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new
coverage
More Whales
Continuing
on the blubbery theme, here is the opening spread to a 10-page
photo essay featuring our pictures and words on Washington State's
San Juan Islands. Thanks to Scuba Diving Magazine for the gorgeous
spread.
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Whale
of a Tail Cetaceans
have been a cornerstone of our library's photo coverage since day
one more than 30 years ago. We have one of the world's strongest
single-photographer collection of humpback whale images. Tidemark
Press chose to run one of our iconic tail fluke photos from Alaska
in their 2024 calendar.
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Mangroves Proving
that our pictures are published everywhere, Rhythms Monthly
Magazine in Taiwan published our 16-page text and photo package on
endangered and important mangrove ecosystems around the
world.
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Cabo Sharks
Scuba
Diving Magazine publishes our article online, chronicling our
adventure swimming with blue and mako sharks near Cabo San Lucas,
Baja, Mexico.
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Iceland Tauchen
Magazine in Germany publishes our article on Iceland in their
December 2023 issue
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NEW PRESS Four
recent magazine covers nicely showing the scope of our marine photography
collection.
Cuba
Earlier
this year we explored Cuba's Gardens of the Queen National Park. We
enjoyed great diving with silky and Caribbean Reef sharks, healthy coral
reefs, and close-up encounters with crocodiles in the mangroves. Havana's
people, culture, architecture and scenery proved to be a big bonus. Here
is a slideshow of photos from the trip:
http://www.brandoncole.com/WEBGALLERIES/Cuba_171_800pixels/
These
images are also on our web site and now ready for licensing. Please
contact us and let us know how we can be of assistance.
Blue
Whales New
pictures of the largest animal on Earth recently swam into our photo
library. High quality underwater
images of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are quite rare so we are
especially happy to offer a strong collection to our clients. From whales
to snails, we've got you covered.
Looking
Back- 2014 Through the Lens We
are most grateful for your support in 2014. Your continued interest in our
imagery is instrumental in keeping us afloat in this ever changing, ever
challenging, and ever rewarding business. The photomontage above is a pictorial summary of last
year, touching on a few of the amazing things we were fortunate to witness
in our ongoing quest to build the most dynamic underwater photo library around.
We began the year snorkeling with gentle
Florida
Manatees, and then diving with enigmatic Great Hammerhead Sharks in the Bahamas, creating stunning pictures of this striking species, as well as documenting marine biologists at work.
After this we turned 180 degrees and crossed the Pacific, all the way to Tasmania to explore truly unique kelp forest and sponge garden habitats, home to rare species such as sea dragons and handfish. Australia's Great Barrier Reef was our studio for photographing curious Minke Whales and colorful coral reef species.
Leaving the South Pacific in the depths of their winter, we were called back to the Bahamas to swim with sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins. Our portfolio from this island nation continues to grow and is sure to impress. Need visuals of
Tiger
Sharks? How about dozens of wild spotted dolphins in clear water? We have both, and so much more from the Bahamas.
Mexico has long been another favorite of Brandon Cole Marine Photography. We were drawn back to the Yucatan Peninsula in August, timing our visit with the world's largest gathering of feeding
Whale
Sharks. Epic! Then we took advantage of the freshwater springs to rinse away the saltwater. Slipping into the
cenotes opened doors into the shadowy Mayan underworld, a vast network of sunken chambers decorated with stalactites and illuminated by otherworldly light shows.
As 2014 drew to a close we packed up our camper truck and drove north into Canada to behold the saga of the sockeye salmon. After four years at sea, these red and green super fish have survived a gauntlet of obstacles to return to the freshwater streams in which they were born. Their mission- to spawn and die. It's among the most inspirational stories we've ever covered. We can't wait to show you the new photos and
video footage.
Now it's time to submerge once again. First stop for 2015 is Egypt's Red Sea, to photograph dugongs, cousins to the manatees we met exactly one year ago. After that, the coral kingdom of Indonesia beckons, specifically Komodo and Flores, marine biodiversity hotspots both. Assuming we come up for air, we have a date with basking sharks in the UK. Then humpback whales in Tonga, great white sharks in Mexico, California kelp forest critters... you get the picture. With your partnership, we'll do our best to bring back new pictures to help bring your projects to life.
