Mike Veitch

Aliases: mikeveitch, TahitiMike, MikeVeitch
Role: Underwater photographer, videographer, dive resort operator, Wetpixel moderator, workshop instructor, magazine columnist
First appearance: 2004 ([1])
Origin: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Location: Bali, Indonesia (since ~2014)
Affiliation: Wetpixel (moderator/associate editor), NAD-Lembeh, Underwater Tribe, Bali School of Underwater Photography
Forum posts: 4,541
Active years: 2004—2022

Biography

Mike Veitch is a Canadian underwater photographer, videographer, and dive industry professional whose career arc traces the geography of Indo-Pacific diving. Originally from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, he built a career as a full-time underwater image maker, working professionally across multiple roles: photo and video pro at dive resorts, liveaboard operations, resort co-manager, photography instructor, competition judge, magazine columnist, and media producer ([2]).

Veitch started in the diving industry in Palau, where he worked on a liveaboard and had his first memorable encounters with manta rays swimming at night off the back deck ([3]). He then spent time in Fiji and French Polynesia before settling as the resident photo and video pro at Manta Ray Bay Hotel in Yap, Micronesia, a position he held for approximately three years (roughly 2005—2008). During his time in Yap, he dived with mantas on a near-daily basis and captured hundreds of photographs and hours of video of manta ray behaviour, including experiences with 30+ mantas in mating frenzies in Miil Channel ([4]).

In December 2008, Veitch and Simon Buxton took over management of NAD-Lembeh Resort in Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait ([5]). He co-managed the resort until June 2011, when Buxton took sole ownership and Veitch moved to work on the Damai liveaboard ([6]). He then settled in Bali, Indonesia, where he co-founded the Bali School of Underwater Photography (BSUP) and the Underwater Tribe media company with Luca Vaime ([7]).

Veitch’s video background was a distinguishing feature of his skill set. He brought extensive experience shooting underwater video with red filters and manual white balance — techniques he leveraged in his reviews and educational articles about still photography ([8]).

Wetpixel Role

Veitch was appointed as Wetpixel’s video moderator in September 2005, as part of an expanded volunteer moderating team announced by Eric Cheng ([9]). His personal website at the time was bigblueimages.com. He went on to accumulate 4,541 forum posts across 224 threads, with an activity score of 5,636, making him one of the more active moderators on the site. His top forum threads included “Your Daily Lembeh Photo” (67 replies) and “How to Improve WP” (64 replies) ([10]).

He was consistently identified as “Wetpixel moderator” in article bylines throughout his career, and was featured as a staff photographer in Wetpixel Quarterly issue 2 alongside Alex Mustard, Eric Cheng, Luiz Rocha, James Wiseman, and others.

Contributions

Educational Writing: “In Focus” Column Series

Veitch wrote a regular “In Focus” column for Scuba Diver Australasia magazine (2006—2009), which he later republished on Wetpixel (2011—2012). The series covered core aspects of underwater photography technique:

Shark Photography Tutorial

In March 2006, Veitch published “Mike Veitch on Shark Photography,” a detailed tutorial covering lens selection for different shark encounters (medium-angle lenses to fill the frame with reef sharks, 60mm for close-up portraits), the “30 degree rule” for capturing shark personality, stealth techniques to avoid spooking subjects, and using schooling fish as camouflage. The article drew praise from Dr. Luiz Rocha, who was heading to shark-rich Kwajalein the following day ([17]).

Magic Filter Review

One of Veitch’s earliest articles (October 2005) was a thorough review of the Alex Mustard-designed Magic Filter from Yap, Micronesia. Uniquely, Veitch tested the filter in unconventional scenarios beyond its intended use: shooting into the sun, split shots, and combining it with strobes — drawing on his video background where leaving red filters on during night dives with manual white balance was standard practice. He demonstrated that the camera’s white balance could compensate for the filter even with strobe illumination, producing “rather outstanding” results ([18]).

Reviews

National Geographic Traveler Cover

A photograph by Veitch of a traditionally dressed Yapese girl in the jungle appeared on the cover of National Geographic Traveler magazine in August 2007, announced on Wetpixel by Matt Segal ([22]).

Scuba Diver Australasia Covers

Veitch had his photograph featured on the cover of Scuba Diver Australasia at least twice. The December 2006 cover featured his photograph of a closed anemone resembling a red Christmas ornament — noted as “the second time in as many months” that his work appeared on the magazine’s cover ([23]).

