Matt Segal

Aliases: matt segal, segal3, Guest segal3 Role: Wetpixel administrator, underwater photographer, video equipment reviewer First appearance: 2005 (forums March, first article July) Affiliation: Wetpixel; University of Southern California (Aerospace Engineering)

Biography

Matt Segal is a Southern California native who became the youngest member of the Wetpixel team and its behind-the-scenes workhorse. A National Merit Scholar studying Aerospace Engineering at USC on a full scholarship, he started diving in the Cayman Islands at age 15 after a knee injury sidelined other activities, and began underwater photography in late 2003. He shot a Canon 20D in an Ikelite housing with two DS-125 strobes ([1]).

Eric Cheng called him “the young administrator that keeps Wetpixel running behind the scenes” and noted he “rushed back home after DEMA to take a midterm” ([2], [3]).

Contributions

DEMA Coverage

Matt’s signature contribution was exhaustive booth-by-booth DEMA Show coverage in 2006, 2007, and 2008 — approximately 37 articles providing comprehensive trade show reporting that served as the community’s window into gear launches and industry developments.

News and Gear Reporting

With 354 articles concentrated in a ~3-year window (2006–2009) coinciding with his USC years, Matt covered competition results (~62 articles), gear/housing/strobe announcements (~58 articles), marine conservation news (~40 articles), and Photokina coverage.

Wetpixel Administration

By 2008, Matt was referred to as “Wetpixel administrator” and “administrator extraordinaire,” part of the official Wetpixel Quarterly team alongside Eric Cheng, Adam Lau, Michaela Brockstedt, and Elijah Woolery ([4]).

Community Advocacy

Segal was a prominent voice in the article comments during the 2008 Markus Groh/Jim Abernethy/Shear Water incident, posting three lengthy comments totaling over 5,900 characters. He expressed personal condolences, advocated for accurate reporting about Abernethy’s operation (which he had witnessed firsthand), and forwarded concerns to George Burgess of the International Shark Attack Files about the mischaracterization of Abernethy’s dives as “shark feeding.” (article comments)

DIY and Technical

Published an early article on adding USB connectivity through an Ikelite housing using a sync-cord bulkhead, enabling tethered camera download without opening the housing ([5]).

Article Output by Year

YearArticlesNotes
20051USB housing mod
200651Joined moderation team Aug 14; DEMA coverage
2007154Peak year; DEMA booth-by-booth
2008121DEMA, Photokina, WPQ team
200925Tapering off
20112Final articles (Alaska expedition)

Timeline

References

Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Aug 14, 2006: Matt Segal Joins Wetpixel Moderation Team ↩
  2. Wetpixel article, Jun 21, 2008: Happy Birthday To Matt Segal ↩
  3. Wetpixel article, Oct 30, 2008: Dema 2008 Wetpixel ↩
  4. Wetpixel article, Oct 30, 2008: Dema 2008 Wetpixel ↩
  5. Wetpixel article, Jul 14, 2005: Adding Usb Connectivity To Your U W Housing ↩
  6. Wetpixel article, Jul 14, 2005: Adding Usb Connectivity To Your U W Housing ↩
  7. Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2005: Laups 2005 Contest Winners Posted ↩
  8. Wetpixel article, Aug 14, 2006: Matt Segal Joins Wetpixel Moderation Team ↩
  9. Wetpixel article, Nov 10, 2006: Dema 2006 Gates Video Tripod ↩
  10. Wetpixel article, Nov 4, 2007: Dema 2007 10 Bar ↩
  11. Wetpixel article, Jun 21, 2008: Happy Birthday To Matt Segal ↩
  12. Wetpixel article, Aug 13, 2008: Six Gill Sharks In Seattle ↩
  13. Wetpixel article, Oct 30, 2008: Dema 2008 Wetpixel ↩
  14. Wetpixel article, Jul 11, 2011: Wetpixel Alaska Expedition 2011 Trip Report ↩
  15. Adding USB Connectivity to your U/W Housing (2005) (article) ↩
  16. LAUPS 2005 Contest Winners (article) ↩
  17. Matt Segal joins Wetpixel moderation team (2006) (article) ↩
  18. Happy Birthday to Matt Segal (2008) (article) ↩
  19. Six-gill sharks in Seattle (2008) (article) ↩
  20. DEMA 2008 — Wetpixel (2008) (article) ↩
  21. Alaska Expedition trip report (2011) (article) ↩