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Hi Folks- I'm looking for a photo instructor in January that will actually do "underwater" work with me. I've taken great lessons from someone but they were exclusively on dry land. I'm heading off to Cuba in February, and I'd really like to have practical instruction in wide angle shooting. I've looked at Reef Photo, and there's nothing that's worked for me. I've asked them if they could recommend someone who might do private lessons but they couldn't recommend anyone. So anyone have any contacts? I shoot Canon 7D, but I don't really care if the instructor doesn't. It's more strobe positioning and whatnot. I know this stuff theoretically and have studied Alex Mustard's book inside and out, but nothing beats some hands-on instruction. Thanks!

Bought a Aquatic housing from a set photographer who had been using it as a sound muffle. He had a large flat port on it. I need to get a dome port for a 10-17 Tonkina Nikon D7000 that will work. Not sure if I need port extentions. Also need the handle setup so it can take Ikelite arms and strobes. I was wired for them. I mostly will do cave diving so not sure if Glass is the right kind of dome since scratches cannot be fixed. I don't have micro lens but guessing this one is the size of a 105 but not positive. I am in the USA. I have used a 8 inch port before on a D200 setup.

Went back to FL again this year with a LDS to do some shark diving in Florida. The conditions were not the best. A couple of days the water was green and had an east current. Had to make the best of the situation. Here are pics from the trip. I hope you enjoy: All were shot with a Canon 5DM3 in an Aquatica housing with 2 Ikelite 161 strobes. For this trip, I used a Canon 8-15mm Fisheye lens. More pics can be found here at: http://www.seansydnorphotography.com/p948662645

Calling all Underwater Photographers! If you live in Southwest Florida, (Naples, Marco, Ft. Myers, Cape Coral, Punta Gorda...), and you're into underwater photo, we've got a BRAND NEW UW photo club at the Scubavice location in Ft. Myers! This is YOUR club, we'll have tons of trip reports, group dives, underwater camera help, and everything else in between. We have members with all levels of camera experience, from point and shoot to pro. Club meets the first Wednesday of every month.....Come to the meeting next Wed., April 6th at 6:00 to get in the pool with your gear and practice lighting setups, buoyancy, and learn some tips and tricks of the trade. Bring your camera set-up and dive gear and share your experiences with others. For more info, contact Cheryl Black at sharkgal123@earthlink.net.

Last year I spent 10 days in Crystal River, Florida swimming and snorkeling with the manatees. It was a great experience and one I have wanted to do for a number of years, but Florida is so far from my part of the world that I just never was able to do it before. It's also pretty confusing from a distance to understand what is actually required to swim with and photograph the manatees... There seemed to be a lot of rules, but exactly how they apply to underwater photographers was not clear till I got some great help from Bill Oestreich and Marty Senetra at Birds Underwater and Gregory Sweeney - who freely offered advice despite the fact that my dates could not work with his guided trips. It looks like (for once in my life...) my timing was superb as I had a great time and had some real quality moments with these wonderful creatures, plus I was able to understand a lot more about them and their overall, somewhat troubled, relationship with the terrestrial residents of Crystal River - a very interesting situation! My timing was good because access to the manatees is changing and some of the new rules were being put in to place when I went back to the Crystal River in January after a shark trip to the Bahamas. I have written a pretty comprehensive location seven-page guide to Crystal River and the Florida manatees on my site to help others who are interested in experiencing these interesting and photogenic animals. Just follow the links at the bottom of each page or click on the relevant page you are interested in on the sidebar. I also had a 18-page article on the Manatees of the Crystal River published in Anima Mundi magazine, with my favorite photograph from the trip getting the front cover! I will update my site when the ramifications of the proposed changes at the Crystal River go in to place. Don

I will travel to Florida in January to shoot the Manatees at Crystal River and have some questions: 1. How cold is the water? I have a 2mm wetsuit and a 7mm wetsuit. Which would you recommend? 2. Is it allowed to wear fins there? I read contradictory statements about this. 3. Which tour operator would you recommend (my preference are very small groups and lots of time for photography)? 4. How many days would you spend at Crystal River (up to 5 days would be possible)? 5. Should I bring a flash or is ambient light sufficient (I will be shooting with a 15mm FE on a D800)? 6. Can you recommend a cheap hotel close to the Crystal River? 7. Do you have any additional hints or advice for me? Thanks! Boris

Here's a link on Sony.com about their brand new smartphone the Xperia Z1s & its adventure to meet the manatees! I must say the image quality is quite good right out of the camera phone & I had it submerged for hours & hours with no problems (it was warm and slow for seeing manatees but the Xperia patiently waited, clipped to me while I snorkeled about). I believe Eric wanted to do more of an article on this but possibly the timing was off. Sony did link to WetPixel though: http://blogs.sonymobile.com/2014/02/13/gallery-xperia-z1s-meets-the-florida-manatee/

Hello All! It's been ages since I've posted here and nice to be back! I thought you all might like this post about DEMA 2013. My take on DEMA includes photos of historical diver, Bernie Campoli, Dr. Sylvia Earl, and more... Speaking Manatee - DEMA 2013 Best, Carol Grant

Hi everyone, good to meet you! I live in Key Largo and have the amazing opportunity to shoot tons of photos on some of the most beautiful reefs in America. Currently I've got a Cannon G12 with an Ikelite DS160, an Ikelite housing, and the WD-4 Dome Port. One day I'll have a big boy camera like a 70D and can move on from the compacts. I'm up for feedback and really want to progress and get better as a photographer both above and below the surface of the water.