BSoUP International Focus On Competition

Veitch won the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) International Focus On competition in 2005, as noted in 2006 when the competition was announced for its second year ([24]). His name appeared alongside Martyn Tomcik as the competition’s past winner in the 2007 announcement ([25]).

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

In October 2013, Veitch won the “World in Our Hands” category at the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition with his image “Fish Trap.” He attended the awards ceremony in London alongside other Wetpixel members including Julian Cohen and Alex Tattersall ([26]).

”Ask the Pros” Contributor

Veitch was featured as one of approximately 15 professional photographers in Wetpixel’s “Ask the Pros: Split Shots” article (June 2015), sharing expertise alongside David Doubilet, Douglas Seifert, Brian Skerry, and others ([27]). He was also a contributor to the “What Makes for a Great Black and White Image?” feature (November 2014) ([28]).

Manta Ray Photography

Veitch’s 2017 “Full Frame” photo essay on manta rays for Wetpixel documented years of encounters across Palau, Yap, Fiji, French Polynesia, and Indonesia (Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Halmahera). The essay distinguished between reef manta rays (Manta alfredi) and the larger oceanic manta rays (Manta birostris), noting the diagnostic “T” shaped marking on the oceanic species. He described snorkelling with feeding mantas as among his most memorable experiences — the animals forming staggered feeding lines and largely ignoring the presence of swimmers ([29]).

DivePhotoFest / ShootUnderwater Workshops

Veitch co-founded DivePhotoFest workshops with Simon Buxton and Tim Rock, launching the divephotofest.com website in November 2006 ([30]). Prior to that, he ran workshops under the ShootUnderwater brand with Rock and Chris Bangs, offering seminars in Yap (manta rays, July 2006) and Bali (macro photography, October 2006) ([31], [32]). DivePhotoFest workshops ran in the Philippines (Puerto Galera, June 2007) and Bali, with sponsors including Aquatica, Ikelite, Magic Filters, PADI Diving Society, Think Tank Photo, and Cressi Sub ([33], [34]).

NAD-Lembeh Resort

Veitch and Simon Buxton (forum name “Scuba Si”) took over management of NAD-Lembeh Resort in December 2008, described at the time as “two underwater photographers who have recently become the new managers” ([35]). During this period, Veitch ran the popular “Your Daily Lembeh Photo” thread on the Wetpixel forums, showcasing macro subjects from the strait. Buxton took sole ownership in June 2011, and Veitch moved to work on the Damai liveaboard ([36]).

Bali School of Underwater Photography

In July 2014, Veitch and Luca Vaime launched the Bali School of Underwater Photography (BSUP), offering one-to-one classes, small group courses (up to four divers), and on-location workshops throughout Indonesia. Classes ranged from 2-day sessions to complete Bali dive safaris, with daily theory instruction, image review, and one-to-one underwater guidance. The school employed experienced dive guides specialising in working with underwater photographers ([37]).

Underwater Tribe

Co-founded Underwater Tribe media company with Luca Vaime, producing:

Manta Fest 2008

Veitch co-hosted Manta Fest 2008 in Yap with Eric Cheng, described as “photo pro Eric Cheng and video pro Mike Veitch” for a 15-day event at Manta Ray Bay Hotel. The event description noted Veitch “has been the photo/video pro at Manta Ray Bay resort for 3 years” ([45]). Veitch provided daily coverage for Wetpixel and gave slideshows of Indonesia and the Pacific, plus a video montage of Yap mantas. He described the trip as “a return to home” after relocating from Yap ([46], [47]).

Competition Judging

Veitch served as a judge at multiple photo shootout competitions:

Mount Agung Eruption Coverage

During the November 2017 Mount Agung eruption in Bali, Veitch and the Underwater Tribe blog were cited by Wetpixel as a key resource for tracking the eruptions, alongside volcanologist Dr. Janine Krippher’s Twitter feed ([50]).

UwP Magazine Contributions

Veitch contributed articles to Underwater Photography (UwP) magazine, including a Magic Filter review (issue 27, 2005) ([51]), articles in issue 21 alongside Alex Mustard ([52]), and issue 43 ([53]).

Timeline

Gear and Technique

Veitch used Nikon cameras throughout much of his career. He mentioned switching from a setup that included the 10.5mm fisheye and 105mm macro lenses, using an Aquatica housing with YS-120 strobes. He also used Ikelite DS125 strobes at one point, noting the need to tape the hotshoe for proper sync cord operation ([96]). His D90 camera prompted a transition from Photoshop CS2/Bridge to Lightroom 2 when Photoshop could not read the D90’s RAW files ([97]). For the OceanLight film project, he used a Sony A7s II in a Nauticam housing with a Sony 28mm f2 lens, Nauticam wide wet lens, and Fisheye Aquavolt 7000 lights ([98]). Tim Rock’s article “Judas Returns” mentioned that Veitch would give grief to anyone switching camera systems ([99]).

