January 2012

Happy New Year everybody. Things are off to a pretty good start for me. One year ago I was in South Australia and Victoria (Australia) diving and photographing, and finally this month my feature on this location (one of my favorites by far) was published in DIVE, the premier dive magazine in the UK. Here are some sample pages.

December 2011

October & September 2011

Have you ever wondered how you take a picture of a Tiger Shark? The following video by Mike Neumann of Beqa Adventure Divers in Pacific Harbor, Fiji, shows how. In it, you can seem me hovering very still while the shark cautiously approaches. It’s important for my safety to remain still. If by chance I turned and swam away at this point, I might be inviting trouble. As the shark closes in, I start shooting, and when I finally give her (yes, it’s a big girl) a gentle tap with my underwater camera, she turns away. Look at all those people in the water! One of my favorite shots from this encounter is displayed in my August 2011 entry.

I scored another Tauchen cover with a brand-new Bull Shark picture from this past trip (below), and I was also invited to photograph a team from the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Jupiter Dive Center cleaning the Juno Pier in Juno Beach, FL. The pier is cleaned once a quarter to remove all the trash and fishing line left behind by the fishermen. One of my photos from the first clean-up illustrated a story in the Jupiter Courier, a local paper.

August 2011

I’ve been back from Fiji for two weeks now and have finally completed editing, keywording and most importantly, registering all my images with the US Copyright Office (including these new ones below).

I now register all my photos in light of increasing unauthorized usage by newspapers and others. Registration, combined with new image search tools on the web, allows me to see who’s using my photos without permission on blogs, websites, etc. Just to give you an idea of the problem, one of my most popular images is in over 600 websites – being used without permission or payment.

Ok, back to Fiji. The trip was a complete success. It was my third time there and it’s only getting better. On some dives we had over 40 bull sharks, maybe 50. And in addition to the bulls, black-tips, grey reefs, and white-tips, we also had a beautiful tiger, around 11 ft. in length, show up for two dives and really put on a show. The first photo shows the tiger getting pretty close and the second a bunch of bull sharks down deep in Shark Reef, a marine protected zone.

I had another article and cover published in Tauchen, the leading German dive magazine. This publication is great to work for. It does a beautiful job on the spreads.

Finally, I contributed to the new Guy Harvey Magazine on an article focusing on success stories in marine conversation. I had a number of images published, especially of goliath groupers (including this spread). Last year at this same time, I invested a considerable amount of time photographing these endangered fish here where I live in Southeast Florida, and thankfully all that work is paying off.

July 2011

I'm off to Fiji in the next two days but wanted to post an electronic version of my one of my latest features, published in Tauchen, the leading scuba diving magazine in Germany. They did a superb job on the layout of my recent feature focusing on Bonito, in southwestern Brazil. I was there a few years ago (2008) to photograph the jungle and river animals that live in the crystal-clear springs. Check it out

May & June 2011

All is good here. I finished a marathon of school assemblies in late May in Daytona Beach, FL. For the school year that just wrapped up, I visited a total of 53 schools as far away from home as Arizona, Arkansas, Texas and New York, among other states. My spring was very busy, and I was in an airplane pretty much every week traveling. I’m very grateful my programs and seven books continue to be in great demand, despite the economic rollercoaster we find ourselves in the US.

Now that I’m back home, I have been spending a lot of time underwater (about 60 hours just in the last month) working on new photo stories. The diving here in Northern Palm Beach County has been off the charts with all kinds of animals, from mantas to a whale shark last weekend and everything else in between. It’s also sea turtle season and on every single dive I’m seeing at least 10, often of the three more common species: loggerheads, hawksbills and greens.

Many times when I present I’m asked where is my favorite place to dive. Most people are surprised when I tell them that it’s right here just a few miles from home, and not some exotic location. No place has it all, but we have a spectacular marine environment in Northern Palm Beach County, FL due to the omnipresent Gulf Stream, which brings in all kinds of goodies to our reefs. However, our biggest variable is the visibility. It can change in hours from great to very poor, and the trick to capturing good images is to keep going out, putting yourself out there as often as possible and creating opportunities.

But variety is the spice of life and I’m off to Fiji in about two weeks to change the scenery a little bit and photograph bull sharks. This will be my third time there, and I can’t wait to go and see some old friends, both underwater and topside. Simply put, it’s the best place in the world to photograph sharks. If you happen to like these endangered animals, check out: Beqa Adventure Divers.

I’ve also been pretty busy licensing my images and stories and the following are three recent covers.

Finally, one of my award-winning images (and personal favorites) of a female leatherback sea turtle (below; 1st Place; BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2002 (Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife category) has been included in an upcoming photographic exhibition for The Deep, a stunning modern aquarium situated in the north of England. Here is the link (http://www.thedeep.co.uk/). If you are in the neighborhood, I encourage you to go. I hear it’s excellent.

