Articles

Gobies in a bottle
 

Photographer of the Week, J. Gregory Sherman, spent his youth in the beautiful, yet landlocked desert terrain of Tucson, Arizona. With the northern Sea of Cortez hundreds of miles away, the ocean was a foreign world to Greg. It wasn’t until 2008 whilst on holiday that Greg decided to dive. Those first few dives changed his life. Eager to share his new passion with others, he picked up a camera to document his encounters. 

Today Greg is a scuba instructor and continues to travel the world with his camera gear in tow, constantly looking for new creatures to photograph and techniques to try. As a self-taught photographer, there was a lot of trial and error, and self-critique. He understands the learning curve that comes with underwater photography and enjoys providing instruction to help newcomers in their own photographic journey below the waves.

I particularly appreciate the emphasis Greg has put on creating images in the portrait perspective as opposed to the typical landscape format. It can sometimes be difficult to set underwater images apart from one another and I feel this approach helps. I love the variety of life he has photographed, from the small and obscure critters to some of the oceans largest creatures. Greg’s images are such beautiful representations of the treasures that exist in our oceans and why we should do everything in our power to protect them. 
 

Purple weedy rhinopias
 

A brown-footed booby bird checks out the dome port
 

The ornate Miamira alleni in the Philippines
 

A backlit secretary blenny
 

Mobula rays forage for food while the moon rises faintly in the distance
 

Hippocampus ingens in the Sea of Cortez
 

A humpback female rests at Roca Partida, Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico
 

A Spanish shawl nudibranch
 

A leatherback turtle at Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman
 

A sea lion up close and personal in the Sea of Cortez
 

J. Gregory Sherman
 

Check out more of J. Gregory's work on Instagram or on his website, www.jgregoryphotos.com.