I have an academic and professional background in both fine and applied art. Much of my work has been in sculpture and custom metal design. When I merged photography with scuba diving over two decades ago, it rapidly became my most rewarding creative pursuit.

Having a sculptor's eye proved a valuable asset to extend into underwater photography. While diving, I can fuse myself into the very flux of 3-D. Composition isn't initially sought inside the viewfinder, it's revealed by continuously composing myself through interaction with the life around me. In addition, the physics of diving puts a strict emphasis on the dimension of time, where remaining alive and well requires being fully in the moment.

These facets come together in heightened comprehension once the shutter is released. An acute spatial awareness, as well as being while truly seeing, is essential in creating these images.

I'm also engaged in marine conservation to protect and restore the ocean and its inhabitants. As with benefiting me as an underwater photographer, my work as a sculptor has carried over in creating campaigns to help preserve aquatic life and habitat.

In fact, art is the vital element sorely lacking in environmentalism. Original visions derived from aesthetic perception are desperately needed. Not art as esoteric or unstructured...it's actually more the opposite. Artistic insight is projective, integrative, and precise...a valuable toolset in achieving conservation gains within a culture that values acquisitive lifestyles over life itself.

The emotions conveyed within my photography reflect my advocacy for people to take decisive action to safeguard and improve marine environments. A strong conservation ethos must be cultivated for the sake of the ocean's beings and a world that requires their enduring existence.

~ Edward Dorson