Nauticam Spree Demo Days are back for 2013!!!! A Big Boat. A Ton of Nauticam Photo Gear. A National Park.A 19th Century Fort. (With a Moat) Join us this summer for a 5 day trip to the Dry Tortugas aboard the Mighty Vessel Spree. The trip includes 4 days of diving in the Dry Tortugas Ecological Preserve, the Fort Jefferson National Park, and on the USNS Vandenberg. We’ll have plenty of Nauticam demo gear on hand to try at no extra cost, daily presentations, a nightly photo presentation, and an opportunity to show off your images. Whether you are well versed in all things underwater photo and want to try the latest Nauticam gear, or are a novice interested in getting started, this trip is for you. No passport is required! The Dry Tortugas are a remote collection of tiny islands about 70 miles west of Key West Florida. One of the islands is home to Fort Jefferson, which besides being the largest masonry structure in the western hemisphere, has a unique history and is quite photogenic. Oh, and the fort has a moat - how cool is that? The fort, along with the area around the islands, is part of the Dry Tortugas National Park. North of the park, where much of the best diving is located, is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. We'll have all of the latest models of housings (like Nikon D7100, Canon 6D, Olympus OM-D E-M5, Panasonic GH3 and more) - rigged and ready to dive, plus viewfinders, arms/clamps/trays, our DP4 external monitor, flash triggers, and all of the other latest gadgets and parts available to try out. There is no extra charge for demo gear - your only costs are getting to Key West and the liveaboard fare. The details? We board the boat the evening of July 30th... July 31-Aug 3rd are the dive days. Plan on going out in Key West to check out the sunset on Mallory Square and the craziness on Duval Street the evening of the 3rd. You are welcome to stay on the boat on the last night, disembarking at 9am on Aug 4th. The price is $1725, and includes diving, tanks, weights, nitrox... and meals, snacks, beer, wine (that's right - free beer!). The boat holds 24 passengers but we limit it to 18 to allow a little extra space for all of our gear. The fort has to be seen - it's an amazing structure - and it has a moat! For those who'd rather stay in the water than walk around a dusty old fort, we have you covered. We'll do an over/under session, taking advantage of the beautiful scenery at the fort coupled with the amazing blue water. Laptop: Yes, bring your laptop. The Spree is laptop friendly and you’ll want it to process some images. Cell Phone: There’s no cell service in the Dry Tortugas, so plan on shutting it off. The Spree has a satellite phone that is available if needed for an emergency. Diving: Diving will be conducted in the Dry Tortugas Northern Ecological Reserve, The Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Key National Marine Sanctuary and the USNS Vandenberg, conditions permitting. Typical dives will be 50-70 feet, some more shallow, some deeper. We have one wreck in 20 feet of water that is amzingly photogeneic hen conditions are good. We’ll be trying to optimize the diving around good sites for photography. On a couple of the more shallow dive sites, we've made arrangements with the Spree for open deck diving for 1/2 day. This means you'll be able to dive longer and really take your time on some of these great sites. Dry Tortugas has a nice mix of reef scenery, some large animals including the namesake turtles, tarpon, sharks, and grouper including Goliath Grouper. With a very healthy gorgonian and hard coral population, the macro opportunities are abundant. Night diving will be available as well which can bring out another cast of macro subjects. Join us for this unique opportunity to dive with fellow photographers and try out the latest and greatest nauticam gear. More info about Nauticam: http://NauticamUSA.com More info about the Spree: http://SpreeExpeditions.com To Book: Spree Booking Page for Nauticam Demo Trip 2013 Other questions: innovation@nauticamusa.com

Hello diving photogs. Just a heads up that the 100ft dive liveaboard "Ultimate Getaway" is running a special trip Sept 5 - 8, 2013 to dive some great SW FL offshore wrecks known to harbor schools of Goliath Grouper. These dates are right at the peak of expected aggregation maximum (new moon of Sept.) I was on this boat in early Oct of 2010 with David Doubilet shooting Goliath images & video on the Baja California wreck for 2 days. We saw dozens of clustered goliath eventhough peak aggregation was well over by then. That trip inspired me to work with Ultimate Getaway to plan a dedicated trip targeted to finding goliath schools on SW FL wrecks. Here is the link to details on the trip we came up with: 2013 Ultimate Getaway Goliath & Wreck Photo Trip Regards, Brian D.