Many people don’t realise how much diversity there is in the underwater world around Sydney beaches. I spent a lot of time in the water in 2011 photographing the various creatures we can find in our own back yard. Cuttlefish, Octopus, Sea Horses, Weedy Sea Dragons, Nudibranchs, Shrimp, Moray Eels, Port Jackson sharks and Wobbygong sharks to name just a few. I seriously recommend any underwater photographer taking the time to explore what Sydney has to offer.

I recently was approached by an artist, Patrick LaMontagne, who creates unique cartoon characters of various wildlife and has put together a collection of these wildlife cartoon totems. He asked permission to use a particular Humpback calf photo I took in Tonga last year and explained what he was trying to achieve. I didn’t know what the end result would be but the piece is very engaging.  It is always flattering when someone is inspired by your work and as you can see below the results are truly amazing. Patrick is a very talented artist and I look forward to seeing more of his work. For anyone interested in his collection you can visit his site at http://www.cartoonink.com/

Just found out that I won third prize in the Epson World Shootout Underwater Grand Prix for 2011 for the wide angle category. There were some great entries for this event and I feel privileged to be awarded along side some amazing photographers. you can checkout some of the photos at the World Shoot out website. The shot below was taken in swallows cave in Vava’u Tonga and no matter how many times I come back to Tonga this is always a favourite spot for taking photos. and special thanks to my model Rebecca Hayter for patiently holding her breath so I could capture the light and colour.

As many of you know I am a keen advocate for the preservation of whales and spend half my life in the water photographing these amazing creatures. It was privilege to meet the Captain and Founder of Sea Shepherd last night as the conservation group try and raise enough money to fuel their campaign to Antarctica to stop the Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean in Australian and New Zealand Antarctic territory. Hope this is the year they end whaling.