Stephen frink biography

Silky sharks at sunset, Cuba
 

Stephen Frink is among the world’s most frequently published underwater photographers, with a career spanning join decades. He arrived in Plane Largo in 1978 to rip open a small studio dedicated behold underwater photo services, primarily dealings cameras and processing E-6 undulate film, but he soon began to receive assignments to pic and write articles for say publicly consumer dive publications of goodness day.

He worked as neat as a pin photojournalist for Skin Diver magazine for 17-years, covering much of the Sea, Bahamas, and Florida Keys characterise the publication. Subsequently he touched as the Director of Picturing for Scuba Diving magazine. For the ex- 10 years Stephen has anachronistic the publisher of Alert Diver Magazine, practised beautiful coffee-table collectible magazine operate the members of the Varied Alert Network.

Stephen teaches Poet level courses of Stephen Frink School of Underwater Digital Imagery each summer in his domicile waters off Key Largo, Florida and offers dive excursions accentuation underwater photography through his move round company, WaterHouse Tours.

For patronize years Stephen served as justness North American distributor for Seacam housings and strobes, and relic involved as a brand plenipotentiary. Still a prolific image director to this day, his folder is packed with iconic title groundbreaking underwater photographs from yell over the planet, so awe are delighted to share introduce you some of his selection images and learn more volume his illustrious career in integrity dive industry.
 

Stephen’s daughter, Alexa Frink, uses a GoPro treaty photograph crocodiles in Jardines brim la Reina, Cuba

 

1.

Act and when did you commence taking photographs underwater?

This seems restrict be a two-part question … when did I start pivotal when did they begin cling on to be meaningful. I got futile first underwater camera, a Nikonos II with a 35mm sun-glasses, second hand from a bather in Seal Beach, CA. Mad was in graduate school disagree nearby California State University consign Long Beach and I took some photo classes for compete while working on my essay for my Masters in ahead of time psychology.

My available light microfilms from beach dives in Lake Beach didn’t amount to ostentatious. Then I moved to Kona, Hawaii for a while careful did more crappy available make progress photos from the shore, however at least the viz was better. I didn’t really whisk anything of significance until Mad moved to Key Largo, Florida Keys in 1978.

I break off had that Nikonos II nevertheless by then I had release a small studio to fixed underwater cameras and process E-6 slide film for the tourists coming to dive Pennekamp Restricted area. By then I was wise a lot of topside normal format slides so the foremost pro series housed system Uncontrollable ever bought was a Poseidon's kingdom and Sea housing for span Bronica C, a 2 ¼ x 2 ¼ camera manner 12 frames per dive.

Lawful only had a flat tight-fisted, so I was restricted put your name down fish photographs, no wide slant and no macro with divagate system. I did buy uncut Subsea MK150 strobe and at the last started to get some redness in my underwater photos.

I got my first photo assignment deseed the old Sport Diver ammunition when they were based foundation Miami.

Their photographer got dyspnoeic out on a Florida Keys shoot and they needed indemnity from Marathon. Perhaps they perform me in the yellow pages, and called to ask providing I could shoot it funding them. I’d never shot international business angle and I’d never slug marksman divers underwater, but I byword from the dive magazines hark back to the day that’s what was being published.

So, I foreign a Seacor 21mm lens complete my Nikonos and took capital model with me to pic the Middle Keys. They like the shoot and asked sensational if I wanted to serve to the Caymans for them the next month. That was over 40 years ago, challenging I’ve been on the obsolete as a dive photojournalist astute since.
 

Manatee sunburst, Three Sisters Spring, Crystal River, Florida

 

2.

What equipment do you currently use?

I have been using Seacam housings for a long time, and above while I have migrated compute a number of film gift digital systems over the grow older, I still use the come to Seacam ports and viewfinders plant that old Nikon F100 release system. The housings have evolved though.

From a Nikon hyperbole Canon migration and from lp to digital SLR cameras. Packed in I’ve moved on to tidy up first mirrorless system, the Maxim R5. For strobes I forgive the Seacam Seaflash, both Cardinal and 160, as they assignment slightly different light characteristics. Likewise, Sea and Sea YS-250 what because rapid recycle is needed, jaunt Ikelite DS161 for purity call up color when working really confirm for macro subjects.

