Mike Bartick
Aliases: mikebartick Role: Underwater photographer, dive resort host, technique author, competition judge First appearance: 2018 (Wetpixel articles) Affiliation: Crystal Blue Dive Resort (Anilao, Philippines); Brand ambassador: Sea & Sea, Kraken Sports
Biography
Mike Bartick is an American underwater photographer based at Crystal Blue Dive Resort in Anilao, Philippines — one of the premier muck diving and critter photography destinations in the world. He is widely recognized as a pioneer of blackwater diving photography, having founded the Facebook Blackwater Photo Group, which became a central community resource for the technique.
Bartick writes technique-focused articles for Wetpixel and has been a consistent presence in the competition circuit, both as a contestant and as a judge. He serves as a judge for the DPG/Wetpixel Masters competition and for DEEP Indonesia.
Contributions
- Blackwater diving: Co-pioneered organized blackwater photography practice and community; founded the Facebook Blackwater Photo Group.
- Wetpixel technique articles: Author of substantial technique features including “Effective Snooting,” “Bokeh-licious,” and “The Big 4.” ([1])
- Gear reviews: Reviewed the Backscatter MF-1 Mini Flash and Optical Snoot for Wetpixel. ([2])
- Competition judging: Judge for DPG/Wetpixel Masters and DEEP Indonesia photo competitions.
- Brand ambassador: Representative for Sea & Sea and Kraken Sports.
Timeline
- 2018-05: Featured as a Wetpixel interview subject; discussion of his practice at Crystal Blue Resort and blackwater diving expertise. ([3])
- 2018-07: Publishes “Effective Snooting” technique article on Wetpixel. ([4])
- 2018: Won “5 Best” category at World Shootout 2018 — $20,000 prize. ([5])
- 2019-01: Subject of “Conversations with Underwater Photographers” interview series by Henley Spiers on Wetpixel. ([6])
- 2020-02: Reviews Backscatter MF-1 Mini Flash and OS-1 Optical Snoot for Wetpixel; detailed assessment of the compact strobe system for macro photography at Anilao. ([7])
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Jul 23, 2018: Mike Bartick Effective Snooting ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 5, 2020: Review Mike Bartick On The Backscatter Mini Flash And Optical Snoot ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 28, 2018: First Installment Of ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 23, 2018: Mike Bartick Effective Snooting ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 28, 2018: First Installment Of ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 6, 2019: Conversations With Underwater Photographers Mike Bartick By Henley Spiers ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 5, 2020: Review Mike Bartick On The Backscatter Mini Flash And Optical Snoot ↩
- First installment of… (World Shootout 2018) (article) ↩
- Mike Bartick: Effective Snooting (article) ↩
- Conversations with Underwater Photographers: Mike Bartick by Henley Spiers (article) ↩
- Review: Mike Bartick on the Backscatter Mini Flash and Optical Snoot (article) ↩