New
in Print We
returned home from a very busy summer with scuba
diving and snorkeling photo expeditions all over the world to find
that a number of magazines have recently featured our marine
photographs on front covers. Here are some: one showing a photograph
of humpback whales underwater from Tonga; another new magazine cover
showcasing a curious harbor
seal picture from California; one proving that our portfolio also
includes animals in freshwater- schooling pink or humpback salmon
in spawning coloration; and a cuddly image of a great
white shark from South Africa:
Great
Hammerhead Sharks
A new hot
spot is on the underwater photographer's map- Bimini Island, in the
Bahamas. Why? Great
Hammerhead Sharks, Sphyrna mokarran, a large species found throughout
the tropics, but never before have sightings been very reliable. Until
now. Always endeavoring to be at the front of the cresting wave of marine
imaging, I hurriedly made two expeditions to Bimini this winter, and was
fortunate to return with what is likely the strongest collection of
dramatic underwater photos of this elusive animal currently in existence.
Not just identification shots, or close-up portraits, or diver photos, or
cover quality photographs- all of those, and also digital
pictures of shark scientists at work and so much more. There are a few
creatures which truly captivate me, over which I obsess, and this is one
of them. I like to think of Sphyrna mokarran as a prehistoric alien. It's
also a species threatened with extinction, thanks to unsustainable fishing
in many parts of the world for its fins, which are used in the Asian
delicacy shark fin soup. Take a look at the great
hammerhead shark photos in our stock image library and let us know how
we can help you feature this exciting new underwater photography in your
creative projects- books, magazine articles, advertisements, web sites and
apps, calendars, conservation campaigns, and more.
New
in Print As
I've said many times, the seas are filled with wonderful creatures.
Including real live mermaids! Here is my favorite, Melissa, swimming along
a reef ablaze in soft corals, deep in the heart of Indonesia. This photo
was just published in Europe's leading scuba diving magazine, Tauchen.
We've worked with them countless times over the last 20 years. I'm sure
that Melissa has graced the cover at least 20 times! Indonesia boasts many
of the world's richest reefs, and we thoroughly enjoy exploring this
hotspot of marine biodiversity. There are more species of coral, fishes,
and invertebrates in Indonesia than any other place on earth. We have
loads and loads of underwater
pictures from Indonesia, hundreds of which can be seen on our web
site.
We
will be returning to scuba dive Indonesia in 2015 in the company of a
great group of friends from around the world. There are two spaces left on
the boat, so if anyone out there is interested in coming aboard to dive
into waters dubbed "The Cauldron of Creation", please contact
us. Future group diving safaris are likely to include exotic places such
as Fiji, the Maldives, Tonga (for humpback whales), Bahamas, and more.
Come join us beneath the waves!
Florida Manatees The seas are filled with wonderful creatures. So are the world's
freshwater systems. Few animals move back and forth between salty and
sweet. Manatees,
of the Sirenian tribe, do so with grace and style. I've made many photo
trips to west central Florida's Crystal River area to photograph our
country's only sirenian, Trichechus manatus latirostris, the endearing,
and endangered, manatee. Technically these individuals are a subspecies
of the West Indian manatee. They are gray, fat, and just about the
coolest marine mammal the non-hardcore diver or snorkeler is likely to
meet up-close and personal. In winter months, hundreds of these gentle
creatures move from the coastal seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico,
into Crystal River and its tributaries to rest and feed in the warmer
springfed freshwater. On a cold morning, it's not uncommon to find ten
or twenty huddled together in the shallow water, sleeping and
socializing, staying warm and occasionally swimming right up to you to
say hello.
Our manatee photos
have been published all over the world, illustrating magazine articles,
appearing in advertisements, gracing billboards and book covers,
calendars and cards. Follow this link to see more underwater pictures of Florida Manatees.
We will be happy to help with licensing requests. Select prints are also available for purchase.
