DivePhotoGuide (DPG)

Type: Online publication and community
Founded: 2005
Headquarters: New York, USA
Website: divephotoguide.com
Key people: Jason Heller (founder), Matt Weiss (Editor-in-Chief 2008, Publisher/CEO from 2011)

Overview

DivePhotoGuide (DPG) is a major underwater photography and videography website that has operated alongside Wetpixel as one of the two leading online resources for the underwater imaging community since 2005. Founded by Jason Heller as a dive operator directory, DPG evolved under Editor-in-Chief Matt Weiss into a comprehensive underwater photography publication featuring daily news, technique guides, gear reviews, photo galleries, and competitions. DPG and Wetpixel have maintained one of the longest-running partnerships in underwater photography media, co-hosting international photography competitions since 2005 and joint events at industry trade shows for nearly two decades.

History

Founding and Launch (2005-2008)

• 2005-03: DivePhotoGuide.com launched in beta during the Beneath the Sea show in New York. Eric Cheng, Wetpixel’s co-founder, wrote that the site had “tremendous potential” and described founder Jason Heller’s mission to create a comprehensive dive operator directory. Cheng noted Heller had “undertaken the task of gathering a ridiculous amount of data from all of the dive operators around the world, so you will be able to do searches like: ‘show me all of the operators in Indonesia that cost under $200/day, who have rinse tanks on their boats, where I can find pygmy seahorses.’” The DPG Dive Operator Directory officially launched during Celebrate the Sea in Singapore in June 2005 (^[1]).
• 2005-10: Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide announced their first joint International Photo Competition, beginning the partnership that would define both organizations’ competition programming for nearly two decades (^[2]).
• 2006-01: The first Wetpixel/DPG Photo Contest deadline approached, with prizes including trips to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Socorros, Galapagos, and more. Winners were announced at the Our World Underwater festival in Chicago (^[3]).
• 2006-02: Wetpixel/DPG contest winners announced at Our World Underwater 2006 (^[4]).
• 2006-03: DPG posted a report from Our World Underwater 2006 (^[5]).
• 2006-09: Second annual Wetpixel/DPG photo and video contest announced (^[6]).
• 2006-09: Wetpixel and DPG organized the 1st Annual DEEP Indonesia Photo Competition, held in association with Indonesia’s first-ever diving expo. Judges were Eric Cheng (Wetpixel), Tony Wu (FiNS Magazine), and Berkeley White (Backscatter). The announcement noted: “Never before have 2 international competitions associated with dive expos on opposite sides of the world cooperated to establish a complementary series of categories and prizing opportunities.” Prizes exceeded $20,000, with 15% of entry proceeds donated to marine conservation (^[7]).
• 2006-10: DPG and Wetpixel jointly hosted a diver survey with a trip to Indonesia as prize (^[8]).
• 2006-11: DPG posted DEMA 2006 coverage (^[9]).
• 2006-11: Wetpixel’s Todd Mintz featured on DivePhotoGuide.com (^[10]).
• 2006-12: Ernie Brooks and Wyland interviewed by Jason Heller on DPG, demonstrating DPG’s growing access to prominent photographers (^[11]).
• 2007-01: DPG announced an Indonesia liveaboard survey winner (^[12]).
• 2007-02: DPG posted coverage from Our World Underwater 2007 (^[13]).
• 2007-06: DPG hosted the Wakatobi Underwater Photo and Video Festival (^[14]).
• 2007-06: DPG posted coverage from Scuba Show 2007 (^[15]).
• 2007-08: DPG reached 100 professional photographer galleries (^[16]).
• 2007-09: Third annual Wetpixel/DPG photo and video contest announced (^[17]).
• 2007-11: Wetpixel and DPG held a joint presence at DEMA 2007 (^[18]).
• 2008-01: DPG hosted the Wakatobi Underwater Photo and Video Festival 2008 (^[19]).
• 2008-05: DPG posted winners of the Wakatobi Underwater Photo and Video Festival 2008 (^[20]).
• 2008-09: DPG published “An Underwater Photographer’s Guide to Bali,” the first in a series researched by Matt Weiss during three months in Southeast Asia, focusing on “the most bio-diverse marine ecosystems in the world” (^[21]).
• 2008-10: Wetpixel and DPG relaunched UnderwaterCompetition.com, automating the entire competition submission and entry system. Eric Cheng wrote: “In just 4 years, these competitions have become some of the most prestigious and widely supported international underwater photography & video competitions in the world.” The competitions ran simultaneously at Our World Underwater in Chicago and DEEP Indonesia in Jakarta (^[22]).
• 2008-10: Wetpixel and DPG held their first cocktail party at DEMA 2008, beginning a tradition that would continue for over a decade (^[23]).
• 2008-10: DPG posted separate DEMA 2008 coverage (^[24]).
• 2008-11: DPG was awarded Best Website at the 35th Annual World Festival of Underwater Images in Antibes, France — one of the most prestigious underwater film and photo festivals in the world. Founder Jason Heller thanked his team: Wendy Heller, Matt Weiss, Gyula Somogyi, Richard Morris, Andrea & Antonella Ferrari, Keri Wilk, and Miguel Novey. Jean Bruneau of Aquatica posted congratulations on Wetpixel (^[25]).
• 2008-12: David Doubilet joined the judging panel for UnderwaterCompetition.com (^[26]).

