This morning I found some leftover NW swell in the water just south of Santa Barbara. Super clean and completely empty except for a few dolphins who scored it all to themselves. I only managed 15 minutes of shooting time since the morning rush hour was in full effect and I had to navigate back to downtown Santa Barbara for class. Always a pleasure to see empty perfection regardless of the size. Hopefully this winter picks up sooner rather than later.
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Catalina Underwater
During the In-Water Photography course last semester Ralph Clevenger took our class on a 5-day boat trip to dive at Catalina Island. This was easily the best class I have taken so far at Brooks Institute, although my current semester is shaping up to be all-time. Heres a few shots of the underwater landscape found just off shore at Catalina. Max and I explored the underwater kelp forests top to bottom for the better part of a week. Underwater caves, sharks and sea lions were all experienced first hand during our dives out on Catalina, which is one of the most stunning underwater worlds I've ever had the opportunity to see.
The Mask
Here are a few shots I took of an Atomic Aquatics dive mask geared more towards the commercial realm of underwater photography. I shot the self portrait off Catalina Island while the other two were done in a pool in Santa Barbara, CA. My buddy Chris Laughter helped by modeling for me in the pool. Its amazing what you can do when lighting subjects underwater.
