In The Zone

"February 20, 2009, marked the 107th anniversary of Ansel Adams birthday, 25 years after his passing.

A seminal American landscape photographer, Adams is best known for his emotive landscapes but was also influential in developing the Zone System and was a tireless activist for national parks and the Wilderness Act." -TimeFrames

It is a huge honor to have one of my images included in this video created by TimeFrames as a tribute to this world renowned photographer.

Photographers Working Towards Positive Change

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

Ben Edwards of Emote 360 and Kevin Kubota of Kubota Image Tools have teamed up for the most auspicious of reasons.


Rwanda - by Ben Edwards from Kevin Kubota on Vimeo.

Here is how you can help...
Kubota

Becoming Part of the UEV Team

Undersea Expeditionary Video Services, the underwater division of Valeo Films Inc., is an underwater production company that focuses on bringing the amazing underwater world into the homes of millions. From historic shipwrecks like those in Micronesia's Truk Lagoon and the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, to the sharks of Tiger Beach, they aim to educate the public on a wide variety of underwater themes.

David Ulloa, the president and owner of Valeo Films, shares our vision of educating people to the plight of our oceans and the creatures that live below the surface. He has a similar fascination with sharks, and through his own eyes has witnessed their decreasing abundance over the years he has been exploring the underwater world.

David launched Undersea Expeditionary Video Services in 2006. Through shows on such well known channels as the Military Channel, Science Channel and History Channel, to DVDs, and even interactive on-location presentations broadcast into classrooms, their reach is as wide as their topics.

With a primary goal of "helping open doors for a better understanding and appreciation of the earth's oceans", UEV couldn't be a better fit with the goals of A Cotton Photo, and as such, I am overjoyed to be joining David Ulloa and his Underwater Expeditionary Video Services team.

An Amazing Twist of Fate

It's not everyday you get the chance to meet one of the pioneers of an industry, let alone one that you hold so near and dear to your heart; but this is exactly what happened when I came across one of the most powerful images I have ever seen and just had to know the story behind it.

In the summer of 1981 world renowned underwater photographer Alberto Romeo, his wife Lucia and fellow teammates from Gruppo Ricercatori ed Operatori Subacquei (G.R.O. Sub. - an underwater association that defends and photographs marine wildlife-of which Alberto is the founder) had a chance encounter that would forever change their lives, as well as the life of one incredibly beautiful sperm whale. Alberto and his team found the whale entangled in the remnants of a drift net, one of the cruelest contraptions on the planet. What took place over the next six hours was the purest form of compassion there is. The amazing story and images from the entire encounter can be seen HERE.

After viewing one of the images from the encounter online I felt compelled to contact Alberto directly. He was incredibly kind and patient with my questions and pestering (although I am sure he would say it wasn't pestering). Impressed doesn't being to express how I feel; Not only about his body of work and accomplishments as an underwater photographer, but also his work as a marine life advocate. Alberto is an astonishingly humble and gracious man with an unquestionable connection to the ocean. It is a huge honor and thrill to call him a friend.

Alberto Romeo's WEBSITE

Kid Friendly Shark Conservation Site

I was quite pleased to come across a website where a large portion of the site is directed at educating children on shark conservation efforts and understanding.

Inemanya Oceanica a "non-profit organization, dedicated to the conservation of sharks, rays and their habitats." has pages full of interactive features which help kids learn all about sharks, the efforts to help save them and how kids can help even at their tender ages. The site offers games, activities, videos, pictures, tracking real sharks, adopting a shark, learning fun facts about sharks; it even offers kids the chance to become a "shark ambassador".

It certainly is worth sharing with any and all of the children in your life.

Dive Zero TV Cover

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for the image "Diver at Mast" in the "Wrecks Image" photo contest on The Dive Village. It took first place and is currently featured on the cover of the Dive Zero TV Guide February Edition.

Thank you Rob Lysak for the incredibly kind words of the feature inside the guide!! The Dive Village is a great site loaded with fun and useful information, make sure you stop by and check it out!

Image was taken at Truk Lagoon (Chuuk), Micronesia. Diver Jeff Schreiber.

UP Photo Contest Winner

UnderwaterPhotography.com announced their 2008/09 annual photography contest medal WINNERS yesterday and much to our surprise "Reach" won a silver medal in the Wide Angle-Divers category! I had such a great time shooting this image and am thrilled to see it take second place in such a competitive contest filled with endless talent from the underwater photography world.

I was elated to see both Jeff De Guzman and Mike Ellis, two very good friends and incredibly talented underwater photographers receive medals for their images in the Wide Angle-Marine Life and Marco-Super Macro/Macro-Non Swimming categories. Congratulations guys!!