Allison Vitsky Sallmon

Aliases: Allison Vitsky, vetdiver (forum username)
Role: Underwater photographer, writer, nonprofit founder, veterinarian
Credentials: D.V.M. (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine); educational background in journalism and veterinary medicine
Based in: San Diego, California, USA
Affiliation: Dive into the Pink (founder and president); works alongside husband Andy Sallmon (independent sales agent for Sea & Sea)
First appearance: 2008 (^[1])
Website: avitsky.com
Forum posts: 253+ (across 115 threads, as vetdiver)

Biography

Allison Vitsky Sallmon is a professional marine photographer, writer, nonprofit founder, and veterinarian (D.V.M.) based in San Diego, California. She and her husband Andy Sallmon have been working together as a photography/writing team since 2010, with Andy’s educational background in marine biology and Allison’s in journalism and veterinary medicine providing a unique combined perspective (^[2]).

Living less than 15 minutes from the ocean in San Diego, the Sallmons specialize in photographing the marine life of Southern California — from sharks, sea lions, and blue whales to pelagic invertebrates, squid runs, and mola mola — despite the region’s notoriously difficult conditions including poor visibility, strong surge, cold water, and limited access during summer months (^[3]). Together they have a combined 54 years of recreational and technical diving experience with more than 10,000 dives worldwide, though their favorite place to dive remains California (^[4]).

Allison was also involved with the San Diego Underwater Photographic Society (SDUPS), and was mentioned by name in coverage of SDUPS events as early as 2009 (^[5]).

Contributions

Dive into the Pink

Sallmon’s most significant contribution beyond photography is her founding and leadership of Dive into the Pink, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that leverages the diving community to fund cancer research and patient support. Founded in 2016, the organization was born from Sallmon’s personal experience as a breast cancer survivor (^[6]).

Dive into the Pink’s activities include:

• Think Pink Photo Competition — an annual underwater photo contest featuring images with the color pink, with proceeds donated to breast cancer research. The second annual contest in 2018 attracted almost 400 entries and raised over $3,000 (^[7]). The third annual contest in 2019 was supported by Dive Photo Guide and judged by Erin Quigley, Adam Hanlon, Kerri Bingham, and Hergen Spalink (^[8])
• Pink Auction — an annual silent online auction featuring exotic dive trips, dive gear, underwater photography equipment, jewelry, and apparel. The first auction (2016) was followed by the second (2017, opening October 1) (^[9]), and the fourth (2019, opening October 18) (^[10]). In 2018 alone, the organization raised and distributed nearly $40,000 for the fight against cancer (^[11])
• Share Our Air (2020) — a one-time photo contest launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, raising over $20,000 in a single month through contest entries, donations, and t-shirt purchases. The proceeds funded a joint study between Duke Dive Medicine and Divers Alert Network (DAN) on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on diver fitness. Judged by Mike Bartick, Renee Capozzola, and Tobias Friedrich (^[12], ^[13])

Beneficiaries include the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), an international organization for young women with breast cancer, and the Guise Laboratory at Indiana University, researching cancer spread to bone marrow. Dive into the Pink is a salary-free 501(c)(3), and 100% of proceeds are redistributed (^[14]).

Wetpixel Ask the Pros Contributor

Sallmon (with Andy) was a regular contributor to Wetpixel’s “Ask the Pros” column, sharing expert techniques across multiple topics:

• Backup Strategies (April 2015) (^[15])
• Wide Angle Part 1 (May 2015) (^[16])
• Split Shots (June 2015) — alongside David Doubilet, Franco Banfi, and Cristian Dimitrius (^[17])
• Housing Maintenance (August 2015) (^[18])
• Macro Part 1 (November 2015) (^[19])

In the macro column, they described their approach to California diving: preferring the Canon EF-S 60mm lens on cropped-sensor cameras for temperate/murky water (where getting close minimizes particulate), and the Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS with wet diopters on full-frame cameras for tropical macro work. Allison identified nudibranchs as her favorite subject, preferring to shoot them “simply, on kelp or another architectural-looking background, facing the camera” with rhinophores in sharp focus. They emphasized versatility with snoots ranging from “swanky snoot options” including “vintage” Sea & Sea snoots with honeycomb attachments to “Home Depot PVC specials to old wetsuit arms” (^[20]).

