JUNE 10TH 2025, 6.45PM: IN-PERSON MEETING ONLY
BRYANT TURFFS: UTILIZING PHOTOGRAPHY FOR RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, AND ART WITH FLORIDA’S MANTA RAYS AND MORE
Florida Manta Project (FMP) co-founder and award-winning underwater photographer Bryant Turffs will present on how he uses photography to contribute to research and document Florida’s aquatic environments. The presentation will explore aspects of manta ray biology, FMP research, and conservation concerns. Bryant will discuss the photographic techniques and equipment (both compact and interchangeable lens systems) that he has used in collecting data and the creation of awarded images. He will speak about his evolution as a photographer and storyteller and how he came to the understanding that it is the photographer and not the camera that creates a successful image. Bryant will also share a few of his most memorable anecdotes and images from encounters with other species in Florida’s waters and beyond. Finally, Bryant will note ways that the underwater photography community can contribute to research and natural history documentation.
Bryant Turffs is a Florida native who has had a multifaceted career focused on the marine environment. He grew up on Florida’s gulf coast where he learned to dive, became a licensed captain, and studied marine biology at university. He has worked as a dive Instructor on the Great Barrier Reef, a commercial fisherman in Alaska, and completed a circumnavigation (in piecemeal fashion) while working as an educator and professional mariner on the sailing yacht Argo. A long-time hobbyist, Bryant began pursuing underwater photography in earnest when he returned to Florida in 2016. That same year he helped his partner, marine biologist Jessica Pate, realize her dream of researching Florida’s manta rays. In the ensuing years the Florida Manta Project (FMP) has grown and begun to unravel the mysteries of Florida mantas. Bryant’s photographic work has been utilized in data gathering, FMP outreach and conservation initiatives, and has been awarded in competitions including Ocean Art, and Underwater Photographer of the Year.