Growth Under Matt Weiss (2008-2014)

• 2008: Matt Weiss (forum name: MattDPG) became DPG’s Editor-in-Chief, describing himself as “the only full time underwater photography editor in the world” at the time (^[27]).
• 2009-08: DPG launched free monthly photo contests with specific themes, designed to “push photographers’ skills and to give photographers specific assignments to shoot on their next dive.” Themes were posted six months in advance. DPG provided valuable prizes each month with a grand prize at year’s end (^[28]).
• 2009-10: Wetpixel/DPG cocktail night at DEMA Show 2009 (^[29]).
• 2009-11: DPG launched a new version of its website with extensive content including the DPG Techniques Guide to underwater photography, with contributions from David Doubilet, Martin Edge, Alex Mustard, and Aaron Wong. Matt Weiss introduced himself to the Wetpixel community, writing: “We worked really hard on the new site in hopes that it would be a great resource for the underwater imagery community.” Alex Mustard described the guide contributors on Wetpixel (^[30]).
• 2010-04: DPG published early iPad first impressions, showing interest in new media platforms (^[31]).
• 2011-03: DPG announced their 2010 Photo of the Year (^[32]).
• 2011-10: Matt Weiss acquired DPG from founder Jason Heller, becoming Publisher and CEO. Heller remained as strategic advisor, stating: “The dive industry is beginning to understand the pivotal role of digital media in the influence of consumers and the web has become the primary source of purchase influence for the entire travel industry.” Under Weiss’s leadership, DPG had grown to over 10,000 pages of published content and reached 50,000+ monthly readers. The company announced plans for a quarterly print magazine (“Scuba Diver Through The Lens” in collaboration with Asian Geographic in Singapore) and a tablet Techniques Guide app. Adam Hanlon of Wetpixel praised the transition, and Jean Bruneau of Aquatica congratulated the move, calling Matt’s editing “rock solid” and his writing “most interesting” (^[33]).
• 2011-10: Wetpixel/DPG party at DEMA 2011 (^[34]).
• 2012-04: DPG offered a Fiji workshop, expanding into dive travel and education (^[35]).
• 2012-11: Wetpixel/DPG party at DEMA 2012 (^[36]).
• 2013-01: Vincent Laforet announced as judge for the photo contests (^[37]).
• 2013-02: DPG published a Nikon D600 review, demonstrating growing gear review coverage (^[38]).
• 2014-02: DPG posted a job opportunity, indicating organizational growth (^[39]).
• 2014-08: DPG launched DPG Originals, a film production company in partnership with filmmaker Jon Betz. Their first film profiled shark photographer and artist Joe Romeiro, and was featured on National Geographic’s Newswatch. Matt Weiss explained: “While writing an article for Scuba Diver Through The Lens about Joe Romeiro, I was surprised to learn he wasn’t at all the adrenaline junkie, thrill-seeker one might expect a shark filmmaker to be, but actually a really thoughtful artist” (^[40]).

Mature Partnership Era (2014-2023)

• 2014-11: Wetpixel/DPG “Imaging Party” at DEMA 2014, reflecting the rebranding of their joint DEMA events (^[41]).
• 2016-11: Wetpixel/DPG party at DEMA 2016 (^[42]).
• 2017-10: Wetpixel/DPG party at DEMA 2017 (^[43]).
• 2019-11: Wetpixel and DPG “Image Makers Party” at DEMA 2019 (^[44]).

