When you look up to see two of your favorite things: light rays bursting through the ocean surface and one of your fav sharks just casually gliding through them right over your head. Who knows which species of shark it is?

This was one of those shots where you’re ripping to change exposure settings super fast to try to capture the moment. It was just after dawn with very little natural light, so if I pointed the camera straight up to the surface the shot would have been completely burned out. Instead, as I quickly moved the camera into position to capture the moment I was spinning my aperture and shutter dials on the housing so fast that there was probably smoke coming out of them. 💨 Haha

This one of the reasons I honestly love using Nauticam housings, the ergonomics & placement of the controls allow me to rapidly change settings so that I can capture quick unexpected moments like this one.

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in a @nauticamhousings using the WACP-1 and only natural light at f29, 1/250s, iso 640 (not the most ideal settings, but when you only have a few milliseconds to change exposure to capture it, you gotta do what you can 😅)

#shark #scubadiving #sharkdiving #threshershark #ocean

Celebrating another lap around the sun this morning by exploring California’s badlands. Stated the day off with awesome pastel sunrise at this beautiful spot, then after some hiking, I ventured into a small nearby town for some delicious blueberry pancakes. Because, really, what’s a birthday without pancakes?

Feeling a bit nostalgic today and deeply grateful for the incredible years I’ve experienced on this planet. But also stoked to see what the next year brings.

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using a 24-70 GM II lens and @sliktripods at f11, 1/50s, ISO 100.

#sunrise #anzaborrego #birthdayadventures #visitcalifornia #badlands

During our recent trip to Socorro, we witnessed six of these graceful giants circling each other in what felt like a choreographed dance. Watching them move in unison, back-rolling and spiraling around one another, was breathtakingly beautiful. Experiences like this are just one more reason why the Revillagigedo Archipelago has held the top spot as my favorite dive destination since my first visit 9 years ago.

Captured on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using their 28-60mm f4 with @nauticamhousings WACP-1 utilizing natural light at f7.1, 1/200s, iso 320.

#mantaray #manta #mantarays #socorro #mexico #scubadiving #uwphotography

Ready for the tiniest of Christmas presents? This Santa Claus Pygmy Seahorse is a special color morph of the Denise pygmy found in Raja Ampat — and one of the smallest of all sea horse species. This little ninja was less than a half inch (1.5cm) long. Interestingly these Pygmy seahorses aren’t born with their unique colors. Instead they will grow to match the coral they decide to call home.🎅 Merry Christmas and happy holidays fam!

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using the Sony 90mm Macro lens with a @nauticamhousings SMC-1 and @seaandseaimaging YS D3 Lightning MK II strobes

#seahorse #pygmyseahorse #christmas #santaclausseahorse #santaclaus #macrophotography #uwphotography #rajaampat #indonesia

Yesterday morning was mind blowing…

I woke up at 4am to head out in search of the elusive thresher shark. As the sun was just breaking the horizon we donned our two Sidemount tanks and hit the water. I’ve done thresher dives a few times over the years, but yesterday was unlike any thing I’ve seen before. Even our guide Armin was blown away by the action and said it was the best he’s ever seen it. For 2.5 hours there was not a single minute that we didn’t have thresher sharks around us. At some points we had upwards of 6 threshers curiously circling around and checking us out between breaks at their cleaning stations. It easily ranked as one of my top 10 dives of all time. 🤯

Shooting threshers can be a difficult task due to a combination of diving in low light conditions just after dawn and not being allowed to utilize strobes or video lights to help protect these very special sharks.

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in a @nauticamhousings using natural light and custom white balance at f8, 1/250s, iso 640. Massive thanks to the awesome team at @evolutiondivingmalapascua for an amazing few days on the water.