Publications and Media

References

Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Oct 25, 2004: Wetpixel Mayjune 2004 Contest Winners ↩
  2. Wetpixel article, Dec 20, 2011: Review Lightroom 3 For The Underwater Photographer ↩
  3. Wetpixel article, May 9, 2017: Mike Veitch Manta Rays ↩
  4. Wetpixel article, May 9, 2017: Mike Veitch Manta Rays ↩
  5. Wetpixel article, Dec 17, 2008: Wetpixel Members New Management Of Nad Lembeh ↩
  6. Wetpixel article, Jun 6, 2011: Change Of Ownership At Nad Lembeh ↩
  7. Wetpixel article, Jul 27, 2014: Mike Veitch Launches The Bali School Of Underwater Photography ↩
  8. Wetpixel article, Oct 6, 2005: Magic Filter Review ↩
  9. Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2005: Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team ↩
  10. source: person_matrix.json (article) ↩
  11. Wetpixel article, Aug 11, 2011: The Near And Far ↩
  12. Wetpixel article, May 30, 2011: The Ringer ↩
  13. Wetpixel article, Jun 26, 2011: Light Of My Life The Art Of Light ↩
  14. Wetpixel article, Jan 21, 2012: 8 Ways To Improve Your Photography On A Single Dive ↩
  15. Wetpixel article, Feb 12, 2012: The Mentor ↩
  16. Wetpixel article, Nov 30, 2012: Reef Respect ↩
  17. Wetpixel article, Mar 9, 2006: Mike Veitch On Shark Photography ↩
  18. Wetpixel article, Oct 6, 2005: Magic Filter Review ↩
  19. Wetpixel article, Dec 20, 2011: Review Lightroom 3 For The Underwater Photographer ↩
  20. Wetpixel article, Aug 2, 2020: Review Tobias Friedrich Lightroom Presets By Mike Veitch ↩
  21. Wetpixel article, Jan 31, 2007: Doug And Lorenza Sloss Release Underwater Photoworkshop ↩
  22. Wetpixel article, Sep 4, 2007: Mike Veitch Cover Of National Geographic Traveler ↩
  23. Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2006: Mike Veitch Cover Of Scuba Diver Australasia ↩
  24. Wetpixel article, Aug 11, 2006: Bsoups International Focus On Competition 06 ↩
  25. Wetpixel article, Jul 25, 2007: Bsoups International Focus On 07 ↩
  26. Wetpixel article, Oct 16, 2013: Nhm Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Awards ↩
  27. Wetpixel article, Jun 30, 2015: Ask The Pros Split Shots ↩
  28. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2014: What Makes For A Great Black And White Image ↩
  29. Wetpixel article, May 9, 2017: Mike Veitch Manta Rays ↩
  30. Wetpixel article, Nov 18, 2006: New Underwater Photography Workshops Website Divephotofestcom ↩
  31. Wetpixel article, Jan 21, 2006: Shootunderwatercom Digital Pro Seminars ↩
  32. Wetpixel article, Aug 7, 2006: Shootunderwater Mike Veitchs Photo Workshop ↩
  33. Wetpixel article, May 2, 2007: Divephotofest Philippines Workshop Space ↩
  34. Wetpixel article, Aug 12, 2007: Divephotofest Bali Workshop ↩
  35. Wetpixel article, Dec 17, 2008: Wetpixel Members New Management Of Nad Lembeh ↩
  36. Wetpixel article, Jun 6, 2011: Change Of Ownership At Nad Lembeh ↩
  37. Wetpixel article, Jul 27, 2014: Mike Veitch Launches The Bali School Of Underwater Photography ↩
  38. Wetpixel article, May 2, 2016: Oceanlight See What You Cant See By Underwater Tribe ↩
  39. Wetpixel article, May 24, 2018: Podcast The Underwater Tribe Diving And Adventure Episode 6 ↩
  40. Wetpixel article, Dec 5, 2018: Underwater Tribe Podcast Number 11 Dr Mark Erdmann ↩
  41. Wetpixel article, Jun 13, 2019: Underwater Tribe Podcasts Episode 13 Featuring Bertie Gekoski ↩
  42. Wetpixel article, Apr 9, 2020: The Underwater Tribe Hosts Live Webcasts ↩
  43. Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2015: Video Diving Manta Alley By Earth Touch ↩
