Underwater photography is, by its nature, a very individual endeavor. Even when diving with a friend, an assistant, or a model, I am still alone with my thoughts and ideas. Although I spend more time solo diving than diving with others, it is never entirely a solo project. There are many people on whom I've relied for assistance over the years, and this page is where I publicly acknowledge them and offer my thanks.
I would like to recognize the following people for helping me in my quest for quality images. This list is, of necessity, incomplete. I apologize for all those who've contributed their efforts to enable me to take my images and whom I've failed to mention. If I've not acknowledged you yet, check back; I will continue to expand this list as I have the time, not only as I encounter new and helpful souls, but as I gather the materials on all those who've been of assistance in the past. Thank you, all of you, for your contributions to my pursuit of imagery!
Thanks go to:
· My father, Marvin Lipman, for giving me my first camera, which fortunately was fully manual with a separate handheld light meter. This started me off in the right direction, learning about exposure, depth of field, etc.
· Very special thanks go to Ingrid Pruss, my wife, for challenging me to take more than just “good fish ID shots” and to strive to find my own artistic vision. Without her, I would have been content to chase fish forever, happy with anything in focus and properly exposed.
· Captain Terry Kennedy, owner and operator of the yacht Shalimar, for lending me a Nikonos V, a 35mm lens on a 1:2 extension tube, and an SB102 strobe, and then (literally) encouraging me to make my first solo night dive – in fact, my very first solo dive using a camera. It changed my life forever!
· Indiana Monteverdi, award winning travel journalist and editor, for appreciating and publishing more of my photographs than everyone else combined. Her support gave me credibility in the competitive world of underwater and travel photography.
· John Fiorda of Pacific Camera, in Costa Mesa, California, USA, for his expert and honest advice and service of my underwater camera gear, and most especially for protecting my gear from flooding with his Subalert line of pre-dive vacuum leak-detection devices.
· Mark Savoia of Connecticut Photographics for his willingness to stop and answer my unceasing questions regarding the magic of film chemistry, and for his meticulous E-6 and digital image processing.
· Peter Hearn, Charlie Weeks, Dave Hyde, and the staff of Pan Aqua Diving in Brookfield, Connecticut, USA, for consistently honest and accurate dive equipment advice and service, and for helping and encouraging me in my ongoing education as a diver.
· Brett Foster, Steve Johnson, and especially Ike himself of Ikelite for their expert and prompt service both customizing and repairing all my Ikelite underwater photo gear.
· Pat, Paul, and the staff at New England Divers, for maintaining my regulators in top shape and for providing me with ongoing educational opportinities with their technical diving calsses.
· Fred Dion and the staff at Underwater Phototech for their expert underwater photography equipment service.
· Bob Warkentin of Southern Nikonos for having the both the knowledge and the parts to keep my thirty-year old Nikkor 15mm lens running smoothly.
· Dive Instructor and videographer Roger Ellis and the staff of the Bayman Bay Club in Guanaja, Honduras, for their help and support during my two weeks’ stay there.
· The McCoy family of Sam McCoy’s Fishing and Diving Lodge on Little Cayman.
· Robert Lo and the staff of the Sipidan/Mabul Resort (SMART Divers) on Pulau Mabul, Borneo, Malaysia, for running a first-rate and photographer friendly dive resort.
· Norman Quinn, Ph.D., for inviting me to Papua New Guinea and for being the enthusiastic and knowledgeable person he is.
· Ruby Yamuna, for being an excellent guide, companion, dive model, and "off-sider" during my travels in Papua New Guinea.
· Dave, Steve, Mary, and everyone at Cape Ann Divers, for running a great New England dive operation, which I enjoy diving with as often as I can.
· Jeff Cowser and Cindy Allen for being my regular dive buddies and companions on those long days of New England diving -- three hours there and three hours back by car, not to mention all the boat time, and all for a few hours of bottom time.
· Captain Charlie Donilon for his professionalism and enthusiasm running shark dive trips on his boat Snappa out of Rhode Island.
· Stephanie Lutz, for assisting and modeling for me in Aruba.
· Divemaster Starry and the rest of the folks at Aquamarine Diving in Speyside, Tobago.
· Ricky of World of Watersports for his assistance far above the call of duty while I was in Tobago.
· Instructor Connie and the rest of the folks at Habitat Curacao. The dive operation there is first rate, and Connie is an excellent dive model.
· Tom and Laurie Gotterup, and the management and staff of the Little Cayman Beach Resort, for their assistance in my photographic ventures there. Tom runs a simply outstanding dive operation, and his wife, Laurie, is one of the best models I've ever worked with anywhere.
More to come, both from the past and from the future...