Pennekamp's 50th Anniversary Promotion

I was recently contacted by Andy Newman of Newman PR to shoot an illustration of a snorkeler reaching out the the Christ of the Abyss Statue in my home town of Key Largo, Florida. It was to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park this December. The Statue is iconic of Pennekamp, and we wanted to show it as a warm water destination, hence the girl in the bathing suit.

Actually, the shot was comped as a replication of one of my stock shots, a photo I'd taken of my daughter, Alexa, snorkeling around the Statue last summer. However, the shot Andy liked best was a horizontal, and we needed a vertical for the combination of rack brochure, poster, and cover of the Keys Traveler magazine that Newman PR also publishes.

In our hour at the Statue we shot models Corky Wagner and Katy Weiland individually and as couples around the Statue. Their only direction was to reach out to the Statue, but don't actually touch it. Touching coral, or in this case the brass of the Statue, is discouraged, ecologically, so we wanted the impression of connection without the actual physicality. http://tinyurl.com/statue-video

Leaving room for type was also encouraged, as can be seen here in the final execution.
Thanks Andy ... nicely done.

SEACAM and Canon Do DEMA 2010

The DEMA (Dive Equipment Manufacturer's Association)trade show in Las Vegas was very productive this year. We premiered the new Alert Diver, Quarter 4 - 2010, to rave reviews, and had fantastic reception to various DAN initiatives and seminars presented throughout the show.

In addition, I was there wearing my hat as SEACAM distributor. I import these beautiful housings for the North and South American market, and I was joined on location by designer/manufacturer Harald Hordosch (from Austria) and my SEACAM sales manager, Liz Johnson and Scott Rodman.

SEACAM and Canon were exhibiting side-by-side again this year. As a Canon Explorer of Light, I am proud to be associated with the Canon camera line, and enjoyed the proximity so I could answer some of the technical or creative questions that emerged relative to shooting Canon products.

While no specifically new SEACAM products were introduced at this year’s DEMA, there are some innovative new offerings to be released in the very near future. At the show housings on display for Nikon included the D300 and D3s, and also for the popular Canon 5DMKII. In addition, other SEACAM products displayed included the remote monitor and polecam units, a minifisheye dome port, an underwater tripod, and of course the magnified S180 and S45 viewfinders. The Seaflash 150 garnered a lot of attention from booth visitors, not only for its TTL functionality with both Nikon and Canon, but also for its rear-curtain synch possibilities with both camera brands as well. The beam coverage from the Seaflash 150 is both very wide and even, with a native color temperature that makes it my personal favorite for wide angle photography.




At the Canon booth there was considerable interest in the new 8-15mm fisheye lens. Included here are photos shot on a 1.3 cropped sensor Canon 1DMKIV from the same vantage point at both 8mm and 15mm zoom range. (The lens renders a full circular image with full frame Canon cameras like the 5DMKII and 1DsMKIII) Other popular products were the new Canon G12, 7D, 70-200mm II lens, and of course the extraordinary Canon 5DMKII that has defined the new category of still and video convergence. Canon staff, including David Carlson, Chuckie Luzier, Ed Meyers, and Jim Rose were on hand to answer all technical questions; while a Canon printer churned out prints of my photos, given away free of charge as DEMA souvenirs.


8-15mm @ 15mm on Canon MKIV

8-15mm @ 8mm on Canon MKIV


Additionally, I gave a seminar in the Photo Resource Center on wide angle photography. As always, the SEACAM booth was a focal point for SEACAM shooters to get together and meet with Mr. Hordosch and share stories of their favorite UW imaging tools. Here Wyland, Stephen Frink, and David Doubilet pose in front of the SEACAM booth display.