  44. Wetpixel article, May 20, 2015: Video Corals Clear Waters And Cruising Fish ↩
  45. Wetpixel article, Dec 11, 2007: Manta Fest 2008 In Yap Micronesia ↩
  46. Wetpixel article, Sep 3, 2008: Manta Fest 2008 Wetpixel Coverage Day 1 ↩
  47. Wetpixel article, Sep 21, 2008: Manta Fest 2008 Closing Words ↩
  48. Wetpixel article, Aug 5, 2007: Layang Layang Underwater Photo Shootout 2007 Winners ↩
  49. Wetpixel article, Oct 26, 2010: Mike Veitch To Judge At Layang Layang Photoshoot ↩
  50. Wetpixel article, Nov 26, 2017: Update Mount Agung Eruption ↩
  51. Wetpixel article, Nov 1, 2005: Uwp Magazine 27 Available For Download ↩
  52. Wetpixel article, Oct 6, 2004: Uwp Mag Issue 21 ↩
  53. Wetpixel article, Jul 14, 2008: Uwp Magazine Issue 43 Available For Download ↩
  54. Wetpixel article, Oct 25, 2004: Wetpixel Mayjune 2004 Contest Winners ↩
  55. Wetpixel article, Oct 6, 2004: Uwp Mag Issue 21 ↩
  56. Wetpixel article, Aug 11, 2006: Bsoups International Focus On Competition 06 ↩
  57. Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2005: Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team ↩
  58. Wetpixel article, Oct 6, 2005: Magic Filter Review ↩
  59. Wetpixel article, Jan 21, 2006: Shootunderwatercom Digital Pro Seminars ↩
  60. Wetpixel article, Mar 9, 2006: Mike Veitch On Shark Photography ↩
  61. Wetpixel article, Aug 7, 2006: Shootunderwater Mike Veitchs Photo Workshop ↩
  62. Wetpixel article, Nov 18, 2006: New Underwater Photography Workshops Website Divephotofestcom ↩
  63. Wetpixel article, Nov 15, 2006: Dema 2006 Sam In Palau Bill In Yap ↩
  64. Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2006: Mike Veitch Cover Of Scuba Diver Australasia ↩
  65. Wetpixel article, Jan 14, 2007: The Aqua Planet A New Website For Underwater Videographers ↩
  66. Wetpixel article, May 2, 2007: Divephotofest Philippines Workshop Space ↩
  67. Wetpixel article, Aug 5, 2007: Layang Layang Underwater Photo Shootout 2007 Winners ↩
  68. Wetpixel article, Sep 4, 2007: Mike Veitch Cover Of National Geographic Traveler ↩
  69. Wetpixel article, Sep 3, 2008: Manta Fest 2008 Wetpixel Coverage Day 1 ↩
  70. Wetpixel article, Dec 17, 2008: Wetpixel Members New Management Of Nad Lembeh ↩
  71. Forum thread: Your Daily Lembeh Photo ↩
  72. Wetpixel article, Oct 26, 2010: Mike Veitch To Judge At Layang Layang Photoshoot ↩
  73. Wetpixel article, May 30, 2011: The Ringer ↩
  74. Wetpixel article, Jun 26, 2011: Light Of My Life The Art Of Light ↩
  75. Wetpixel article, Jun 6, 2011: Change Of Ownership At Nad Lembeh ↩
  76. Wetpixel article, Aug 11, 2011: The Near And Far ↩
  77. Wetpixel article, Dec 20, 2011: Review Lightroom 3 For The Underwater Photographer ↩
  78. Wetpixel article, Jan 21, 2012: 8 Ways To Improve Your Photography On A Single Dive ↩
  79. Wetpixel article, Feb 12, 2012: The Mentor ↩
  80. Wetpixel article, Nov 30, 2012: Reef Respect ↩
  81. Wetpixel article, Oct 16, 2013: Nhm Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Awards ↩
  82. Wetpixel article, Apr 12, 2014: Show Coverage Adex 2014 ↩
  83. Wetpixel article, Jul 27, 2014: Mike Veitch Launches The Bali School Of Underwater Photography ↩
  84. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2014: What Makes For A Great Black And White Image ↩
  85. Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2015: Video Diving Manta Alley By Earth Touch ↩
  86. Wetpixel article, May 20, 2015: Video Corals Clear Waters And Cruising Fish ↩
  87. Wetpixel article, Jun 30, 2015: Ask The Pros Split Shots ↩
  88. Wetpixel article, May 2, 2016: Oceanlight See What You Cant See By Underwater Tribe ↩
