In 2013 I was working as a Photo Pro at a dive shop, teaching underwater photography classes, diving, and selling a few prints through the dive shop. I got an unexpected call from the person who oversaw artists at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show—another photographer was scheduled to do a few seminars on underwater photography during the Boat Show and had to cancel at the last minute—would I be interested in filling in? And would I be interested in an artist/exhibitor space? HECK YES I would! (Of course, I knew nothing about putting together any kind of display, but I wasn’t passing up this opportunity). I had a lot to figure out in a short period of time. I knew I wanted to be

I grew up in a very (like one stoplight) small town in northern New Jersey where we spent every Sunday driving over the Tappan Zee Bridge headed to Yonkers and my Italian grandmother’s house for dinner. While we spent a lot of time at the Jersey shore, I was never a fan of the ocean. In fact, I was afraid of the water and didn’t learn to swim until my 20s (more about that later)—no one could have convinced me the part the ocean would play in my life. I wasn’t a good student, but a sole photography teacher saw something in me and helped to place (and keep) me on a path to success. He allowed me extra time in the darkroom, set up