Lionfish, the Beautiful Outlaw

Another great presentation at Our World-Underwater’s Film Festival, and probably the most entertaining, was Lionfish, the Beautiful Outlaw by Paul Carter Deaton. Talk about a timely film. Lionfish Hysteria has been running rampid, and the documentary attempts to examine whether the hysteria is justified. From the opening scene you know you’re in for something different. The interviews ground the film in quality insight, while the pacing and humor entertain as well as educate. I think my personal-favorite scene in the film is the final live performance of Lionfish, Lionfish: Kill, Kill, Kill. Check it out.

Paul Cater Deaton is an award-winning Writer, Producer, Director and Cinematographer, based in the Virgin Islands and Batavia, Illinois. Shooting on six continents over three decades, Paul has earned numerous industry accolades. 

His underwater camera skills were honed in oceans and seas all over the world. Paul specializes in production relative to SCUBA diving and adventure travel, and is a highly sought-after Underwater Camera Operator. He is a SCUBA Instructor and expert Rescue Diver, certified in Nitrox and Rebreathers, and has thousands of hours of underwater camera experience. Paul is a popular speaker and emcee, making appearances from coast to coast to coast. He is also lead singer for The Wetsuits, the world's only All Underwater Photographers Band!

Ernie Brooks at Our World-Underwater

Last weekend in Chicago was a wild one, with Our World-Under sending waves through the West Side. One of my favorite presentations of the weekend was at the Film Festival Saturday night. Ernie Brooks gave a sideshow of images from his new book Silver Seas: a Retrospective. Ernie Brooks’ Black and White photos use silver-gray, black, and white tones to expose the light streaming through his images, silhouettes his subjects, and transform the textures found in abundance in Ernie’s underwater world.

Ambassador to the Marine Environment Photographer, Adventurer, Diver and Educator Ernest H. Brooks II was born to be a photographer. His Portuguese ancestry, rich in men-of-the-sea, virtually insured the ocean environment would play an important role in his life. As the son of Ernest H. Brooks, founder of the internationally-renowned Brooks Institute of Photography, Mr. Brooks was destined to follow in his father's footsteps for part of his life's journey before forging his own path.

Mr. Brooks has been a trailblazer in the development of underwater photographic equipment and technique, and has witnessed great industry advances. And though he has harnessed and implemented much of that new technology, at a time when a plethora of color underwater photographs illustrate magazines and glossy brochures, he, perhaps surprisingly, favors black and white. "I don't think that blue, an inherent color of the ocean, really adds to many photographs, especially of mammals - and I like the quality of black and white. Also, I get the personal satisfaction of working with black and white in being able to control the development and printing." The ocean and underwater photography are among his main interests. In the pursuit of dramatic marine images, he has descended into the fascinating waters beneath the polar icecaps as well as into the depths of almost every ocean on Earth.

Our World-Underwater ----- February 18th-20th

Our World-Underwater     February 18-20, 2011   Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL

If you’re a long time scuba diver, or just interested in finding out more about one of the fastest growing and most adventurous pastimes out there, don’t miss the Our World-Underwater show this month. Our World-Underwater has been educating and entertaining the Midwest for 41 years. The weekend of February 18th, 19th, and 20th is jammed packed with Workshops, Children’s Programs, Seminars, and more. A quick click through the 61 Presenter Bios, on the Our World-Underwater website, will give you an idea of the incredible talent that this convention brings together; and a quick click on their Children’s Programs  and 2011 Film Festival pages will give you good idea of all the fun they have planned for young and old alike. A wide variety of dive industry manufactures will be there to give Clinics on everything from the fitting, maintenance, and repair of Regulators, BCDs, and Dry Suits, to Packing for Exotic Travel.

So check out the Our World-Underwater website, for the weekend's schedule and to buy your tickets. Then get ready for an amazing weekend!