Feature Articles on Wetpixel

Sallmon authored several feature articles and photo essays for Wetpixel:

• “The Great Equalizer: Shootout, Monterey Style” (October 2010) — A dual-perspective account of the California Beach and Boat Dive Photo/Video Competition in Monterey. Allison wrote the “amateur’s side,” candidly describing the anxiety of her first big shootout competition, while Andy wrote the “pro’s side” about his return to competing after years away. She earned four Honorable Mentions and Andy won Best of Show (^[21])

• “Golden Opportunity: Fleeting Moments in the Golden State” (November 2013) — A photo essay with Andy Sallmon showcasing the challenges and rewards of photographing marine life in Southern California, including blue sharks, mako sharks, blue whales, sea lions, and bait balls (^[22])

• “Close to Home” (November 2014) — A narrative combining underwater photography with marine conservation advocacy. The article recounted Sallmon’s encounter with a blue whale in August 2013 and her subsequent documentation of a blue whale capsizing a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) in 2014. The piece evolved into an argument for whale conservation, discussing ship strikes, shipping lane modifications (California’s lanes were shifted in 2012), and the threats facing endangered blue whales. She noted that 2007, the year she moved to Southern California, was particularly deadly for blue whales from ship strikes (^[23])

• “Chasing the Dream” (May 2020) — A practical guide to planning underwater photography trips to photograph specific marine subjects, from destination research and understanding animal behavior to optimizing skills, seeking local advice, and evaluating dive operations. Published as the first installment of Wetpixel’s COVID-era travel planning series (^[24], ^[25])

Lembeh Wide Open Workshop

In 2013, Andy and Allison organized and led “Lembeh Wide Open,” a workshop at Lembeh Resort (with Critters@Lembeh dive operation) designed to demonstrate wide-angle photography possibilities at a destination known primarily for macro. The workshop included daily classroom sessions with image examples, followed by dives to help open up new wide-angle dive sites in the area. Participants included Steve Williams and Phil Sokol (^[26]).

Alert Diver Publications

The Sallmons contributed feature articles to DAN’s Alert Diver magazine:

• Winter 2012 issue: Feature on the Cocos Islands (^[27])
• Winter 2013 issue: Feature on Yap (^[28])

Community Voice

Following the Conception dive boat tragedy in September 2019, which killed 34 people in the California diving community, Sallmon wrote about the event for Scuba Diving magazine. Her article “About California Divers in Particular: Mourning the Conception Dive Boat Tragedy” was highlighted by Wetpixel editor Adam Hanlon, who described her as “a prolific and active member of the California diving and Wetpixel communities.” The article encapsulated the community’s collective response to the loss (^[29]).

Women Divers Hall of Fame

In 2021, Sallmon was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) as “Nonprofit Founder, Underwater Photographer, Writer” from California, USA. The WDHOF designation noted her D.V.M. credential. The Wetpixel announcement stated: “The Wetpixel community will likely recognize Allison’s name. She is an accomplished photographer, author, long-time Wetpixel member and founder of Dive into the Pink” (^[30]).

Competition Results

Sallmon has competed consistently in underwater photography competitions, with particularly strong showings in Southern California and international events:

• LAUPS 2008 (46th International): Honorable Mention (^[31])
• Antibes 2009 (Festival Mondial de l’Image Sous-Marine): Won the Conchyliologie Prix Jorge Albuquerque (^[32])
• LAUPS 2010 (48th International): Honorable Mention, Cold/Green Water (“Roar”); 4th Place, Behavior (“Fishing”) (^[33])
• Monterey Beach and Boat Dive Competition 2010: Four Honorable Mentions (Wide Angle categories), including a Dendronotus iris nudibranch macro shot (^[34])
• Underwater Images 2010: 1st Place, Wide Angle Novice (“Monterey Afternoon”) (^[35])
• Nature’s Best Ocean Views 2011: Highly Honored (“California Kelp Forest”) (^[36])
• LAUPS 2011 (49th International): 5th Place, Wide Angle (“Anemone”); 3rd Place, Cold Water (“Sunstar”) (^[37])
• Picture Perfect Curacao 2011 (North American UW Photographer of the Year): Won 3 of 5 categories, competing against Keri Wilk (overall winner), Jeremy Kozman, and Rand McMeins. Images judged for use in Curacao Tourism’s advertising campaigns (^[38])
• Ocean Art 2011: Placed among winners (^[39])
• SoCal Shootout 2012: 2nd and 5th Place, Wide-Angle; 1st Place, Behavior (^[40])
• LAUPS 2012 (50th International): Category Winner, Cold Water (^[41])

Andy Sallmon’s notable competition results include: Best of Show at the Monterey competition (2010) (^[42]), Highly Honored in Nature’s Best Ocean Views 2010 (“Atlantic Spotted Dolphins”) (^[43]), and overall winner of Ocean Views 2017 (^[44]). Andy also served as judge for the SoCal Shootout in 2011, 2012, and 2017 (^[45], ^[46], ^[47]).