Killer
Whales
I
recently returned home from yet another orca trip. I think I've spent
something like 50 weeks of my life in pursuit of killer
whales, my favorite animal. Very near and dear to me, as I began my
career 20 years ago with orcas. Amazing creatures.
People often ask what it's like. I usually say something like "hours,
sometimes days of boredom, punctuated by a few moments of magic..."
That pretty much sums it up. Normally I do these trips by myself. Melissa
has accompanied me a few times, but it's getting tougher these days
because she is so busy with her art. Fun to remember that a week of whales
in the San Juan Islands was our first date...
This time I was accompanied by a good friend, Frank WEST, a superb
photographer from Switzerland. We met in South Africa a few years ago,
while chasing great white sharks. He told me that he's always wanted to
spend time with orcas, so it was my pleasure to show him around.
Below is an excerpt from my trip log, a "day in the life" sort
of accounting. It's not blockbuster movie material, but it certainly gives
you an idea what goes on behind the scenes. After the text, you'll find a link
to new orca pictures from this trip.
Thanks so much to Frank for being such a great partner on this expedition.
And thanks, as always, to the whales.
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
5am- Wake up early, again. 4 fitful hours of sleep is not enough for me
anymore. Maybe when I was 25, but not anymore.
6am- On the water, surrounded by fog. Really thick. It’s been like this
most mornings. Can’t see more than 20 yards or so, and with a maze of
islands around us, no choice but to pull out the old crappy handheld GPS.
We meander through a foggy sea for a while. Cold this morning.
7amish- Almost collide with an island. GPS doesn’t have this island on
its map… Hum… I know about where we are. Philippe is kind enough not
to ask me if we’re lost. We’re not, but I don’t know exactly where
we are. As it’s low tide, and I’m worried about rocks, best to shut
down and wait.
7:30am- Fog begins to tear apart, and we start motoring again. I get my
bearings and plot the day’s course. Surprise! A group of transients off
the end of Gooch Island, near the beacon. 5 whales, one big male, one tiny
newborn, and three others. Pretty sure I’ve seen these guys before, but
can’t recall the exact ID.
8am – 12 noon. No more fog, nice sunshine now. Transients slowly moving
south, obviously hunting. After a nice spyhop, still with golden morning
light, we follow them into a bay. We see them investigate a number of kelp
beds, circling rocks, looking for harbor seals probably. Yes, definitely
harbor seals. Witness two different attacks, lots of splashing around, saw
the seal frantically trying to escape. Not 100% sure, but I think the last
attack was successful. Unfortunately I can’t make any photos which
really make sense of the attack.
Fascinating to watch these whales go about their daily lives. The orca pod
worked together effectively, surrounding the prey, even creating waves
trying to swamp seals and knock them off the rocks. One orca makes
stealthy approaches into the shallows, almost sliding up into a tidepool
where petrified seals are cowering. Whales celebrated a bit after the
kill, playing at the surface, tail slapping, etc. Very young calf leaps
out of water with mouth open. All 5 play under the boat, rolling upside
down and blowing bubbles. We don’t have underwater cameras ready, so all
we can do is watch, enjoy the moments.
Afternoon. After leaving the transients in search of resident whales,
hours pass with nothing. Zig zag all over the place, covering about 60
miles without any sightings. Where are the other whales we saw yesterday?
Dinnertime, but of course we’re still on boat, and looking for whales,
not eating dinner. That might happen later, depending on how tired we are
when we return. Finally at about 6:30 we see some fins far away, way south
of the south end of San Juan Island. Water is fairly calm, so we decide to
stick with them til sunset. About 15 whales here, spread out. J and K pod
members. I’ve known some of these whales for 20 years… No breaching or
spyhopping tonight, just fin shots as the sun sinks and the water glows
orange. Wonderful to be out here alone with the whales, listening to them
breathe.
8pm. We have a long way to go, about 35 miles to reach the dock. Time to
say goodnight to the whales, top off the gas tanks. Put on the warm
jackets. It’s going to be cold tonight. Speeding back north, I wonder if
we’ll find the whales tomorrow…
9:30pm Things were going fine up until half hour ago, until the last few
miles, when we had to slow down and navigate by gps and use the spotlight
to find our path through the darkness, avoiding the sandbar, rocks, and
floating debris. Pull into the dock and tromp up the ramp. Not looking
forward to filling up retrieving the boat, cleaning up, unpacking,
readying everything for tomorrow, etc. Just want to sleep.