Competition Partnership

The Wetpixel/DPG competition partnership is one of the longest-running collaborations in underwater photography media, spanning from 2005 to at least 2023:

Our World Underwater / DPG-Wetpixel Masters (2006-2023)

• 2006-2019: Jointly hosted the Our World Underwater (OWU) competition at the annual Our World Underwater show in Chicago, alongside the Deep Indonesia competition in Jakarta. These dual competitions ran simultaneously on opposite sides of the world. The competition platform was UnderwaterCompetition.com, relaunched in 2008 with automated submission and entry systems (^[45]).
• 2020-01: The OWU competition was rebranded as the DPG/Wetpixel Masters Underwater Imaging Competition. Adam Hanlon described it as a competition where placing “marks an entry into the membership of a very exclusive group of underwater image-makers.” The 2020 edition had a prize fund exceeding $55,000, with judges David Doubilet, Stephen Frink, Erin Quigley, Scott “Gutsy” Tuason, Keri Wilk, and Tony Wu (^[46]).
• 2020-02: DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2020 results announced. Scott Portelli won Best of Show. Judges’ comments reflected the caliber of the competition: David Doubilet called Portelli’s winning image “that moment we might see but rarely capture” (^[47]).
• 2021-08: DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2021 opened for entries (^[48]).
• 2021-10: Wetpixel Live episode on “Winning the DPG/Wetpixel Masters Contest” (^[49]).
• 2021-11: DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2021 results announced. Martin Broen won Best of Show with “Speleothems.” Judges for 2021 included Imran Ahmad, Mike Bartick, Florian Fischer, Stephen Frink, and Jennifer Hayes. Categories included Black and White, Wide Angle Unrestricted, Macro Unrestricted, Wide Angle Traditional, Macro Traditional, and Video. Alex del Olmo dominated the video category (^[50]).
• 2022-02: Wetpixel Live discussed the 2021 DPG/Wetpixel Masters results (^[51]).
• 2022-11: DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2022 opened for entries (^[52]).
• 2023-01: DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2022 results announced. Martin Broen won Best of Show again with “Big Cave Chamber.” Wetpixel described DPG as “our sister site.” Judges included Renee Capozzola, Erin Quigley, Marty Snyderman, Kurt Amsler, Tom St George, and William Tan. Categories expanded to include Over and Under alongside the traditional categories (^[53]).

Deep Indonesia (2006-2023)

• 2006-2023: DPG co-organized the Deep Indonesia international underwater photography competition, held in conjunction with ADEX (Asia Dive Expo) in Singapore/Jakarta. The 1st Annual Deep Indonesia contest in 2006 offered over $20,000 in prizes across 7 themed categories, including a conservation category and a compact camera category. Judges included Eric Cheng, Tony Wu, and Berkeley White. 15% of entry proceeds were donated to marine conservation (^[54]).

DEMA Show Events (2006-2019)

• 2006-2019: Wetpixel and DPG co-hosted cocktail parties and imaging events at the annual DEMA Show, the dive industry’s largest trade show. These events became signature social gatherings for the underwater photography community, beginning with the first cocktail party at DEMA 2008 and continuing through “Imaging Parties” (2014-2017) and “Image Makers Parties” (2019) (^[55]).

UN World Oceans Day Contest

• 2020-2023: DPG helped promote and organize the United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Contest (^[56]).

Key People

• Jason Heller — Founder and original Publisher of DPG. Internet agency entrepreneur who conceived the dive operator directory concept. Launched DPG at the Beneath the Sea show in March 2005. Remained as strategic advisor after selling to Matt Weiss in 2011. Team members from the founding era included Wendy Heller, Gyula Somogyi, Richard Morris, Andrea & Antonella Ferrari, Keri Wilk, and Miguel Novey.
• Matt Weiss (MattDPG) — Editor-in-Chief from 2008, then Publisher and CEO from 2011 when he acquired DPG from Heller. Described as “the only full time underwater photography editor in the world” at the time of his appointment. Transformed DPG from a directory-focused site into a comprehensive underwater photography publication. Under his leadership, DPG expanded to over 10,000 pages of published content and 50,000+ monthly readers. Also led the creation of DPG Originals (film production) and the Scuba Diver Through The Lens print magazine.
• Wendy Heller — Team member from the founding era.
• Gyula Somogyi — Team member and contributor from the founding era.