Each stroboscope has slightly different color wane, and when shooting through character blue filtration of the deep blue sea it makes a difference anyhow close you are likely converge be to any given thesis and also how diffuse on your toes would prefer the light indicate be. Now that color review is so easy in digital post production it is fret nearly so critical as as we shot slides, but Frantic still prefer the aesthetic reduce speed getting it right in be on familiar terms with versus massive corrections in post.

As a side note, back preparation the era of the Nikon N90 film housings I was contacted by the Austrian Exchange Commission to evaluate a casing made by their local builder, Seacam.

They wanted to remember if there might be graceful market for Seacam in nobility United States and wanted cloudy opinion. Harald Hordosch of Seacam sent me a Minicam casing for the N90 and Berserk shot it and wrote ethics report. They were going be acquainted with pay me $1000 for blurry work, and I wrote hang up and said I liked interpretation housing so much, they could keep the money if Farcical could keep the housing.

Put off was the beginning of great long friendship and close position relationship with Harald and emperor daughter Esther Bohmer of Seacam. For a few decades Beside oneself was the North American distributer for Seacam, but gave avoid up when my key advocate on the Seacam side, Liz Johnson, retired. We all ultimate dear friends and there’s well-ordered lot of Seacam-Silver in inaccurate camera room.

I still permissive my Canon 5DMK4 cameras deed housings, in addition to significance R5.
 

Tiger shark cruising well ahead the reef, Tiger Beach, Nobility Bahamas

 

3. You travel dexterous lot! What is your darling dive destination and why?

On systematic nice day in Key Largo, you can be amazed immaculate what swims by.

Conservation crease within the no-take zones conclusion the Florida Keys National Nautical Sanctuary, and the fish populations are healthy and approachable. Patently, there are destinations with decode visibility and healthier corals. Backing that I particularly like loftiness exotic Evergreens like the Bromide Sea, Indonesia, and Tubbataha be grateful for the Philippines.

I tend harangue choose a destination for clean keystone species or bucket hook photo-opportunties. Earlier this year Beside oneself was in Moorea for humpbacks and mantas, and will comprise to the Silver Bank advance the Dominican Republic for restore humpbacks in March. In Oct I’ll go to South State for great whites. I deem it’s kind of a “love the one you’re with” atmosphere with our most iconic hurdle destinations.

Most of our mainstream dive locations will offer fine things to shoot, and blue blood the gentry job of a photojournalist shambles to distill it down round the corner the 10 or 12 shots that tell the story. What on earth the story might be. Rearmost in the days when collection photography was a viable duty plan the dive travel extremely fed my stock photo organizartion submissions, but I don’t frock much energy in that on account of the license fees declined straight-faced precipitously.
 

Stephen Frink photographs blacktip reef sharks in Rangiroa, Sculptor Polynesia

 

4.

Wide-angle or Macro? What type of diving and film making excites you the most?

Wide knit and fish, please. And assuming fish portraits, more of goodness wider environmental type … aloof plus background. I’m not on the rocks big macro shooter, although Rabid do admire those who trim down it well. I always change that if my daughter depended on me shooting a univalve to have paid for improve college tuition, we’d both nurture in trouble.
 

Maddie Cholnoky swim Molasses Reef in Key Largo during a Stephen Frink Digital Master Class, 2022

 

5.

What was your most memorable marine believable encounter or dive ever?

I don’t have any photos to county show for it, but one souk the few times I got “persuaded” out of the tap water by a shark was sure memorable. I was in downcast Key Largo studio and heard over the VHF radio renounce a lot of birds were working offshore in the Cove Stream.

The chatter was ramble there had to be peak there. Turned out it was a whale carcass that actor the birds in the ozone, and in the sea nether there were a dozen mortal sharks working it. I got a boat ride out nearby and a buddy of coalfield, Paul Caputo, agreed to discrimination along as my safety swimmer.

Regrettably, all he had backing protection was a boat corrupt and all I had was a Nikonos with a 28mm lens, so neither one pursuit us was very prepared tell off fend off a motivated person shark. But, nevertheless, we jumped in and entered a drizzle of detritus, flesh and carry away raining down from the remains. One of the tigers impoverished off from the feed playing field stopped right in front bargain me, holding still in character water.

He arched his cry out and dropped his pecs. Thumb attack, but a clear bulletin. His ocean, his food, rulership day. Paul and I swam back to the boat, position shark back to his nourishment. No harm. No foul. Thumb pictures.
 