10:30pm. Back in hotel room. Too tired to eat. But have to download
pictures and take care of some computer work. Need to send a picture to a
client. And charge batteries and get some things ready for tomorrow.
1am. Lights out. But only for 4 hours. Start the whole thing over again
soon…
END OF NOTES
FOR
A SELECTION OF KILLER WHALE PHOTOGRAPHSS FROM THIS TRIP, PLEASE SEE THE
LINK BELOW:
A few people have asked about high quality prints of these pictures- Yes,
we'd be happy to make a print or two for you, on paper, canvas, or metal.
Please contact us via email and we'll take it from there.
http://www.brandoncole.com/WEBGALLERIES/Orcas2013_600pixel_BrandonCole/
Truk
Lagoon Back
in April, Melissa and I dived into the Graveyard
of the Pacific- Truk Lagoon, the wreck diving capital of the world. It
was something complete different for us, history meets biology, artifacts
and artificial reefs all jumbled together into an emotional experience
overflowing with unique photographic opportunities. We explored dozens of
Japanese shipwrecks sent to the bottom during Operation Hailstone in
February 1944, a result of intense bombing by American planes in a
surprise airstrike which dealt the Japanese naval fleet a fatal blow.
Swimming through lightless inner passageways of 500' long warships we were
truly immersed in the darkness of World War II. We discovered caches of
unexploded bombs and torpedoes, cargo holds with demolished Zero planes,
tanks frozen in time, and even the remains of soldiers who perished at
sea. The above is a wide angle fisheye picture from inside the bridge of
the Nippo Maru, a scene featuring Mr. Potato Head which brought a little
levity to the otherwise heavy solemnity of the place.
And
here's a link to a slideshow with more
shipwreck artificial reef images from Chuuk:
http://www.brandoncole.com/WEBGALLERIES/Truk2013_600pixel/
rh71629, new underwater photo of a friendly
green sea turtle from Palau
fine
art prints, canvas gallery wraps, and metal prints Many
people ask if our marine photographs are available as prints for display
in one's home or office. Yes they are, and we'd be happy to help you find
the perfect photo of a shark or whale or dolphin or tropical fish or
octopus or seal or whatever finned or flippered creature you like best-
including this curious green sea turtle shot at an interesting angle in
Palau, photo .
Please contact us directly at brandoncole@msn.com, or visit our new print
gallery at Fineartamerica here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/brandon-cole.html
We've just now started to upload photographs to this site, and we'd be
glad to upload pictures specifically for you. Simply let us know what you
want and we'll take it from there
20 years February 2013 marks twenty years in business for Brandon Cole Marine Photography. Thanks so much for your support over the last two decades! We sincerely appreciate having the opportunity to share the wonders of worldwide oceans with you. Our image library continues to grow and we look forward to continued collaboration. Our commitment to you remains unchanged- to happily provide exciting, beautiful and affordable imagery from beneath the waves, and superb service backed up by accurate information and solid scientific knowledge. Please let us know how we can be of assistance. No project is too large or small.
To help celebrate our partnership, when you license a picture from us in the next three months we will send you a gift (a signed print of either a photo in our collection or Melissa's artwork at www.brandoncole.com/melissacole_20years.htm), make a donation to a marine conservation organization on your behalf, or offer a special discount off your licensing fee.
Thanks again, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!
