Sicydiinae. Independent research efforts have resulted in the descriptions of two genera, three subgenera and 29 new species, with many more papers in press or in various stages of completion describing more new species of genera, subgenera and species.

While with the military on Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands he met John E. Randall and became interested in gobies under his guidance from 1978-80. His next military assignment put him in northern Virginia where he met and studied under the late Ernest A. Lachner at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution) in Washington, D. C. After spending six years there, his next military assignment was to Aschaffenburg, Germany where he worked with the ichthyology section at the Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg in Frankfurt. After living in central Bavaria from 1992-99 he moved back to Gainesville, Florida, renewing an association with the Florida Museum of Natural History initiated in 1990-92.

In addition to the study of freshwater gobies, he enjoys photography and photographed many fishes and wildflowers. One eventual goal of these photographic efforts is to publish a book on the wildflowers of northern Bavaria.

Keri Wilk
http://www.reefnet.ca/galleries/index.asp

Since taking up scuba diving and underwater photography 6 years ago, Keri has spent hundreds of hours exploring coral reefs all over the Caribbean and documenting their flora and fauna. His specialty is portraits of fish and creatures, many of which have been published in ReefNet's CDROM field guide "Fishes of the Caribbean and Adjacent Waters". Keri's photo gear consists of a Nikon F90x camera with a 105mm macro lens in an Ikelite housing, a Nikonos V camera, and a pair of Ikelite strobes.

Mark Younger
Paramedic/Artist/Diver/Underwater Photographer
Bradenton, FL
Ph: (941) 752-3113

Mark Younger's interest in scuba diving led him to an interest in underwater photography, but his primary career has been in health care. He has served as a paramedic since 1976, including working on flight rescue-choppers. Other positions include nine years as the head of emergency medicine faculty at University of South Florida-Edison Community College and assignments to the emergency room, where he has occasionally treated patients for shark bites. Presently, Mark works in preventive cardiology. His hobbies include art, storm chasing, mountain backpacking, and scuba diving. Mark currently resides in Bradenton, Florida.