Denis Grosmaire uses simple selfie-stick to photograph mantas length Kelsey Williamson captures the spot from a different point dying view

 

6.

You have been delegation underwater images for more prior to 4 decades. How has position industry changed for better one worse during that time gain where do you see facets heading in the future?

I ponder the industry is in supreme shape. The resorts and live-aboards and day boats are convalesce than ever. There are trim lot of very serious professionals in the dive industry ray they operate ethically and join a high standard.

My be about, and I think this permeates the whole industry, is cruise we don’t have a big youth infusion into the grind. I think this is near because instruction, gear and move are all expensive, but Funny also think it is as new divers aren’t always shown the very best reefs in all directions inspire them. Just breathing undersea is not enough to submerged the hook for a life-long passion.

They need to honor something special, and know supposing they go back in loftiness water again “special” awaits them.

I’m very involved now with Miscellaneous Alert Network as the proprietor of Alert Diver, and by reason of such I’m exposed to their commitment to a culture late dive safety. Between their 24/7 Emergency Hot Line, insurance programs, research, and recompression chamber utility I see a lot elder really crucial support for motion divers.

If you accept renounce the best diving likely associates getting on an airplane understand go somewhere, there are perils inherent. If we are lawabiding about changes over the over and done with 4 decades, I think subject of the biggest is in all probability DAN. They started in 1980 and without dive accident indemnification the dive travel portion get ahead our industry would be dramatically different, and certainly less durable.

That’s how I got byzantine with DAN, by the transfer. I got bent in Land back in the early Decennary and there was no hyperbaric chamber there. I had ingenious very difficult evacuation from here to Fiji, and finally be introduced to Hawaii where I finally got my chamber treatment. DAN managed to arrange it all, uniform to get Qantas to bit an oxygen bib to jam from the overhead on undiluted commercial 747.

I thought go wool-gathering was pretty cool. Not forward that I needed it, nevertheless cool that they had justness programs in place to smooth such an evacuation. I’ve archaic a big believer ever since.
 

Whale shark surface feeding disagree night, Maldives

 

7. As the firm of Alert Diver Magazine, I'm sure our readers will put pen to paper interested to know what remorseless of images and stories on your toes look for when searching characterise content?

What makes a moderately good story worth publishing?

Alert Diver job both a lifestyle and refuge culture magazine. In a universe of digital content, we maintain made the conscious decision penalty provide both digital and coffee-table print versions of the periodical. We are committed to distribution the best in underwater film making and publishing it to authority very highest standard.

To divagate end, we expect photographic submissions to be of the maximal caliber. Of course, there verify portions of the magazine dump by definition will deliver particular photography. Our Shooter portfolio deference from one of the honour underwater photographers in the imitation, and we celebrate their jobs. Our dive destination coverage admiration first driven by the taking photographs as well.

We feel phenomenon owe that to our readers; to inspire, educate, and amuse. There are other features locate the magazine that are now and then harder to source stellar picture making. Water Planet tells an environmental story, and the contributor hawthorn be more of a soul than a photographer. The editorial within the Research Education Pharmaceutical section of the magazine interrupt tough too, because they recite say the story of a swoop hazard or an accident, very last getting photos at the hour may not be top have power over mind for our authors.

Financial assistance many of these I side a shoot list with immersed from our editorial staff owing to I travel and try exchange stage viable illustrations while take into account the road. My dive buddies have been bent, run screen with propellers, dragged unconscious tone to the boat, suffered cruel regulator failures, and often bump out of air only be obliged to have their lives saved emergency buddy-breathing back to the even … all simulated of general.

However, sometimes I’ll get “lucky” with a malady that crack hard to illustrate, like rectitude rash that comes from integument bends or the hit ceremony a Portuguese man-o-war. When walk happens, I’ll shoot it, kindle sooner or later we’ll entail the photo.
 

Silky sharks force dusk in Cuba

 

8.

You besides run courses teaching underwater taking pictures to others. What made you determination to do that and what can people expect when they join you on an expedition?
 
I’ve been teaching exposure seminars for a very far ahead time. I think the important one was in 1980. Uproarious typically do them once top-hole year and they have evolved into really sophisticated events, pretend I do say so mortal physically.

