Fireworm by Rob Wassom
|
"Mickey's ability to teach is probably what impressed me the most. I thought that the preparation put into our class was excellent, the media presentations were fantastic and the way he was able to convey the information to us was exceptional. Lots of people who are “experts” can’t teach worth a lick. This course has got the whole package."
Rob Wassom Portland, Oregon |
Green Sea Turtle by Jim Smith
|
“Mickey does a great job of not only teaching the technical aspects of underwater photography, but also emphasizing the artistic aspects of getting a great shot. He is more than willing to devote time to assisting individual photographers with their concerns and aspirations”.
Jim Smith Vancouver, Washington |
Silversides in Cave by Andrea Peterson
|
"I went into this photo course thinking, "I've got this stuff pretty much mastered, I wonder what I will be able to take from it"...well I sure took A LOT from this course! Mastering blue water and natural light is an artform in itself. Mickey Charteris made it easy to understand these concepts in his course, and help me apply them to my photography. No more blue photos for me! Thanks a bunch Mickey!"
Andrea Peterson Seattle, Washington |
Trunkfish by Remington Becker
|
"I was newer at taking pictures and was looking to improve my skills just enough to be able to take decent photos to show people what I see when I dive. This class did that and SO much more. Mickey's ability to make the class as technical or basic as you want (at the same time) is amazing. This class is very informative but most of all FUN. You almost forget you are in a class and not just out with friends. Highly recommend this class for photographers of all levels." Remington Becker Vancouver, Washington |
Flamingo Tongue by Kim Carnahan
|
"I was recently able to take an underwater photography course with Mickey Charteris and Steve Zedekar. It's exciting to take an underwater photo, plug it into Photoshop or Lightroom, and realize that I don't have to do color corrections. I'm actually seeing in my photos what I see underwater with even more clarity. I learned to do that in this photo course. My camera options were reviewed and then I was given time to use those settings underwater. I like shooting manual now that I understand more about the options I have with my camera and what they do for my photos. How fortunate I am to learn with experts." Kim Carnahan Vancouver, Washington |
Scorpionfish by Stacey Scapeccia
|
"It was an honor to spend 5 days under Mickeys' tutelage. As a newer photographer and diver that has found a new passion in both, he made the relationship between myself and my camera a bond for sure. As I was a bit intimidated going into such a course as an amateur, I now feel at ease with settings, aperture, white balance, editing and I just have tons of fun sharing the beauty of the sea. I am pretty proud of my pics:) Mickey LOVES what he does and it shows. He has a passion for teaching and it made every day of the course more exciting. We covered specific topics each dive to not overwhelm and spent hours between and after editing, learning new techniques and summarizing the photos of the day and answering questions. His ability to translate knowledge as well as his enthusiasm is one of a kind. His keen eye underwater to find subjects and communicate with you even in the water is perfect."
Stacey Scapeccia Prospect, Connecticut |
Fileclam by Monique Taree
|
"To do the course with Mickey for one week was a great experience. He definitely brought me to the next level. He taught me a lot of tricks and especially I got better with the aperture setting and shutter speeds. Mickey is very knowledgable in every field.
Besides what he knows about the marine life he was also very helpful with my Mac and how to work with Photoshop. Communication also underwater is Top! He even speaks I could hear his voice very clearly. He has a passion for the reef and the photography it shows, that makes him a great teacher!" Monique Taree, OWSI Roatan/The Netherlands |
First photo subject with David Speed! Thanks Denisse at Clearwater Adventures:
Hard to go back to Macro Mode after this start to the day...
|
"Mickey is an underwater artist! On my recent trip to Roatan I took his one-day underwater photo course. He tailored the course to my knowledge level and equipment; focusing on the unique challenges of taking underwater photos.