  89. Wetpixel article, May 9, 2017: Mike Veitch Manta Rays ↩
  90. Wetpixel article, Nov 26, 2017: Update Mount Agung Eruption ↩
  91. Wetpixel article, May 24, 2018: Podcast The Underwater Tribe Diving And Adventure Episode 6 ↩
  92. Wetpixel article, Dec 5, 2018: Underwater Tribe Podcast Number 11 Dr Mark Erdmann ↩
  93. Wetpixel article, Jun 13, 2019: Underwater Tribe Podcasts Episode 13 Featuring Bertie Gekoski ↩
  94. Wetpixel article, Apr 9, 2020: The Underwater Tribe Hosts Live Webcasts ↩
  95. Wetpixel article, Aug 2, 2020: Review Tobias Friedrich Lightroom Presets By Mike Veitch ↩
  96. Forum thread: Your Daily Lembeh Photo ↩
  97. Wetpixel article, Dec 20, 2011: Review Lightroom 3 For The Underwater Photographer ↩
  98. Wetpixel article, May 2, 2016: Oceanlight See What You Cant See By Underwater Tribe ↩
  99. Wetpixel article, Mar 26, 2007: Judas Returns Nikon To Canon And Back Again ↩
  100. Wetpixel May/June 2004 contest — 1st place as TahitiMike (article) ↩
  101. UwP Magazine issue 21 (2004) (article) ↩
  102. Wetpixel expands moderating team (2005) (article) ↩
  103. Magic Filter review from Yap (2005) (article) ↩
  104. ShootUnderwater seminars announcement (2006) (article) ↩
  105. Shark photography tutorial (2006) (article) ↩
  106. BSoUP International Focus On 2006 — Veitch as past winner (article) ↩
  107. ShootUnderwater workshop announcement (2006) (article) ↩
  108. DivePhotoFest.com launch (2006) (article) ↩
  109. Scuba Diver Australasia cover (2006) (article) ↩
  110. DEMA 2006 — Yap photo/video pro (article) ↩
  111. Aqua Planet video website article (2007) (article) ↩
  112. DivePhotoFest Philippines workshop (2007) (article) ↩
  113. BSoUP International Focus On 2007 — Veitch as past winner (article) ↩
  114. Layang Layang Shootout 2007 — judge (article) ↩
  115. DivePhotoFest Bali workshop (2007) (article) ↩
  116. National Geographic Traveler cover (2007) (article) ↩
  117. Manta Fest 2008 announcement (article) ↩
  118. Manta Fest 2008 Day 1 coverage (article) ↩
  119. Manta Fest 2008 closing words (article) ↩
  120. NAD-Lembeh management (2008) (article) ↩
  121. Layang Layang 2011 — judge (article) ↩
  122. The Ringer — competition tips (2011) (article) ↩
  123. Change of ownership at NAD-Lembeh (2011) (article) ↩
  124. Light of My Life — lighting tutorial (2011) (article) ↩
  125. The Near and Far — CFWA tutorial (2011) (article) ↩
  126. Lightroom 3 DVD review (2011) (article) ↩
  127. 8 Ways to Improve (2012) (article) ↩
  128. The Mentor (2012) (article) ↩
  129. Reef Respect (2012) (article) ↩
  130. NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2013) (article) ↩
  131. ADEX 2014 coverage (article) ↩
  132. Bali School of UW Photography (2014) (article) ↩
  133. Black and white image feature (2014) (article) ↩
  134. Earth Touch Manta Alley video (2015) (article) ↩
  135. Earth Touch reef video (2015) (article) ↩
  136. Ask the Pros: Split Shots (2015) (article) ↩
  137. OceanLight / Sony A7s II (2016) (article) ↩
  138. Manta ray Full Frame photo essay (2017) (article) ↩
  139. Mount Agung eruption update (2017) (article) ↩
  140. Underwater Tribe Podcast ep. 6 (2018) (article) ↩
  141. Underwater Tribe Podcast ep. 11 (2018) (article) ↩
  142. Underwater Tribe Podcast ep. 13 (2019) (article) ↩
  143. COVID-19 live webcasts (2020) (article) ↩
  144. Tobias Friedrich Lightroom Presets review (2020) (article) ↩
  145. Judas Returns — Tim Rock mentions Veitch (2007) (article) ↩
  146. Your Daily Lembeh Photo forum thread (forum) ↩