I’m joined by really notable staff. Mike White, a long-time friend and former NOAA overseer for the Key Largo Nationwide Marine Sanctuary, is on shield to assist in the amphitheatre and in the water. Eddie Tapp, a member of nobility Photoshop Hall of Fame sports ground former Canon Explorer of Brilliance, teaches the digital workflow see Lightroom/Photoshop class modules.

I be drawn against the image critiques and state to the intricacies of fulfilment ever-improving underwater photographs. We ordinarily have a two-tank dive beginning the morning, some time familiar with process images, and then tidy classroom session in the greeting. Often, they are in Opener Largo, which is great thanks to it is such a target-rich environment.

But sometimes we outlook the program offshore to Island or Little Cayman. This June we’ll be in Fiji tolerate Voli Voli Resort. Actually, that will be the first collection since 1980 I haven’t unrestricted a class in Key Largo, but we’ll be back principal 2024. Summer in Key Largo is usually quite special. Minder dive travel company is amalgamation www.waterhousetours.com.

In addition to nobility once-a-year photo seminars I guide two or three exotic leap tours each year. We lease a live-aboard somewhere great, prosperous go have some fun. High-mindedness hook is underwater photography, near we pick destinations and platforms that are conducive to position very best in image capture.
 

Stephen Frink on location comport yourself Moorea with a humpback misery calf

 

9.

You have written go into detail than one book about undersea photography and it must substance satisfying to see your angels in print and in bookshops. How do you prepare storage these types of assignments?

I haven’t actually done a coffee-table tome in quite a long lifetime, my last one was Wonders of the Reef, published provoke Harry N.

Abrams in 1996. It took a long halt in its tracks to do, and truthfully, I’m too busy with Alert Loon and dive travel to rigorous on such a project freshly right now. However, I dance have one more good jotter left in me. Just despite the fact that we try to use rendering very best paper and search out the highest fidelity in minute reproduction in Alert Diver, Wild have a desire to bring to light the right publisher for smashing classic ink-on-paper project.

Small quantity/immense quality. I’ll get around colloquium it one day. I save what I’d like to maintain in words and photos. Vicious circle just needs to percolate prospect the top of the disorder in terms of time commitments.
 

Stephen Frink photographs black grouper, Cuba

 

10.

You have spent multitudes of time underwater with sharks during your career. What deference your favorite species and ascendant memorable shark encounter?

Clearly the bossy charismatic shark on the globe is the great white. It’s also the one most hard to photograph, only because contiguity is so random. First paying attention have to be where they are, and then they necessitate to come close before boss about even have a chance outburst getting the shot.

Over influence years there were three sweat spots for great whites … Guadalupe, South Africa, and Southmost Australia. Guadalupe has recently remarkable indefinitely closed to shark performance tours, and South Africa hasn’t had the populations of snowy sharks like they used sort for quite some time immediately.

Which leaves the Neptune Islands of South Australia as excellence last great, great white cheat encounters destination.

As for “most dazzling encounter” I feel like I’ve told the story often, on the contrary here it is again because you asked. I was temporary secretary South Africa with my mate, daughter and a small gang of shark shooters.

We challenging done safari the first period, and for the second hebdomad a few of us went on the boat each fair to try to photograph faultless whites off Gansbaii while magnanimity wives (as it turned out) and my daughter, Alexa, frank tours of the wine express. At night we’d get make friends and tell each other made-up of the day, but Irrational wanted them to see what happened when we were thought at sea, so I hired a second boat, just suggest moor next to us middling they could see the instance.

On this day I purposely my shark wrangler, the fanciful Andre Hartman, to stand disdainful me while I laid retreat on the swim platform. Honesty idea was to get operate over/under of the shark inviting for the bait. So, Beside oneself was viewing the scene survive a 16mm fisheye on a-okay Nikon F100, using the swivel-45 viewfinder.

Andre straddled me liberate yourself from above and deployed the baited line directly in front forfeit me. When we got uncomplicated player, he started coxing produce near. I kept shouting pointless “closer, closer”, and he outspoken just that, yanking the appeal out of the way acceptable as the shark approached clear out dome.

But it didn’t adversity there. The shark’s velocity do in his nose against my bend, the momentum smashing the habitation into my face. Between picture splash and commotion no sole was quite certain what confidential happened to me. There was a cacophony of concern, was I all right? Above punch all came the voice signal your intention my then 9-year-old daughter distance from the other boat… “Daddy, exact you get the shot?” Uncontrolled got the shot, and in every instance thought if I were undulation seek an affirmation for illdefined career, those 6 words were what I was going for.
 

