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Live coverage of Bahamas Underwater Photo Week

From 24 to 31 May, there is a very special underwater imaging event being held in the Bahamas. Alert Diver’s Bahamas Underwater Photo Week aims “to capture a week in the underwater life of the Bahamas” and features 4 professional underwater photographers and 1 filmmaker who will all will be capturing images in 10 separate location throughout the Islands. Sponsored by The Out Islands Promotion Board, Grand Bahama Promotion Board, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and the Bahamas Dive Association, the event will have “live” reporting here on Wetpixel, as well as images shot during the event being featured in Alert Diver in its Fall 2014 edition.

The photographers attending the event are:

1. Stephen Frink.

Stephen Frink is among the world’s most frequently published UW photographers, and is a Canon EXPLORER OF LIGHT, the only marine specialist within this very elite group of photographers.

He is also the publisher of a beautiful new quarterly magazine for the Divers Alert Network, ALERT DIVER. Previously, his editorial work appeared in SCUBA DIVING as Director of Photography, and as a contributing photographer for SKIN DIVER magazine for 17-years. Frink has authored a coffee table book entitled WONDERS OF THE REEF, and teaches Masters level courses of Stephen Frink School of Underwater Digital Imaging in his home waters of Key Largo, Florida.

Clients for assignment photography over the past 3 decades have included Canon, Nikon, Victoria’s Secret, Aqualung, Oceanic, Scubapro, Subgear, Mercury Marine, Jantzen, Alcan Aluminum, R.J. Reynolds, Seaquest, Henderson Aquatics, Neosport, American Express, Club Med; as well as scores of resorts and live-aboard dive boats throughout the world. Rolex Watch Company has also engaged Frink for both endorsement and product photography.

Stephen will be shooting in Bimini, Cat Island, GBI and Abaco.

2. Alex Mustard.

Dr Alexander Mustard has been taking underwater photographs for 30 years and has worked as a full time underwater photographer for the last 10 years. Previously, he worked as a marine biologist at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. His innovative underwater photographs are respected and celebrated around the world. He has pioneered many techniques within underwater photography and is held in particular esteem by the underwater photography community for continually sharing his secrets through magazine articles, talks and workshops.

His photographs have won many awards including, on five occasions, in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He has also won multiple categories in the British Wildlife Photography Awards. His last book won the International Grand Prize for the best book of underwater photographs. In 2013, Alex was named GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image Night Moves, which is the first time an underwater photograph has won this prestigious award. His photographs have been displayed in exhibitions around the world and a particular highlight was personally presenting his work to Queen Elizabeth II.

Alex will be producing images from Long Island, Conception and San Salvador.

3. Berkley White.

Berkley White is a leading internationally published professional photographer, instructor and expert in the field of underwater photography and videography. He is the founder of Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo in Monterey, California. Berkley shares his in-field photographic techniques and digital methods through a series of select international travel events each year, such as the Digital Shootout.

Berkley will be based on Andros and Exumas.

4. Eric Cheng.

Eric Cheng is Director of Aerial Imaging at DJI and is an award-winning underwater photographer known for his passion as an educator. Eric won a prestigious Antibes Festival award for his work with Wetpixel.com, the Antibes underwater imaging web site of the year. His underwater photographs have won contests like the prestigious Nature’s Best Magazine photo competition, which placed some of his work in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. Eric’s photography has been seen in over 60 magazines and books worldwide.

Caught between technical and creative worlds, Eric holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Stanford University, where he also studied classical cello performance.

Through Wetpixel Expeditions, Eric leads regular photography expeditions and workshops around the world. He has given seminars and lectures internationally at events such as TEDx, Boston Sea Rovers Clinic, DEMA, Digital Shootouts, Kona Classic, Scuba Diving Magazine events, and others.

Eric is also involved in ocean conservation, and is on the Board of Directors of Shark Savers, an organization dedicated to shark conservation. He was also head photographer for Operation Musashi, Sea Shepherd’s 2008-2009 anti-whaling campaign in Antarctica, which was featured in season 2 of the hit TV show, Whale Wars.

During the event, Eric will be concentrating on New Providence and Harbour Island/Eleuthera.

Emmy Award winning filmmaker Cristian Dimitrius will be circulating amongst the venues and shooting film in preparation for TV coverage of the event that will be broadcast via National Geographic Channel Brazil throughout South America.

Wetpixel will be represented by Editor Adam Hanlon and Associate Editor Abi Mullens. We plan to be the “paparazzi”, recoding the behind the scenes details of the event and capturing the “stars” at work and play. We will be posting continuous updates here on Wetpixel and also via other media, so please stay tuned for all the news behind the news!