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| From
left to right: Susan Dabritz, Masa
Ushioda, Bob Talbot, Carlos Eyles
and his wife Margaret. |
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Environmentalist photographer, Steve Drogin, along
with his wife, Hiro, recently held a dinner party
at their Kona home that was attended by a number
of well-known Hawaii-based people in the marine photography
business. SeaPics.com owner, Susan Dabritz, photographer,
Masa Ushioda, and photographer's liaison, Christine
Sheppard, were there to share their thoughts on the
photography industry and life on the Big Island,
Hawaii.
Steve Drogin’s home base is La Jolla, California,
but he has a lovely home in Kona which he visits
between yachting excursions around the world. Steve
is a fantastic photographer, and SeaPics.com has
over 300 of his images in its database. Steve’s
work has been featured in BBC productions, the
Discovery Channel, Disney's Living Seas, as well
as in countless books and dive magazines. He is
also an environmentalist and he gives lectures
on marine life and the environment around the world.
Besides this image of blue sharks, SeaPics.com
has many fantastic photos from Steve of manta rays,
Hawaiian monk seals, nudibranches, and more. To
see more of his amazing images, click here: Steve
Drogin photos
Steve was in town after a visit to Easter Island.
Before that, he had been in Costa Rica at Cocos
Island, where he has a submarine that can take
passengers to depths of 1,500 feet. Many of us
dream of having a nice boat to cruise the world,
but Steve has his own submarine, which puts him
in a different category of boat owner altogether.
His venture, Deep See, is a commercial operation,
so Steve doesn't really have unlimited use of the
submarine, but no doubt, he’s honed his knowledge
of the seas at depths few of us will ever reac
h. For those readers interested in going 457 meters
deep off the coast of Cocos Island, and who have
$2,500 to spare for a ticket, the Deep See excursion
is just the thing. Prices start at about US $600
for a 100-meter dive. Check out the Deep See website
for more details. The sub photo was taken by Steve's
friend, Mark Conlin, another SeaPics.com photographer
(see more of Mark Conlin’s photos).
While at Steve's dinner party, Sue and Masa had
the opportunity to meet Bob Talbot, another well-known
person in photography and film. Bob's a world-renowned
marine photographer and an award-winning film-maker.
His film credits include "Free Willy," "Flipper" (1996),
the Imax motion simulation film "Dolphins-the
Ride," and most recently, Imax's "Oceanmen-Extreme
Dive." For those who don't read film credits,
Bob Talbot is still a familiar name due to his
iconic images of marine life and seascapes that
have appeared in posters throughout the world.
Talking to Bob that night was fascinating for
all within earshot, as he's a true visionary in
future environmentalism, and he's committed himself
to ending mankind’s destructive treatment of the
planet. One of the reasons he's in Hawaii is because
he's shooting in the Northwest Hawaiian islands
for a film project on the health of the oceans.
According to Bob, this will be a kind of "Inconvenient
Truth" about the marine environment. The movie
will really be an event to look out for, as it
will bring the environmental movement. To learn
more about Bob and his activities, visit his website
at the Talbot Collection.
All the SeaPics.com staff and photographers had
a great time at the party, and they as well as
the SeaPics.com clients will be looking forward
to more exotic photos from Steve Drogin’s trips
around the world. |