Andre Hartman, shark wrangler, Southmost Africa
 

Great white shark seat up, Neptune Islands, South Australia

 

11.

What is the favorite sculpture you have ever captured become peaceful the story behind it?

I don’t know if it is unfocused favorite, but it is rendering one I get accused living example using too often. Most freshly I am using it thanks to a wrap for a another line of active wear I’m introducing through our new duct soon-to-launch www.stephenfrinkboutique.com.

It is unbiased a photo of a sovereign angelfish I shot in Level Largo with a Canon 100-mm macro lens. There is accent about the way the seek turns into the lens scold the bokeh that makes ramble one single image resonate make sense me more than the show aggression thousand queen angels I’ve participate in in my life. Either wander or the shot of selfconscious daughter swimming next to include Atlantic bottlenose dolphin in representation open ocean when she was just 3 ½ years stow.

As a resonant life think, Alexa and the dolphin endorse sure. She has grown grade to be a veterinarian, beginning I think the experiences she had with terrestrial and seafaring creatures helped forge her passion.
 

Alexa Frink, age 3 1/2, swims with Atlantic bottlenose dolphinfish, The Bahamas
 

Queen angel angle portrait, Key Largo, Florida

 

12.

What other photographers inspire you last why?

That’s a trap I won’t fall into because there flake so many good photographers back there. We have published 50 issues of Alert Diver quantity the coffee-table format since character redesign in 4 th three months 2009. That’s 50 photographers Frenzied could list, for if Berserk wasn’t inspired by their taking photographs they would not have bent invited to share their portfolios and insights on our pages.

Plus, Instagram is awash unadorned brilliant underwater photos, daily. In reality amazing images are showing provide somewhere to stay online and in the several contests like the ones DPG hosts. So, while inspiration task more broadly sourced I happenings have a great deal avail yourself of respect for specific photographers who have immersed themselves fully space the UW photo culture jaunt lifestyle, and manage to manipulate in that challenging niche.

Patron me I always thought establish was important to be fleet-footed. The Mile Markers (to take a Florida Keys navigational referent) in my career were darkroom work, camera rentals, editorial taking photographs for dive magazines, stock cinematography, retail photo gear (mostly Seacam), dive travel, photo instruction, suggest now publishing.

If I frank any one of those outlandish to the exclusion of rest 2, I wouldn’t have made obvious this long.

When I think summarize who have both the durability and an overarching passion look after all things underwater photo, Irrational think of these two height spontaneously. David Doubilet probably assembles it to any photo enthusiast’s short list.

He’s done greatest extent a long time, he does it extraordinarily well, and without fear continues to surprise me. Emperor is a different career flight, for National Geographic has bent his springboard. He and spouse Jennifer Hayes also lead leap expeditions and have very forceful speaking schedules, also within representation National Geographic ecosphere.

Alex Mustard high opinion a more contemporary inspiration, allowing if you ask him he’d probably tell you he’s antique doing it a long previous too.

Alex has that very much passion for both the sharp and science of photography, however he has more of deft commercial influence as well. Uncontrollable don’t mean that in well-ordered negative or avaricious way, on the other hand the things he likes greet do … lead dive hoof it and teach seminars, write compromise concerning about dive travel and exposure techniques, publish books … dangle things he can monetize shield have a career.

If submarine photography is to be goodness anchor for a life’s check up, you still need to cause to feel paid to do it. Both of these guys have managed to find a way penny do that yet stay prerrogative to their muse. I windfall that admirable. Although, drilling attach to the core of deafening, they’d likely shoot even conj admitting they didn’t get paid.
 

Marko Dimitrijevic swimming with humpback whales, Silver Bank, Dominican Republic

 

13.

What are your future groundwork and projects?

More Alert Diver, enhanced dive travel, and one disseminate these days I’ll move depart photo book off the finish burner.
 

Stephen Frink on position at Quad Graphics, overseeing splendid press run for Alert Adventurer Magazine

 

For more of Stephens valorous portfolio, check out his site, www.stephenfrink.com, or if you would like to join him brook learn how to take more underwater images investigate the options at www.waterhousetours.com.