DEMA Show Presentations

The Sallmons have been regular speakers at the DEMA Show’s Image Resource Center:

• DEMA 2011: Andy (as Andrew Sallmon) presented two talks — “Constant Light: Using Video Lights with a DSLR” (sponsored by Light & Motion) and “Close Focus Wide Angle Techniques for the Underwater Photographer” (sponsored by TUSA) (^[48])
• DEMA 2012: Both presented together (Andy Sallmon & Allison Vitsky-Sallmon) (^[49])
• DEMA 2014: Both presented “You Shoulda Been Here Last Week - An Unconditional Guide to Wide Angle Photography” (sponsored by Sea & Sea), described as covering “wide-angle lighting and composition techniques for beautiful images in the most challenging conditions” (^[50])
• DEMA 2016: Andy was photographed at the show as an attendee (^[51])

Timeline

• 2007: Allison moves to Southern California (^[52])
• 2008-11: First appears in LAUPS 2008 competition results with Honorable Mention (^[53])
• 2009-04: Mentioned at SDUPS 40th Annual Film Festival; posts event photos on SmugMug (^[54])
• 2009-11: Wins Conchyliologie Prix Jorge Albuquerque at Antibes Festival (^[55])
• 2010: Begins working formally with Andy Sallmon as a photography/writing team (^[56])
• 2010-06: Wins 1st Place Wide Angle Novice at Underwater Images 2010 (“Monterey Afternoon”) (^[57])
• 2010-10: Publishes “The Great Equalizer” article on Wetpixel about competing at Monterey Beach and Boat; earns 4 Honorable Mentions (^[58])
• 2010-12: Places at LAUPS 2010: HM Cold Water, 4th Behavior (^[59])
• 2011-03: Highly Honored at Nature’s Best Ocean Views 2011 (“California Kelp Forest”) (^[60])
• 2011-12: Places at LAUPS 2011 (Wide Angle 5th, Cold Water 3rd); wins 3 of 5 categories in Picture Perfect Curacao (^[61], ^[62])
• 2012-02: Alert Diver publishes Cocos Islands feature by Andy and Allison (^[63])
• 2012-09: Strong showing at SoCal Shootout (1st Behavior, 2nd and 5th Wide-Angle) (^[64])
• 2012-11: Presents at DEMA 2012 Image Resource Center; wins Cold Water category at LAUPS 2012 50th International (^[65], ^[66])
• 2013-02: Alert Diver publishes Yap feature by Andy and Allison (^[67])
• 2013-05: Leads “Lembeh Wide Open” workshop with Andy at Lembeh Resort, demonstrating wide-angle possibilities (^[68])
• 2013-08: Encounters a blue whale underwater off San Diego (^[69])
• 2013-11: “Golden Opportunity” photo essay published on Wetpixel with Andy (^[70])
• 2014-11: Presents “You Shoulda Been Here Last Week” at DEMA 2014 with Andy; “Close to Home” feature article published on Wetpixel (^[71], ^[72])
• 2015: Contributes to five “Ask the Pros” columns on Wetpixel (backup strategies, wide angle, split shots, housing maintenance, macro) (^[73])
• 2016: Founds Dive into the Pink nonprofit organization; first Pink Auction held (^[74])
• 2017-09: Second annual Dive into the Pink online auction launches (^[75])
• 2018-08: Second annual Think Pink Photo Contest results announced; nearly $40,000 raised and distributed in 2018 (^[76], ^[77])
• 2019-06: Third annual Think Pink contest opens for entries (^[78])
• 2019-09: Writes about the Conception dive boat tragedy for Scuba Diving magazine, highlighted by Wetpixel (^[79])
• 2019-10: Fourth annual Dive into the Pink auction opens (^[80])
• 2020-05: Publishes “Chasing the Dream” planning guide on Wetpixel as first in travel planning series; launches Share Our Air photo contest during COVID-19 pandemic (^[81], ^[82])
• 2020-07: Share Our Air 2020 results announced; over $20,000 raised for Duke/DAN COVID-19 diver research (^[83])
• 2020-10: Inducted into Women Divers Hall of Fame, Class of 2021 (^[84])

Equipment

The Sallmons use Canon camera systems with Sea & Sea underwater housings:

• Canon 70D and Canon 7D (cropped frame) with Canon EF-S 60mm lens for California macro
• Canon 5D Mark III (full frame) with Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens with wet diopters (Subsee +5 or +10)
• Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes
• Various snoots including Sea & Sea snoots with honeycomb attachments
• Saga ring flash (for supermacro with 100mm + diopter) (^[85])

References