My photos have never looked so good!!! Mickey coordinated my course with Denisse of Clearwater Adventures before I even arrived on the island. He is an extraordinary individual and very talented photographer. Thanks…Mickey for sharing your gift." David Speed Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, USA |
Seafan by Steve Dao
|
"Mickey is a very engaging photography instructor. He managed to answer a lot of questions that I had about full manual photography that others could not. He looked over my shoulder during the dive to check on my settings that I got a properly exposed picture. Even though I only did a one day course, he covered information that spanned more than a day, thus maximizing my time and effort. It was as best as a one on one experience can get! Kudos Mickey!"
Steve Dao Houston, Texas |
Christmas Tree Worm by Marty Grisham
|
"Having been a land photographer for many years, I thought, yea, buy an underwater camera rig and start taking pictures. No problem, right. I could not have been more wrong. I soon found that underwater photography is very different than land based photography.
Spending five days with Mickey turned my photos from drab, blue and green pictures to amazingly colorful photographs. After each dive my photos were reviewed and suggestions made to improve the quality. I wish there were space here to show you my first day's photographs compared to my fifth day photographs. The differences were amazing. This was an absolute five star experience." Marty Grisham Okatie, South Carolina |
Green Moray by Daphni Ames
|
"Mickey's full immersion course is an amazing experience! I have been able to get "lucky" with my photos prior to the course. I learned how to use my camera in manual mode, including how to utilize manual white balance, auto white balance with a strobe, taking macro pictures in both modes, and how to use my aperture and shutter speed to take a much better photo. The time Mickey spent to explain how to utilize my camera in such a way to help it make sense. Each dive he helped to fine tune my approach - either distance, settings or getting lower/below the subject. His excitement is contagious. He truly loves what he does and he has a fantastic way to teach the process to your level of understanding. You will see your experience of underwater photography increase exponentially!"
Daphni Ames California, USA |
Lionfish by Mauricio Riquelme
"I'm keen on underwater photography since I started diving like 12 years ago. I started with very simple cameras (not too many in 10 years) and when I started diving in Roatan I decided to get a good one but compact. Everthing I knew about photography was because I used to read in internet. So I decided to jump to the next level and took the "Total Immersion Course" with my Brother. It was amazing! Five days diving twice a day and classes. Mickey has been living in Roatan for many years, so he knows the reef very well. He is talented, passionate and knowledgeable and he shares all his knowledge. I think I´ve improved a lot with the course trying to get the effect I want, no just try to get a good shot. I totally recomend it, for sure you will enjoy it and learn a lot."
Mauricio Riquelme, OWSI
Roatan/Chile
Mauricio Riquelme, OWSI
Roatan/Chile
Tiger Grouper by Cristobal Molina
|
"Mickey is an amazing Instructor, all that knowledge in the same guy is difficult to find it. I felt so rookie all the time with him in a good way. You can learn a lot from a guy that he has identified a big parts of the caribbean species!. He is humble, patient and flexible. I learned a lot from him. His way to teach the theory is awesome. He attacked all our weaknesses and helped us how to improve our techniques. Gracias Mickey por todo!" Cristobal Molina, OWSI Santiago, Chile |
Yellowline Arrow Crab by Rik Pavlescak
|
"As soon as I bought my Canon G16, I knew I had to sign up for Mickey's course. I was familiar with his wonderful book and his talent as an incredible dive master. I wanted to learn from the best. I had only used the camera once before taking the class. All of those photos were green/blue with non-distinct subjects.
After just one day of instruction with Mickey I was blown away by the rich colors I was getting. After completing the full five-day course, I feel confident and in command of my camera. I am now able to think through various underwater photography challenges and figure out how to get the colors, exposure, backgrounds and composition that I want in a shot. I'm really thrilled that most of my favorite photos required very little editing other than simple cropping. That's a testament to Mickey's great instruction. Mickey did an amazing job of pointing out various photo subjects that I would not have found on my own. It was obvious that he wants his students to get the best shots possible and he works hard to locate "tough to find" subjects such as nudibranchs, pipefish, and other macro critters. I'm happy to recommend this course for anyone with an interest in underwater photography. From beginner to advanced, I'm confident you'll learn a great deal!" Rik Pavlescak, West Palm Beach, Florida |
"The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.”: Annie Liebowitz, 1949
