Digging some monochrome vibes today.

While I’m normally a huge color nerd when it comes to photography, sometimes you can’t help but love that black and white feel.

Captured on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 with @nauticamhousings WACP-1 at f7.1, 1/200s, iso 500.

#hammerhead #hammerheadshark #blackandwhite #monochromephotography #sharks

This beautiful landscape could soon be destroyed…

Last week, as I stood under the dark skies of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, staring at the stars, I could not fathom how anyone would want to destroy this place. But sadly, the US government will soon vote to cancel its management plan and open it to mining and development.

The Grand Staircase serves as a living history book, safeguarding more of our planet’s history than any other place on Earth. It spans over 600 million years of geological history, contains thousands of fossil sites — including unique dinosaur fossils found nowhere else — and contains thousands of crucial archaeological sites spanning over 13,000 years of human history.

These landscapes are more than just beautiful scenery; they are sacred lands and the ancestral homelands of multiple native tribes. They are home to wildly biodiverse ecosystems that protect the vital habitats of many threatened or endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else on our planet.

The idea of all this being stripped away from future generations to line the pockets of corporations is heartbreaking. Get involved now and act before it’s too late. Visit @protectwildutah to find out how you can help safeguard this remarkable area.

Captured on the Sony Alpha 1 II and 16-35 GM paired with the MSM Nomad, Slik Tripod, and Hoya Sparkle filter.

#protectwildutah #milkyway #grandstaircaseescalante #milkywaychasers #nightscaper

Over the years I’ve shared the water with all sorts of creatures, but nothing quite compares to being face to face with a 14 foot crocodile.

There’s something remarkably interesting about interacting crocodiles. They don’t have the normal visual cues that give you an idea of what they’re thinking or feeling. Just dead pan stares from a highly adapted ambush predator whose ancestors once hunted dinosaurs. 🦕 Yet you feel this intelligence to them as if they’re the wise old dragons of fairytales.

#crocodile #underwaterphoto #crocodiles #underwater #sonyalpha

Turning another year younger tomorrow! 🎂 Stoked to kick off the birthday celebrations on an epic overlanding trip with the fam and chasing stars under the night sky. Let’s see what this year brings!

Captured on the Sony Alpha 1 and the @moveshootmove Nomad star tracker using a @hoyafilterusa Sparkle filter.

#milkyway #nightsky #overlanding #nightscape #starrysky

Have you been to Roca Partida?

Roca has long been one of my favorite dive sites. This tiny, remote island measures only 300ft long and 25-30ft wide. Yet it rises from thousands of feet below the surface - making it a hot spot for migrating pelagic life. I always wonder what the first explorers thought when they found Roca Partida. It’s just this tiny bit of rock jutting out of the surface over 400 miles away from the mainland and roughly 80 miles from even the nearest island. 😵‍💫

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1.

#mantaray #underwaterlife #rocapartida #underwaterphoto #oceanlife

There’s nothing quite like starting your day with a surprise visit from a few curious scalloped hammerheads…

#hammerhead #sharks #sharksofinstagram #hammerheadshark #sharkdiving

This week has been an interesting change of pace as a photographer. A few weeks ago, my beloved WACP, which has basically lived on my camera for years, had to be sent out to have the front element replaced after a cheeky tiger shark bit the glass. So I decided to use a lens I haven’t played with in years — Sony’s classic 16–35mm GM. I figured I’d get by with the OG lens and my trusty strobes.

However, Mother Nature had a different plan! All our dives were quite silty and milky, with almost no current to clear the particulates. So, I decided to use only natural light for the week since strobes would just highlight the particulates. It’s been awesome to get back to shooting purely natural light. I feel like natural light shots underwater have this unique hyperreal feeling to them. Plus, it takes one step out of the equation, so you can have a little more time to just play with composition and the feeling of the shots.

Which do you like more? Do you prefer strobes or natural light shots?

Shot on the Sony Alpha 1 at f13, 1/250s, iso 500 using only natural light.

#tigershark #underwaterphoto #sharks #uwphotography #sonyalpha

The critically endangered great hammerhead. Every time I`m in the water with these incredible creatures, I`m still amazed by them. They`re almost extraterrestrial in appearance, yet one of the most highly evolved predators on the planet.

Their massive hammer-shaped head, or cephalofoil, serves as a giant radar system, detecting even the faintest signals from prey hiding in the sand. It also grants them an impressive nearly 360-degree vision as they navigate the ocean. Hammerheads initially sparked my fascination with the ocean as a child and remain one of my top favorite creatures. What`s your favorite ocean animal?

Captured on the Sony Alpha 1 and 16-35mm GM using natural light.

#hammerhead #greathammerhead #shark #bimini #sonyalphapro

Did you know some sharks share an interesting trait with sea turtles? 🐢 🦈 After over a decade, these sharks will surprisingly return to the exact mangrove where they were born to give birth to their own pups.

Sadly, research conducted in Bimini has shown that the destruction of local mangroves—driven by resort development—has led to a 23% decline in the survival rate of young shark pups. Young sharks, like this adorable lemon pup, depend on mangroves for protection until they grow big enough to venture into the open ocean. Protecting these mangroves is essential for the survival of sharks.

Captured on the Sony Alpha 1 at f9, 1/400, ISO 100, using a Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM lens.

#mangrove #sharks #lemonsharks #bahamas #sharkconservation

Kicking off our first day back in Bimini with our fam at Shark Lab! One of my favorite parts of leading these trips is getting to see all the young shark pups and juveniles that live in Bimini’s lush mangroves. This tiny lemon shark was only about 2.5 feet (76 cm) long and will spend her first 8 years happily exploring the shallow mangrove waters, safely away from bigger predators.

Lemon sharks grow quite slowly—about 5 inches (12 cm) each year—making the mangroves here absolutely vital for their growth and survival. It’s just one of the many reasons why protecting Bimini’s mangroves is so important.

Be sure to follow @biminisharklab and @save_bimini to discover more about how you can help preserve this incredible ecosystem and all the adorable tiny shark pups that call it home.

Shot on the Sony Alpha 1 at f9, 1/400s, iso 100 using the Sony 16-35 mm GM

#lemonshark #sharkpup #savesharks #sharks #sonyalpha