Press Release

July 13, 2007, San Francisco, California – The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society proudly presents a very special seminar with Bay Area artist and marine mammal conservationist Bryant Austin, creator of “Whales in Public Spaces: A Life-Size Whale Photography Exhibition,” Friday, August 10, 2007.  Composed over the past two field seasons with the South Pacific Humpback Whales, Bryant Austin explores and develops methods and techniques to produce life-size photographs of his subjects, up to twelve feet high by ninety feet long. For Austin, the size of the photograph is secondary; it is the personhood of the whale, best expressed in the eye, which he explores in depth.

Austin is president and founder of the non-profit Marine Mammal Conservation through the Arts.  The mission of MMCTA is to approach the art of photographing and filming cetaceans with the same level of commitment and dedication as marine mammal field biologists.  To produce images at this scale and with the proper impact, Austin collaborates with whale biologists and explores the teachings of animal intuitives.  He seeks out genuine connections with his subjects, where then, at a distance of two meters from the whale, he begins the process of crafting his compositions and the long journey of conveying these truths back to his tribe - to you.

Preparations are underway to begin work with the endangered Blue, Fin, and Humpback whales utilizing the state of the art Hasselblad H3D 39 Mpixel digital camera.  It will be a long-term effort where he will work with these whale species for entire seasons annually until his visions are realized.

To fund this work, Bryant is releasing a very small limited edition series of the Humpback Whales he worked with during his two field seasons.  Currently, the sale of these prints provides the sole source of funding for his on-going efforts to explore and compose imagery for his non-profit “Whales in Public Spaces Campaign.”

The Bryant Austin underwater photography seminar will take place Friday, August 10, 2007, at 8:00 p.m.  Location: New Vision United Methodist Church, 450 Chadbourne Avenue, Millbrae, CA 94030 – ten minutes south of the San Francisco International Airport.  Cost is FREE .

The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society promotes conservationism and environmental protection through the membership’s shared passion in underwater photography and videography.  Established in 1957, and celebrating its 50 th Anniversary in 2007, NCUPS sponsors educational events on both underwater photography and video while promoting awareness of the underwater environment and pertinent ecological issues.  NCUPS sponsors two annual internationally recognized and prestigious photography competitions, the Annual California Beach Dive Photo Competition (CBDPC), which was recently held May 26 and 27, 2007, and the SEA2007, that draw divers and entries from the world over.

For info on attending, directions or membership info, please visit http://www.ncups.org.

For additional information about Bryant Austin, please visit: www.studiocosmos.com and www.mmcta.org.