A Great Time in the Keys...

I just got back from spending several days down in Key Largo. I was able to finish up my PADI Advanced Open Water certification along with my certification to be a National Geographic diver. The Advanced class included several dives which took me through Molasses Reef as well as the U.S.S. Spiegel Grove. The wreck dives were incredible!

To become a National Geographic specialty diver, one learns about conservation, behavioral biology of life below the surface as well as how to maneuver and photograph the underwater environment in a way that relays the need for preservation. A photo project focused on the biodiversity of the underwater world wrapped up the learning sessions. Definitely an epic trip in my book...

Here are a few images I took along the way:

Looking through the ring of an old Spanish anchor in Molasses Reef...


Looking up at the underwater world from the bottom of the ocean...



100 feet below the surface on the U.S.S. Spiegel Grove...




My dive instructor inside the Spiegel...





Under the sea with my National Geographic Dive Instructor...


A scorpion fish - look closely as he blends in with the rocks...


A massive Goliath Grouper that probably would have a hard time fitting inside my mom’s minivan...approx. 700lbs...





A school of blue striped grunts...

Lunar Photography

Two weekends ago, with a full moon approaching, I knew I had a great opportunity to try my hand at capturing some quality images of the moon. This, my favorite image of the bunch, was taken with a full frame Canon 5d along with a 600mm f/4 IS lens with stacked 2.0x & 1.4x teleconverters...approximately 1680mm worth of lens.

Big Bucks in the Smokies

Last week, while doing some preliminary work in Tennessee for an upcoming documentary that I'll be shooting, I found some time to sneak down to the Smokies. The timing could not have been better as the wildlife was stirring all throughout Appalachia...