Darwin Wiggett is renowned internationally for his photography and is an icon among aspiring photographers; but this has not affected his opinion of himself, as is seen in the bio from his website:

“Hey, this is the page where I am supposed to tell you what a great guy I am and how I make amazing photos and that I am published worldwide to great acclaim. And also how you should spend big dollars buying my images. Whatever. . . yada, yada, yada . . . only you decide if you like my photos (the great guy part is reserved for a higher judgment, I suppose . . .). All I know for sure is my mom likes my photos!”

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Royce Howland, currently resides in Calgary, Alberta. By day he helps corporations do innovative software development, and alternates between corporate IT and commercial product development.

Although relatively new to photography, his intense interest in HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography and his recent article at Nature Scapes Net, has brought him to the forefront of this emerging technique. His interest in HDR was prompted by an article at Michael Reichmann’s Luminous Landscapes website, and recognizing the potential of this new genre, he began using HDR to augment his landscape photography.

He is a moderator at Nature Scapes net where his work is highly praised by nature photographers worldwide.

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In my view, there is no form of photography more challenging, more difficult, and more fascinating than underwater photography. Beyond mastery of photography itself, the underwater photographer is faced with challenges that include: acquiring and maintaining a high degree of physical fitness, the acquisition and use of highly specialized camera equipment, acquiring and maintaining exceptional diving skills that require mastery of a specialized area of knowledge through years of experience, long-range planning to access often remote and distant locations, and the execution of a complex set of skills. Masters of this discipline have to deal with something that surface photographers don’t even think about — staying alive in a sometimes alien and dangerous place!

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I have no idea how I wound up going through the PADI Open Water Course. My son, John, and his friend Nick, well, they sorta encouraged me to take the course so that my new interest in underwater photography could grow. So, I enrolled with the guys at EZScuba in Tampa and the next thing I know, here I am underwater at Weeki Wachee Springs while my instructor Chris Register looks on me with an expression that says, “This guy needs lots of help.”

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Several years ago, when I first became serious about photography, I would spend much of my time perusing the Internet studying the photographs of others in the hopes of finding inspiration for my work. During one of my sessions, I ran across a photograph by Phil Borges entitled “Sukulen.” No other photograph I viewed before or since has had such an impact upon me, for there is something very unique and special about the work that inspires me.

Borges tells the following story about the photograph:

“As a young girl, Sukulen began having dizzy spells and hearing voices. She said she was very frightened and thought she was getting ill. Her grandmother assured her that she was healthy and was, in fact, very gifted. Sukulen is now a highly respected “predictor” in her tribe. Two months before I arrived, she had told several people in her village that I was coming, and had described in detail my appearance and the equipment I was using.”

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Sheltered beneath a canopy of majestic Acacia Tortillis in a remote and secluded corner of Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Swala Camp, remains, and always will, one of the most memorable places I have stayed in my lifetime.

Swala Camp is located within Tarangire National Park borders. The park is an easy 115 km’s from Arusha on excellent roads and the camp itself is another 67 km’s into the park. This section of the park is exceptionally private with no other camps around.

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I like to eat. Great restaurants are difficult to find. And when one finds one that is special, it’s worth going back.

About five years ago I was on my way from Florida to Tennessee. It was late and I had been driving for several hundred miles. I looked for a hotel to spend the night and found a Hampton Inn in downtown Newberry, South Carolina. One of my questions of the hotel clerk was, “Is there a good restaurant nearby.” Yes, she said. You must go to Delamaters. So I did.

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(Note: All photographs displayed in this interview is copyrighted material, unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.)

I first met Haim Ziv several years ago when a group of photographers gathered in Clearwater, Florida. Haim traveled from Israel for the meeting, which lasted for a week. I soon began to appreciate his sense of humor and his love of photography. Haim is not a native English speaker and he struggles to communicate in English, sometimes spending many hours at an English dictionary trying to find the appropriate words to express his feelings.

I had admired Haim’s photography for some time. As a journalist, I had a great respect for the difficulty that he faced every day of his life while on assignment as a photojournalist in one of the most dangerous places in the world. In my view, there is no other more challenging aspect of photography than photojournalism because the photographer not only must master his or her equipment, but they work in the most demanding and sometimes dangerous areas.

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(Note: All photographs displayed in this interview is copyrighted material, unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.)

Ruud Peters is known internationally for his photography and he has received numerous prestigious awards, a listing of which may be seen at his website under “news.”

I first met Ruud in 2004 while on a trip with my son John to Tanzania. On our way back to the USA, Ruud met us in Amsterdam and graciously drove us to France to see Bar le Duc, a place that may have been the origin of my family. During our trip, Ruud was constantly joking with us and warmed us with his humor. All of us took photographs during that journey. Sometime afterwards, Ruud published some of his shots and John and I were simply blown away at his talent. Despite the fact that we stood side by side with him while he worked, neither of us saw the same light he found.

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(Note: All photographs displayed in this interview is copyrighted material, unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.)

Fabiola Fabs Forns, (known to many as Fabiola del Alcazar) left her native Cuba many moons ago and has been fortunate to live in places as diverse as Puerto Rico, New York, Madrid and finally, South Florida. Having the unique Everglades close by has allowed her to dedicate most of her time to bird photography.

She has dabbled into artistic fields such as music, oil painting and creative writing. She holds a degree in Human Resources from St. Thomas University, Miami and is currently Adjunct Faculty at Miami-Dade College as well as a Mentor for the Photographic Society of America.

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