As the Wetpixel community grows, more and more talented and generous photographers are stepping up to lead discussions in the community forum about underwater photography and videography. Please join us in welcoming Darren Jew (photovan), Ryan Pedlow (aussie), Giles Shaxted (Giles), and Ellen Quale (ornate_wrasse) into the moderating team here at Wetpixel.com! The full list of moderators is available on our about page.

New moderator biographies:

Australian Darren Jew (photovan) has photographed much of the World’s great wildlife and landscape – from Australia to Alaska; Africa to the Pacific; Russia to Antarctica.

Darren learned to dive as a 14 year-old in 1980 and bought a second-hand Nikonos during his first year at Art College.  After completing full-time photographic studies at the Queensland College of Art in 1983, Darren began his career in a commercial colour lab, then as a black and white darkroom technician for an archaeologist. This was followed by 2 years as an advertising photographer’s assistant, before he took up a position as photographer with the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service, where he worked for eight years. In the early 1990s he began chasing his passion for capturing and sharing the natural world across Australia and the globe, leading photographic courses and tours to the World’s great wildlife and landscape destinations, producing stock images, selling fine art prints and undertaking wildlife, underwater and travel commissions for various clients.

Darren is the author of the book AUSTRALIA – reef, rainforest, red heart; a stunning visual journey transporting the reader through the continent’s deserts, forests and reefs. His images have appeared in many magazines and books, and he exhibits regularly around Australia, most recently with his show “far and wild” at The Wilderness Gallery in Tasmania.

In 2007 he received Canon/AIPP Australian Science, Environment and Nature Photographer of the Year award with a portfolio of underwater images, and he won the Threatened Species Category of the 2006 ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards.

Darren Jew’s photography can be found at his website, http://darrenjew.com.

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Ellen Quale (ornate_wrasse) started diving in 1998.  She had taken a resort course at a Club Med. When she was awarded the “Golden Fin” award for Diver of the Week, she took it as a sign that she should pursue diving. It wasn’t long after that, about a month, that she went to Cozumel and used a camera underwater for the first time.  It was an MX-5.  Soon after that, she bought a Nikonos V and she hasn’t looked back.  She bought her first digital camera a few years ago and used it for a year but never thought she would house it.  But an opportunity to buy a used Subal housing came up and she jumped on it.  She’s a big fan of Nikon cameras and Subal housings.  Over the past 10 years she’s had the opportunity to dive in numerous places around the world, including Indonesia, the Red Sea, Cozumel, several destinations in the Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii, Okinawa and California.  She also occasionally dives locally in the chilly waters of Puget Sound.  Underwater photography,  diving and spending time on Wetpixel take up much of her free time but she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

In her work life she is a Certified Public Accountant and advises her clients on how to save money on their taxes.  Since she used to work for the IRS, she’s pretty good at it :-)

View Ellen’s images at http://www.ellenquale.com/gallery/.

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Based in Brisbane, Australia, Ryan Pedlow has been shooting underwater for a number of years.  Although relatively new to the dSLR game, diving most weekends has given Ryan the chance to turn photography from a hobby to an obsession.

A regular diver at Byron Bay, Ryan can also be found in the water up and down Australia’s East Coast with his camera in hand, as well as at various places around Asia-Pacific.  With a background in marketing, he is about to embark on a sojourn to Cairns in tropical north Queensland to work on his photography for a few months.

A regular member of Wetpixel, Ryan has decided to give back to the community after all he has gained over the years.

Ryan’s photography can be found at http://ryanpedlow.smugmug.com.

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Giles Shaxted has been working in the diving industry since the age of 15. His passions took him to the Cayman Islands as an Instructor where he soon found himself working for Fisheye Photographic. Here he adapted underwater photography lessons from using film to compact digital back in 2000. Underwater photography has remained part of his personal life without being work any longer. Giles’ thoughts on diving and photography are that it should be fun, if it isn’t they why do it!

See more about Giles at http://giles.shaxted.co.uk/