Marty Gilman is originally from Massachusetts, where his love of the underwater world began at an early age. He grew up in a home with 52 aquariums and continued this tradition in his adult life in his own home, where he installed a 150 gallon marine aquarium and maintained it for 30 years. He is an accomplished artist and educator in the mediums of both music and art, establishing a career teaching advanced college degrees in music, Spanish, and visual arts within the Massachusetts State College System.
Marty bought his first SLR in 1970 and became a certified diver in 1977, diving in the Boston area. In 1978 these two interests converged with his purchase of an underwater camera rig, comprised of a Canon F-1 camera, Ikelite housing, and Ikelite strobes. Marty’s interest in underwater photography flourished, and he went on to teach many underwater photography courses in the 1980s and 1990s. He ran numerous photography competitions throughout his educational career, although today he likes to emphasize his belief in the value of exhibiting art over competition. Marty has traveled to many dive locations worldwide, including many Caribbean islands, Bermuda, the Red Sea, and Hawaii. He specializes in fish portraits, and his images have been published in magazines, textbooks, and journals. He has been successful in selling his work to travel agencies, restaurants, aquarium stores, and private homes, and this practical and commercial experience can be very helpful to his students. As he acknowledges, “Selling art is much more difficult than producing art.” Today, Marty is a well-known figure in the South Florida diving community. He lives only a few miles from Blue Heron Bridge, and can often be found diving there, either from the shore or his own boat.
Favorite Quote:
“We don’t photograph the subject, but rather the light reflected from that subject.”
See Marty’s images HERE.