Key to photos, starting at top left and continuing same row to right, then continuing left to right each row beneath:
Oceanic Whitetip Shark, Hawaii USA 1993; crab camouflaged on sea cucumber, Indonesia 1994; Killer whale breaching, Washington USA 1995; gooseneck barnacles, Canada 1996; anemonefish, Thailand 1997; spawning Sockeye Salmon, British Columbia Canada 1998; Leafy Sea Dragon, South Australia 1999; Great White Shark, South Africa 2000; Green Sea Turtle, Hawaii USA 2001; Whitetip Reef Sharks feeding at night, Costa Rica 2002; nudibranch, Indonesia 2003; Horse-eye jacks schooling, Belize 2004; Florida Manatees, Florida 2005; Giant Pacific Octopus, BC Canada 2006; Humpback Whale tail flukes, Alaska USA 2007; coral reef, Fiji 2008; Bottlenose Dolphins, Honduras 2009; California Sea Lion with seastar, Baja Mexico 2010; aerial view of Greet Barrier Reef, Australia 2011; Green Anaconda, Brazil 2012
video clips We have recently begun to capture HD video footage of the big blue- whales, sharks, schools of tropical fish, and more. High quality clips will be available for licensing to our clients worldwide. Please contact us for more information. For now, please enjoy watching a few clips:
V-QZ52826-v1. school of Diagonal Banded Sweetlips fish on Great Barrier Reef in Australia
V-RD0129. Humpback Whales, mother and calf swimming together
V-RC0073-c1. Colorful tropical fish and reef sharks swimming over coral reef
Our new photo (QZ74125) of a Pink Anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) published on the front cover of National Wildlife Magazine. This "Nemo relative" lives in a symbiotic association with Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica). Photographed on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, tropical Pacific Ocean.
Australia New Australia photos are now available on our web site. Melissa and I really enjoyed exploring the Great Barrier Reef, the world's most famous coral reef, Earth's largest living thing. It had been a few years since my last photo expedition to the GBR, and I was happy to see healthy hard coral gardens, schools of tropical fish, sharks, and so much more. In addition to scuba diving along the Ribbon Reefs outside of Cairns, and on the remote Osprey Reef out in the Coral Sea, we photographed one of the top shipwreck dives on the planet, the SS Yongala, a magnet for marine life. Check out the exciting Yongala images, including aggregations of stingrays, and then take an helicopter flight with us to make aerial pictures. We are considering a follow up trip in the next year or two to encounter the dwarf minke whales. Please let us know if you have any projects for which you need dramatic marine photography from Australia. As always, we will be happy to help.
OCEAN
ENCOUNTERS We’re happy to
announce our new photo e-book app for the Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod
Touch, " Ocean Encounters ".
Join us in exploring beneath the waves. Enjoy close-up encounters with
marine wildlife large and small (whales, dolphins, sharks, fish and
invertebrates)... scuba dive down onto colorful coral reefs and through
swaying kelp forests... and learn about the marine environment worldwide.
250 photos, "notes from the field", and a cool interactive map
bring ocean adventure into focus like never before.
If you own one of the above mobile devices, visit
the App Store today to download " Ocean Encounters " by
using this link:
www.banzailabs.com/ocean
Please
take a moment to write a review after you give it a test drive. User
feedback is really important in helping to highlight quality apps from
among the hundreds of thousands of things available on iTunes/App store.
Baja
Mexico We
would like to take this opportunity to show you new photography from an
exciting trip to Baja Mexico, more specifically the La Paz area in the Sea
of Cortez, and the Socorro Islands way out in the Pacific Ocean.
Highlights of the expedition include swimming with huge friendly manta
rays, interacting with playful sea lions, watching whale sharks feeding,
being enveloped in clouds of baitfish, poking around the Cabo Pulmo coral
reef, and even petting a completely wild dolphin. We've been visiting Baja
for more than 20 years- in fact this is where my wife Melissa and I met-
and it remains one of our favorite places on the planet. Please take a
moment to browse our new
Baja photos or all
of our Baja photos and let us know what you think.
Galapagos
Islands The incomparable
Islas Encantadas 600 miles off Ecuador once again delivered a remarkable
array of animal encounters- whale sharks, walls of hammerhead sharks,
mind-boggling schools of bonito, sea turtles, my favorite modern day
dinosaurs the marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, playful sea lions,
current-swept reefs covered in sea fans and gorgonians, penguins, and on
and on and on. It remains one of my favorite places on the planet. Please
browse our new Galapagos photos when you have a moment.
