Mike, creating Fine Art Photography under water, suspended weightless in 15-mile an hour currents, is a challenge - to put it mildly - how do you do manage to make such stunning images under those conditions?     

I have been a scuba diver since 1973 and an underwater photographer since 1977.  It has been ideal for me to be able to mix these two passions together. To achieve great underwater photography, it is important that diving is second nature so that you can concentrate on the photography and not the diving. Maintaining neutral buoyancy in the water effortlessly is critical to positioning yourself so as not to disturb your underwater subject. 

Over time, my photographic technique improved as well as my understanding of using strobe lights and how to balance ambient and artificial light underwater. I then moved from the 35mm format to a medium format underwater system, and went through the learning process again with the new system. The biggest challenge with using the medium format system is it's hard to travel with because there are so many cases -  and most great dive locations are long distances away. It's worth the sore back though because the medium format prints look fantastic. If I could make a large format system for underwater I would.  In fact, I am always thinking of ways to do it. 

I develop my own film and print the transparencies in my darkroom. I bought a 12" x 16" enlarger from Durst Pro USA to be able to print high quality 30" x 40" prints and have been extremely pleased with the results and their support.

Mike Gore, Seattle April 8, 2002.

The digital representation of the images does not do the images justice, the quality of the original Ilfochrome prints are fantastic. The images are smooth and enticing.




Mike Gore is a business owner living and working in the Seattle area. Mike is a hobby photographer with Ocean Photography as his passion.
Mike is using a 12x16" enlarger supplied by DURST-PRO-USA.
Electronics are also one of Mikes fields of interest. He has retrofitted his enlarger with a semi-auto-focus system. After the changes he can  push a button and the enlarger will drive to a previously saved setting (size) and the enlarger will focus on its own.
He has also turned an old wreck of a Colenta rotary processor into a state of the art electronic wonder.
You can contact mike at
michael@gore.net