Publications and Platforms

• DivePhotoGuide.com — Primary website with daily news, articles, gear reviews, and technique guides.
• DPG Techniques Guide — Comprehensive underwater photography technique resource with contributions from David Doubilet, Martin Edge, Alex Mustard, Aaron Wong, and Jason Bradley. Launched with the 2009 site redesign.
• UnderwaterCompetition.com — Joint competition platform with Wetpixel, relaunched in 2008 with automated submission system. Hosts the DPG/Wetpixel Masters and Deep Indonesia competitions.
• Scuba Diver Through The Lens — Quarterly print magazine published in collaboration with Asian Geographic in Singapore, announced in 2011.
• DPG Originals — Short film production company launched in 2014 in partnership with filmmaker Jon Betz.
• DPG Photo of the Day — Daily feature announced with the 2012 expansion plans.
• DPG Destination Guides — Underwater photographer’s guides to destinations like Bali, researched in the field by DPG staff.

Relationship with Wetpixel

DPG and Wetpixel maintained a cooperative rather than competitive relationship, despite being the two largest underwater photography websites. Key aspects of this relationship:

• Competition partnership: Nearly two decades of co-hosting major international competitions, from the first OWU contest in 2006 through the DPG/Wetpixel Masters in 2022/2023.
• Cross-promotion: Wetpixel regularly covered DPG news, awards, and events, consistently referring to DPG as “our friends over at DivePhotoGuide” or “our sister site.” DPG provided reciprocal coverage.
• Industry events: Joint presence and co-hosted events at DEMA, OWU, ADEX, and Beneath the Sea trade shows from 2005 through 2019.
• Complementary focus: While Wetpixel emphasized community forums, gear discussion, and technical content, DPG focused more on editorial content, technique guides, dive destination information, and professional photographer profiles.
• Shared judging panels: Competition judges included the most prominent names in underwater photography — David Doubilet, Stephen Frink, Erin Quigley, Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Kurt Amsler, Renee Capozzola, and others — lending credibility to both organizations.

Adam Hanlon and Matt Weiss maintained a collegial relationship throughout. Hanlon consistently praised DPG’s editorial quality, and the two organizations’ events at DEMA evolved from “cocktail parties” to “imaging parties” to “image makers parties” while maintaining the same collaborative spirit.

Notable Competition Winners

The DPG/Wetpixel Masters competition attracted international talent. Notable winners include:

• Scott Portelli — Best of Show, Masters 2020
• Martin Broen — Best of Show, Masters 2021 and 2022 (back-to-back wins with cenote/cave photography)
• Alex del Olmo — Dominant video category winner, Masters 2021 and 2022 (with “Out of the Black and into the Blue” series)
• Renee Capozzola — Wide Angle placing, Masters 2021; later served as judge for Masters 2022

Significance in Underwater Photography

Community building: DPG and Wetpixel together created the primary online infrastructure for the global underwater photography community, providing the two main hubs for news, discussion, and competition from the mid-2000s through the 2020s.

Competition excellence: The OWU/DPG-Wetpixel Masters competition series became one of the most prestigious underwater photography competitions globally, with judging panels featuring icons like David Doubilet and Stephen Frink. Placing in these competitions represented a significant career milestone. The prize funds exceeded $55,000 in later years, with sponsors including dive resorts across Indonesia, the Red Sea, Caribbean, and Norway, plus gear manufacturers like Ikelite, Inon, and Backscatter.

Education: DPG’s technique guides, contributed by leading photographers including David Doubilet and Alex Mustard, provided accessible education for underwater photographers at all levels. The destination guides, researched in the field by DPG staff, served as practical resources for traveling photographers.

Industry recognition: DPG’s 2008 Best Website award at the Antibes World Festival of Underwater Images validated online publishing as a legitimate force in underwater photography media, alongside traditional print publications.

Conservation commitment: From the first Deep Indonesia competition in 2006 (which donated 15% of entry proceeds to marine conservation) through the UN World Oceans Day Photo Contest partnership, DPG maintained a consistent commitment to ocean conservation through photography.

Wetpixel Live

The DPG/Wetpixel Masters competition was featured on the Wetpixel Live series. Episode 229, “Results: DPG/Wetpixel Masters of Underwater Imaging 2021,” announced the competition winners and reviewed standout entries (^[57]). A companion extra episode, “How to Win the DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2021,” provided guidance on preparing competition-winning entries (^[58]).