#threshershark #thresher #shark #savesharks #sharklover #uwphoto #sharkdiving #bealpha #sonyalpha #lovephilippines #malapascua

What would you like to learn about photographing sharks? 🤔 🦈 Sharks are one of my favorite animals to photograph. Today I’m working on a new shark photography presentation for the upcoming @diveninjas Red Sea trip. But thinking maybe I should also add it as an article to my blog after the trip!

Shot in the Bahamas for @paditv @gopro and @aggressorliveaboards on the Sony Alpha 1 using Nauticam’s WACP-1 and @backscattervideophoto ‘s new Hybrid Flash.
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#reefshark #shark #sharkdiving #sharklover #sharkphotography #uwphoto #bahamaslife #sonyalpha

One of the hardest underwater shoots I’ve ever done was probably trying to capture florida manatees at dawn in near zero viz water. This was taken during the 2021 Unusual Mortality Event where 1100 manatees, more than 10% of their population, died in just one year. Learning about what was happening to them and how most of it was human influenced made me put a ton of pressure on myself to try to capture the best shots I could no matter how horrible the conditions because I really wanted to show the world what was going on with these incredibly gentle & curious creatures. It was a beautiful experience to finally share the water with them but also incredibly heartbreaking knowing many were starving to death and being wiped out from human activities.

Shot on the the @sonyalpha a7R IV using a @sigmaphoto 15mm fisheye lens in @nauticamhousings
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#manatee #florida #floridasprings #uwphotography #sunray #sunrise #savethemanatees #underwater #wildlifeconservation #manatees #uwphoto

Never in my life would I ever have expected to capture the aurora lighting up the sky in the red rock deserts of Utah.

When I heard there was a chance to catch the aurora so far south I quickly drove to Arches National Park hoping that being high up on the plateau combined with it being a certified Dark Sky park would give the best chances to capture the aurora. And wow… soon as I stepped out of the jeep I could see the sky glowing red and pink. It was an insanely beautiful night that I still can’t believe was real. Have you seen the aurora before?

Captured on the Sony Alpha 1 using their 20mm f1.8 G lens with a Hoya Sparkle filter at f1/8, 2s, iso 1600
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#auroraborealis #archesnationalpark #visitutah #utah #aurora #northernlights #arches #darkskypark #nightscaper #nightscapes #nightsky #moab #nightphotography #redrocks #sandstone #nightskychasers

Which is your favorite to watch - sunrise or sunset?

Personally I love sunsets. There’s something special about watching the sky ignite after the sun has already sunk behind the horizon. And then seeing twilight slowly wash all the color away into the night as the stars seemingly become visible one by one.

Captured on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 with a 24-70mm GM II lens at 24mm, f11, 0.6s, ISO 100 using a Slik Tripod and Hoya EVO polarizer filter.

#sunset #canmore #albertacanada #bubblegumclouds #sunsetlovers #skyporn #adventuretravel #hikingadventures #sunsetphotography #visitalberta #visitcanada

Yesterday it dawned on me that my 5 month adventure living away from the ocean is quickly coming to an end. In just a few short weeks I’ll be back to work in the ocean with upcoming projects in the Red Sea, Raja Ampat, and Mexico. As stoked as I am to get back into the water and see all of my finned friends and teach more humans about the beauty that lies beneath the waves, I also realized how much I’m going to actually miss the wild landscapes of the high desert and mountain regions I’ve been wandering through these past months. But more importantly I will miss that feeling of freedom to be on my own time and schedule to chase whatever ideas my heart desired in that moment.

The feeling of living wild I think is something that’s always drawn me to photographing marine megafauna and large predators like this great white shark. Daydreaming what my life might feel like without every minute of the day planned, schedules to keep, work to complete, or endless to-do lists to finish.

Shot on the @sonyalpha A7RIV in a @nauticamhousings at f7.1, 1/320s, iso 640 at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.
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#greatwhiteshark #wildandfree #shark #sharklover #sonyalpha #mexico #guadalupeisland #greatwhite #todaysthought #animalportrait #underwater #sharkdiving #uwphotography