Articles

Blue shark circling a baitball, Azores, Portugal
 

Born in 1964 in the “Land of the Five Lakes,” southwest of Munich, Germany, Gerald Nowak became interested in photography during his teenage years, and was gifted his first SLR camera shortly before he learned to dive in Bavarian waters in 1981 at the age of 17. Diving in cold water lakes was fun, but it wasn’t until years later when he traveled to more tropical destinations that scuba diving became Gerald’s obsession. Shortly afterwards, he combined his love for photography with his passion for the marine environment, and set out to make being an underwater photographer his profession.

Since 1994, he has worked full time as a photographer for various travel and special interest magazines, as well as Internet portals and travel book publishers. He is a regular contributor to German dive magazines and the international dive press, and his work is often featured in publications such as Tauchen, Unterwasser, Silent World and Divemaster. In 1997, he met his future wife, Sibylle Gerlinger, and they now dive and work together as travel journalists. She normally writes the stories while he shoots the pictures, but sometimes the roles are reversed. Either way, the end result is an interesting story combined with some awesome underwater images, and we are very happy to have Gerald present some of his favorite shots in our latest Photographer of the Week feature.

As you can see, Gerald’s portfolio features some of the ocean’s most iconic marine life, and the variety of subjects on display shows how just how much he and his wife have traveled for their work. Wide-angle shots of sperm whales, dolphins and sharks combine nicely with some colorful macro images, and he often features divers in the frame, adding another element of interest and perspective that is very appealing. When not taking underwater photos, Gerald is an instructor trainer at the CMAS Germany (FST) dive association as well as an SSI instructor, photo instructor, and trimix and rebreather diver. He loves diving in all tropical and temperate seas, and even under the ice, and is interested in any dive adventure that promises great photo opportunities. He is also committed  to helping threatened shark species and contributing to the protection of the sea and its inhabitants. He is active in several animal protection organizations and supports them with information and photographic material, which he collects on his dive adventures around the world.
 

Manta rays at a cleaning station, Maldives
 

Diver exploring Chandelier Cave, Palau
 

Portrait of a peacock mantis shrimp, Philippines
 

Atlantic spotted dolphins, Azores, Portugal
 

Crocodile over-under, Banco Chinchorro, Mexico
 

Sperm whale and freediver, Azores, Portugal
 

Northern pike, Bavaria, Germany
 

Banded sea snake, Apo Island, Philippines
 

Weedy seadragon, Tasmania, Australia
 

Oriental sweetlips cleaning session, Maldives
 

Sperm whale flyby, Azores, Portugal
 

Shawn the sheep nudibranch, Dauin, Philippines
 

Freediving with mobula rays, Princess Alice Bank, Azores, Portugal
 

Spawning snapper at Shark City, Palau
 

Sperm whale and diver coming up for air, Azores, Portugal
 

Bigfin reef squid, Anilao, Philippines
 

Baby frogfish and coin for perspective, Dauin, Philippines
 

To see more of Gerald’s work, you can visit his comprehensive image archive on his website, or check out his excellent Instagram page.