Jason Heller Photography Blog » Scuba Diving

Cressi Catalog Cover

Jason Heller — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 10:49:48 +0000

We have been working with Cressi for about a year now. I really like the brand, as they are trying to take marketing and photography a step further. Cressi products are also very comfortable and well made, I enjoy diving in them. Proud to have made the cover of the 2011 swim and snorkel catalog.

Live From South Africa … Sardine Run

Jason Heller — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:11:42 +0000

Amid world cup mania here in South Africa, I spent the last few days at a much bigger event – diving the sardine run, the largest species migration and marine predatory event on earth. While I didn’t yet experience the epic level activity from last year (check out these posts: sardine run 1, sardine run 2, sardine run 3), it’s been active, albeit in limited visibility water. I have one more week to go, and feel the sardine run gods are smiling. Here are a couple of images from the last few days in the interim.

More Images From The Sardine Run – An Ode To Sharkiness

Jason Heller — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:55:30 +0000

Thanks to everyone who added so many wonderful comments to my initial post of Sardine Run underwater images! I promised more, so here are a handful of shark-focused images. Again, this was just simply an amazing experience!

The expedition participants.

Still more to come, stay tuned!

Blowing Your Mind — The Sardine Run: First Shots

Jason Heller — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:11:39 +0000

Having just returned from witnessing one of nature’s most amazing spectacles, I haven’t had the time to go through all of the images yet – I’ve been busy pinching myself to see if I was actually dreaming. All I can say is that it was mind blowing. I am still glowing from the experience. The Sardine Run is the largest species migration on earth, taking part on the Wild Coast of South Africa each June/July. I’ll be leading expeditions again in 2010 (sold out) and 2011 (For underwater photographers who wish to join me click here). We’ll be posting a complete story and images on DivePhotoGuide.com, but for now here are some preliminary images that will hopefully blow your mind as much as the experience blew mine. Enjoy!

This is just the tip of the iceberg. More to follow.

Update: I posted a small second set of images here.

The Colors Of Curacao

Jason Heller — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:08:55 +0000

We just returned from the 2009 Curacao Dive Festival, where I was invited by the Curacao Tourism Board to present several underwater photography seminars during the week-long event. This was my first time back in the Caribbean in many years, having traveled extensively to Southeast Asia, mainly Indonesia, since 2003. I have to say that I forgot how much fun the Caribbean is. Curacao has great diving, some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, amazing landscapes and off roading, rich culture, and is generally just a fun island. I highly recommend it.

Scuba Diving Magazines Consolidate Under Bonnier Corp

Jason Heller — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:41:45 +0000

Yesterday, Bonnier Corp, the parent of Sport Diver magazine, where I am a staff photographer & author of the IMAGES column, acquired Scuba Diving magazine. This is big news in the world of scuba diving and underwater photography. Scuba Diving magazine, for many years owned by Rodale and now F+W, has been an iconic title for some time. As is happening all around us, the new media era has allowed only the absolute strongest to survive and to a degree forced the consolidation of yet another category. About 5 years ago another iconic dive magazine Skin Diver had folded, and Sport Diver subsequently acquired the remaining assets of their brand and customer lists.

We are observing the result of massive changes in consumer media consumption. Even the niche categories, once protected from the shorter terms shift to digital media, are being affected. The down economy and large infrastructure of primarily print-based media companies have been colliding lately. Unless you live under a rock, you would have heard that even Tribune, the largest newspaper conglomerate in the US, owners of titles such as the LA Times and Chicago Tribune, recently filed for bankruptcy. The print media business is in a state of flux. Many publishers have heard the chants but ignored the mantra of “evolve or die”. We are watching history unfold in so many ways.

On a positive note – congrats to the team at Bonnier and at Sport Diver for a job well done, and for maintaining a position of dominance in an evolving market. I am proud to be involved with the team at Sport Diver.

Mares Dive Equipment Shoot

Jason Heller — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:01:01 +0000

Earlier this year we did a shoot for Mares scuba diving equipment (a division of Head USA). It was a tough shoot done on location in Indonesia. We picked a really hot day to do this particular shoot, which added a lot of stress to the model (Wendy). The image below is one of my favorites from the day. Beyond other uses, I just learned that it will be an 8′ panel on the Mares booth at the big scuba diving industry trade show in Vegas coming up in October. I’m looking forward to seeing it in a large format.