Bryde's
Whales feeding on baitballs Earlier
I reported on our very successful marlin shoot. But I did not mention that
in addition to striped marlin, I also was fortunate enough to capture some
of the most dramatic underwater feeding shots of Bryde's Whales (Balaenoptera
brydei) in the world today. I wish I could say that these pictures of this
unusal rorqual whale resulted from careful research, but that would be a
lie. I had absolutely no idea that these baleen whales were going to show
up to crash the marlin party. I was simply in the right place at the right
time. Lady Luck deserves much of the credit this time. Anyhow, it was
quite the experience to have to dodge the rapier-like bills of fiesty
marlin AND twenty tons of blubber at the same time. The National
Geographic Magazine has just published two of the images in the October
2009 issue, and I can finally post my collection on my web site. Photos
here: ( link
)
Bottlenose
Dolphins Fresh from last
month's dolphin shoot in the Caribbean: new stunning sunset shots,
intimate portraits, dolphins at play, and underwater images. We've added
the first batch of dramatic mages to our web site. More to come soon. This
new coverage adds to our already class-leading collection of marine mammal
photography. Please contact us to discuss how we can help bring your next
editorial project or advertising campaign to life. Photos
here: ( link
)
New
Zealand I'm not sure why it's
taken so long to dive Middle Earth. Whereas previous trips to this
magical land saw me focusing on whales and dolphins, this time we did
everything that we had not done before, including scuba exploration of the
Poor Knights Islands. Which I'll sum up with "Great fun, bold color,
interesting critters, refreshingly different underwater habitat." But
that was only the start. With scuba gear still wet, we piled into a
campervan and went on a rampage, north to south. Our list of topside
adventures included caving in the Waitomo area, Maori culture and boiling
mud pits in Rotorua, hiking up volcanoes in Tongariro National Park,
clawing up and sliding down Franz Josef Glacier, kayaking in Milford
Sound, cruising on Doubtful Sound, killing swarms of sand flies in
Fiordland, marveling at tree-sized ferns in temperate rainforest, and
much, much more. Honestly, I would say that there's more exciting
outdoorsy stuff to do here, and more jaw-dropping scenery awaiting around
every corner, than just about any place on earth. What a trip! Photos
await: ( link
)
Sailfish
and Striped
Marlin feeding on baitballs I
just returned from two wildly successful photography expeditions and have
something very cool to share with you: brand new underwater pictures of
striped marlin and sailfish. Not struggling on a fisherman’s line, but totally wild
and free, lording it over the blue. Quality
underwater photos of these majestic gamefish are very rare. I was
fortunate enough to finally find myself in the middle of amazing baitball
action with dozens of billfish on the hunt. Displaying remarkable agility
and speed, the excited, neon-flashing "stripies" and
"sails" rocket into the
spinning mass of sardines and mackerel, slashing with spear-like bills to
separate, stun, and then swallow one unlucky baitfish at a time.
Photographing these eight-foot long menacing "superfish" hunting
in the open ocean was one of my career highlights. (
Marlin photos link
) ( Sailfish photos link
)
Visit Search
for easy to use Keyword Search Engine and Category Search
upcoming
travel
201 -2016
Planned
upcoming shoots include humpback
whales in Tonga, great white sharks at Guadalupe Island Mexico, scuba
diving in the kelp forests off southern California, the Egyptian Red Sea,
sailfish feeding on sardines in Mexico, basking sharks in the UK, Grand
Cayman and additional projects yet to be
determined. Please let us know if you have a "piggy-backable"
assignment you'd like us to complete.
news
bulletins
Selects
We've
created this new feature on our web site ( link
) to highlight some of our favorite photographs
from over the years, and to give you a quick, easy look into the subject
diversity of our photo library. We will update this page every so often, so check
back every so often.
Melissa's
Blog My wife
and partner Melissa, an artist specializing in colorful, detailed
paintings of fish, birds, and other animals, has recently updated her web
site , added e-commerce capability, and a blog.
Please stop by for a visit and see fantastic art in the making!
Blog
We finally join the
blogosphere. Come on over to our blog
for sporadic updates, news, and other info.
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