SAM HODGE

I am married and have a darling little 4-year old whom has accompanied me to several of the monthly Club meetings. My family and I moved to Florida from California in 2004 to be closer to the tropical climates we enjoyed when growing up. Having been born in Belize, Central America this is where my love for the ocean began. It’s also where my passion for photography eventually grew into an outlet for creativity as I enjoyed the unique lighting scenes in tropical jungles.

In the late 80’s I moved to California and I purchased a pair of Canon A-1 35mm SLR’s for topside photography. It’s also where I took a more sincere interest in surf photography. Unfortunately I flooded one of my A-1’s with a rather good attempt in building my own housing so later migrated to a Minolta hand-held 35mm system. However, years later I hung up my swim fins when I moved to the cold waters of Northern California as well as an early morning encounter with a shark in the murky waters of Santa Cruz. In 2001 I migrated from 35mm to a Canon G2 digital camera and never looked back at 35mm imagery again. Later when I moved to Florida I upgraded to a Canon D60 (not the Canon 60D) where I purchased a rather bulky Sea&Sea housing (still have my old ports if anyone is interested in parts). However, I took an extended hiatus from the Florida waters and again pursued photography in 2009. I presently shoot with a Canon 7D in a Nauticam housing with Sea&Sea strobes.

My pursuit that I share with our Club members is achieving excellence in underwater photography. As you glance through these series of images I hope to impress upon the viewer that excellence in underwater photography can take shape in virtually any body of water. Whether drifting out in the open ocean miles ashore with an uprooted palm tree or photographing toads and the neighbor’s kids in my side yard after a heavy rainfall, exceptional underwater/split shots can be taken in very creative scenarios for those dedicated enough to experiment. I enjoy talking about underwater photography so if you enjoyed the photos or would like to talk shop please don’t hesitate to contact me – sam at sea2020 . com.