Facebook
Twitter
ABOUT THE PRO'S
DAVID FLEETHAM: David was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1958. He grew up in Ontario, Canada just outside of Toronto and in his last year of high school he learned to scuba dive in a man-made lake. Soon after he purchased an Ikelite housing and a Minolta SLR camera and spent three months in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. With his eyes wide open he returned to land locked Ontario just long enough to pack his bags and move back to Canada's west coast. David then worked in several dive businesses, became a scuba instructor and continued focusing on underwater photography (his passion). His first published photo was a cover on Diver Magazine (divermag.com) where David's images still appear to this date. He acknowledges Neil McDaniel (then editor of Diver magazine) and his photography as one of his first influences. "Neil's work was very precise for the time. I learned much from studying his images and techniques."
In 1986 David left Vancouver for the island of Maui, Hawaii where he again worked in various dive charter businesses and earned a USCG Captain's license, all the while shooting and submitting his underwater images to magazines and businesses. David was approached by his first stock agency shortly after coming to Hawaii and now has several around the world that represent his work.
From Hawaii, David has been on assignments to, Indonesia, The Galapagos Islands, Saipan, Truk Lagoon, Fiji, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Palau, Yap, Guam, Kwajalein Atoll, Pohnpei, Honduras, Bahamas, Australia, the Sea of Cortez, the Red Sea, the Socorro Islands and back to the cold waters of British Columbia.
National Geographic hired Mr. Fleetham to escort David Doubilet while on assignment in Hawaii. Mr. Fleetham recognizes Doubilet's work as another influence on his career. "Doubilet is constantly taking the art of underwater photography to another level. Over the years his images have encouraged me to take chances with photographic encounters that I may not have, had I not had my nose in National Geographic from the beginning." Mr. Fleetham's work has appeared in National Geographic.
David's photographs have been published around the globe, with over one hundred magazine covers to date. In 1991 his photograph of a sandbar shark appeared on the cover of LIFE. It is the only underwater photograph to ever be selected for the cover. His award winning work has been published by National Geographic, The Cousteau Society, and every North American diving publication. The Smithsonian Museum, The North Carolina Museum of Natural History, The London Zoo, Hong Kong Museum, The Waikiki, Vancouver, Monterey Bay, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Maui Ocean Center and the Aquarium of the Americas all display his work.
David received a Honorary Mention in the Professional Division of the United Nations Environment Programme 1994-1995 International Photographic Competition on the Environment. It was the only underwater image chosen in the entire competition. He again received the same mention in the 1999-2000 Competition. In 1997 three of his images were chosen in the British Gas Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition and he was flown to London to accept his award. In 2000 he took several awards, including a first place in the Kodak Oceanz contest in New Zealand.
Mr. Fleetham shoots primarily with 35mm Canon SLR cameras in Ikelite and Aquatica cameras. He uses various twin Ikelite strobe setups to light his images and Kodak VS and Fuji Velvia film.
DOUG PERRINE: Doug Perrine is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost marine wildlife photographers. His photographs have been reproduced in virtually every major nature magazine in the world, as well as in thousands of books, calendars, greeting cards, posters, etc., including more than 100 covers. His photography has won a number of awards, including the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition as the overall winner (2004), and also winner of the animal behavior category and the Nature's Best/Cemex competition in the Professional Marine Wildlife category. He is also the author of seven books on marine life and numerous magazine articles. Doug founded SeaPics.com as a venue for his own photography, and later expanded it to represent a growing number of other photographers as well.
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Doug was educated at the University of Hawaii and the University of Miami, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in marine biology. He has lived in Morocco and Micronesia (as a Peace Corps volunteer) and the Cayman Islands (as a dive guide/instructor). Since finishing graduate school in 1986, he has been self-employed as a naturalist/photojournalist. He is the author of the books Sharks (1995), Mysteries of the Sea (1997), Sharks and Rays of the World (1999), Ripley's Whales & Dolphins (2000), Ripley's Coral Colony Creatures (2000), The Living Sea (2002), and Sea Turtles of the World (2003). He is the primary photographer for Sea Turtles (1996) and Manatees and Dugongs of the World (1999). His books are available at Amazon.com. Doug takes on occasional photographic and writing assignments as well as creating photography for stock. He also works occasionally as a consultant for filming projects, including jobs for National Geographic Television, the Discovery Channel, and other broadcasters. His work as a shark photographer was featured in "Sharks of the Deep Blue" on Discovery Channel's 1999 "Shark Week" broadcast.
After founding SeaPics.com (under its first name, Innerspace Visions) in 1986, Doug built it into the world's premier photo agency for ocean-related pictures, before selling the agency to its manager, Susan Dabritz, in 2003. Doug has now returned to his roots as a free-lance photojournalist, but continues to be associated with SeaPics.com as one of its primary contributors, and provides occasional assistance in other areas.
MARTY SNYDERMAN: Residing in Solana Beach, CA, Marty Snyderman is a still photographer, film producer, author and speaker specializing in the marine environment. Marty's still photography and/or writing has been utilized by National Geographic Magazine, Skin Diver Magazine, numerous National Wildlife Federation publications, Natural History, Dive Training, Sport Diver, Time, Newsweek, Time Life, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, New England Aquarium, Sea World and Seattle Aquarium, and by numerous other publications and organizations expressing interest in the marine environment both in the United States and overseas . Marty serves as the Marine Life Editor for Dive Training Magazine and is the long time author of the magazine's Ask The Pro column. To date, Marty has authored nine books, including California Marine Life, his first book, that has just been revised and re-released in cooperation with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Guide To Marine Life of the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida. Marty has been involved in underwater photography for 25 years and continues to produce compelling images of marine life in attempts to raise awareness and interest about many marine issues.
An Emmy Award winning cinematographer, his film, The Secret World of Sharks and Rays, a documentary about the natural history of sharks, premiered during October of 1998 on the PBS series NATURE. Marty produced and filmed To Be With Sharks (View From The Cage) which premiered on the Discovery Channel in July 1994 during Shark Week. A big ratings success, it is the second most widely watched premier in the history of Shark Week. In addition, Marty's cinematography has been used by Warner Brothers (Free Willy released in the summer of 1993), the National Geographic Society, NOVA, the British Broadcasting Corporation, many major broadcast networks and many more organizations expressing interest in marine wildlife. Marty has also put together an online photo course where students can subscribe for a six month period and work through the different courses at their own pace. The classes range from Beginner to Advanced and will soon include a digital segment.