April 2011

Better late than never! I read for the first time this month the reviews that a very prestigious publication, Library Media Connection, published about my most recent books: Wild Waters (2010), Shark Encounters (2008) and Ocean Magic (2008). Here they are:

O’Neill, Michael Patrick; Wild Waters Photo Journal

2010, 116pp. $29.95 hc. Batfish Books; 978-0-9728653-6-4, Grades 9-12

Focusing on aquatic environment in Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and Florida, this book provides a stunning look at the beauty and diversity of life to be found underwater. The large, spectacular color photographs are accompanied by brief descriptions of the various habitats and marine life as well as by O’Neill’s personal reflections on the scenes and creatures he has photographed. O’Neill also thoughtfully expresses his concern for the future of these delicate aquatic environments and urges their careful use and preservation. Not intended to provide comprehensive information on any of the ecosystems or their inhabitants, this dramatic book will nevertheless engage and captivate both browsers and serious students of marine life. Recommended. Gregory A. Martin, Curriculum Materials Center Librarian, Assistant Professor of Library Science, Cedarville (Ohio) University.

O’Neill, Michael Patrick; Shark Encounters

2008, 48pp. $19.95 hc. Batfish Books; 978-0-9728653-4-0, Grades 1-6

Ever seen a shark in a centerfold? This title has several and the photographs are outstanding! Michael Patrick O'Neill has created a picture book for students that will intrigue even the most reluctant nature enthusiast. Eight different sharks are included in this author’s attempt to dispel all the shark fears of the reader. The book contains some advanced vocabulary, but the photographs will attract a variety of readers and browsers. If you are going to be buying a shark book this season, you should seriously consider this one. Recommended. Roxanne Welch Mills, Supervisor of Media Services, Chesapeake (Virginia) Public Schools

O’Neill, Michael Patrick; Ocean Magic

2008, 48pp. $19.95 hc. Batfish Books; 978-0-9728653-5-7, Grades K-5

Fish and other deep-sea creatures are presented in this book. Vibrantly colorful photographs beautifully supplement the text, showing the diversity of life underwater. The author is an experienced undersea explorer, and offers brief tidbits about different creatures. The page layouts with their large pictures and simple, but informative, text are appealing to younger and older readers. The “Ocean Realm” section contains frequently asked questions to help with various questions curious youngsters will have about scuba diving. Readers could use this book for basic research questions, but the information is not in depth. The book also promotes conservation of the oceans, and will hold a fascination for browsers. Glossary. Recommended. Jo Monahan, Librarian, University of North Texas Libraries, Denton.

The diving's been red hot here in Southeast Florida. Here are two new photographs: Chris Doherty from the dive boat Narcosis approaches Boris, a very friendly Goliath Grouper on the Breakers Reef a few weeks ago. I had a blast photographing this charismatic giant fish. Highly endangered throughout its range (the Western Atlantic), the Goliath has made a remarkable comeback in Florida since receiving complete protection in 1990.

This odd looking sea turlte is the Kemp's Ridley, the smallest and rarest of all seven marine turtle species. It ranges from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to New England. It only nests in Mexico (on the Gulf side) and South Texas, and it was severely impacted by the Gulf oil spill in 2010. According to National Wildlife Magazine, 500 Kemp's were killed by the oil. When you consider there are only 1,500 to 2,000 adult females like the one pictured left in the entire world, you get the picture of how threatened they are and how rich and important the Southeast Florida marine ecosystem is.

By the way, over the last two weeks I saw two different Kemp's, which is highly unusual given their scarcity. Over the years I've seen and photographed about 10.

March 2011

I can't complain with the first quarter of 2011. I'm very proud that one of my images (below) of an arrow crab inside a sea anemone was one of the highly commended images of the Nature's Best 2011 Ocean's Competition. Over 5,000 photos were submitted and only 24 were selected as winners and highly commended.

I have also been very busy traveling within the US visiting a number of schools in Florida, Texas and Arizona. I think so far this year I have presented to somewhere between 7,000 to 10,000 kids, and next week I'm off to New York, then Louisiana, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. Things look real good. The reception and excitement from the schools in Texas and Arizona last week was spectacular. Here are photos from my visit to Chaparral Elementary in Gilbert, AZ, home of the sharks - how appropriate!:

December 2010 - January 2011

Long time, no updates, so here we go. December was a blur with Christmas and with preparations for my trip to South Australia, where I spent most of the month of January photographing in in the Mornington Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and Port Lincoln.

I have to say this trip turned out to be arguably the most productive in terms of photographing new material. It was also the most labor intensive, with lots of driving (close to 1,200 miles) and lots and lots of schlepping gear, which resulted in a very sore back. But it was phenomenal, and I believe I'll get a lot of mileage from the photos.

One of the highlights of the trip was diving in Hopkins Island, near Port Lincoln, to photograph the highly endangered Australian Sea Lions (right). I have to say that spending time with these charismatic marine mammals was one of the highlights of my photography career so far.

November 2010

I'm very proud to announce that one of my images was selected as "Highly Honored" in the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010 competition, the premier photography contest for wildlife photographers that received over 31,000 entries this year. My photo (below) titled "Cold Comfort", of manatees basking in the warm-water discharge of the Riviera Beach, FL Florida Power & Light powerplant, was one of roughly 100 selected as Winners and Highly Commended.

My girlfriend, Lanae, and I attended the unforgettable awards ceremony in London two weeks ago at the Museum of Natural History. I hadn't been to London since my previous win in 2002 and it was an excellent opportunity to see some stunning photos and make new friends.

I also want to thank Marcelo Krause, a gifted Brazilian photographer who was also a winner at the competition, for allowing me to use this photo on my website.