Cal Mero (Cal)

Forum username: Cal
Real name: Cal Mero
Posts: 636
Active years: 2008—2019
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Photo/Video Showcase, General Chat, Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing
Specialization: Underwater creative/fashion photography, swimming pool studio work, temperate Australian marine life, unconventional formats (panoramic, large format)

Community Role

Cal Mero was one of the Wetpixel community’s most creatively adventurous members, pushing the boundaries of what underwater photography could be. Based in Melbourne, Australia (later Townsville on the Great Barrier Reef for university), Cal combined a passion for temperate Australian diving with innovative underwater studio work in swimming pools. His prolific forum presence — 124 threads started, more than any other community member of comparable post count — reflected a restless creative energy that earned him a dedicated Wetpixel article, a Best of Show award at Beneath the Sea, and widespread admiration from fellow members including Alex Mustard and Adam Hanlon.

Cal’s professional identity was built around his underwater photography brand “Calmero Photography” (calmerophotography.com), which showcased both his marine wildlife work and his distinctive pool-based creative portraiture. He was notable for his willingness to explore extreme ideas — housing a 4x5 large format camera, shooting panoramic stitched images underwater, and pioneering techniques for underwater model photography with multiple off-camera strobes.

Notable Contributions

Underwater Creative/Fashion Photography Pioneer

Cal became Wetpixel’s most prolific underwater pool photographer, building on earlier work by Alex Mustard and James Wiseman. Beginning in late 2008, he produced a remarkable series of themed underwater portrait and fashion shoots including “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” “The Funky White Gloved Running Man,” “Urban Vibes,” “The Venetian Man,” “Jesters, Wedding Dresses and Even a Guitar,” “Ballet, Lollypops, Chains and Freaky Eye Lashes,” and many more. His shoots involved extensive production: coordinating models (15 in one week at peak), working with make-up artists, sourcing costumes and props, and managing complex multi-strobe lighting setups (^[1]).

His work was featured in a dedicated Wetpixel article by Giles Shaxted in August 2009, which praised “the feel of movement and grace with simplicity and style” and “the studio feel they all have.” The article detailed Cal’s creative process, including his move from Melbourne to Townsville for university, where the high cost of reef diving (over $100 per dive) led him to pool photography as both a creative outlet and a way to stay sharp (^[2]).

Cal’s lighting setup evolved to include two on-camera Sea&Sea DS-51 strobes connected via hotshoe and two off-camera Inon D-2000 strobes triggered optically, used both above and below water. He credited fellow Wetpixel members Jeff Loftus and James Wiseman as key influences on his lighting technique (^[3]).

Beneath the Sea 2009 — Best of Show

Cal won the Best of Show award at the Beneath the Sea 2009 Worldwide Underwater Photography/Video Competition for his photograph of a leafy sea dragon, taken during his epic 2,400-kilometer road trip to South Australia with diving partner “Jimswims.” This was a major international competition with entries from multiple countries (^[4]).

Leafy Sea Dragon Expedition

In mid-2008, Cal documented a 2,400 km road trip from Melbourne to South Australia to photograph leafy sea dragons, posting stunning results in a 43-reply showcase thread. Alex Mustard praised the images, and the two discussed the differences between temperate Australian dive destinations. Cal was a vocal advocate for diving in Victoria and temperate Australia, regions he felt were underappreciated compared to tropical destinations. He noted color differences between Victorian and South Australian nudibranch populations and photographed rare species like the striped dumpling squid (^[5]).

SubSee Diopter Discussion

Cal started the definitive 91-reply community discussion about ReefNet’s SubSee super-macro diopter adapters in April 2009, which attracted contributions from Alex Mustard, Craig, Scott Gietler (of the Underwater Photography Guide), and Keri Wilk (the SubSee’s designer). The thread became a comprehensive resource on diopter performance, orientation, edge sharpness, and achromat optics (^[6]).

Large Format and Panoramic Photography Underwater

Cal explored unconventional photographic formats, starting a 48-reply thread about housing a 4x5 large format camera for underwater pool work in 2011. Though practical for diving, the discussion drew detailed responses from experienced large-format shooters and references to Louis Boutan’s pioneering underwater photography in 1893. Cal’s goal was pool-based creative work rather than open-water diving (^[7]).

He also started a 44-reply thread on panoramic underwater photography in 2010, investigating stitching techniques, tripod use underwater, and the possibility of using a Hasselblad XPan. His goal was gallery-quality 50-inch prints from stitched multi-frame captures (^[8]).

Wetpixel Flickr Group Logo Competition

Cal won the Wetpixel Flickr group logo competition in 2009 (^[9]).

Diving and Photography Subjects

Cal’s work spanned multiple genres:

• Temperate Australian marine life: Leafy sea dragons, striped dumpling squid, nudibranchs, blue ascidians, seahorses, seals, kelp forests
• Freshwater: Rainforest creek photography in Queensland
• Creative/fashion: Themed underwater model shoots in swimming pools
• Locations: Melbourne shore diving, Edithburgh Jetty (South Australia), Rapid Bay, Great Barrier Reef region, North America (travel)

Activity Profile

• Peak years: 2008—2012, with continued activity through 2019
• Threads started: 124 (exceptionally high ratio of threads started to total posts)
• Articles mentioned in: 0 articles authored, but featured in 2 dedicated Wetpixel articles
• Forum focus: Evenly split between showcase threads (sharing creative work), gear discussions, and technique exploration
• Notable community connections: Collaborated with “Jimswims” (Jim) on dive trips; acknowledged James Wiseman, Jeff Loftus, Jeff De Guzman, Keri Wilk, Jason Heller, James Peake, Jon Aitken, and Stephen C as influences and supporters

Timeline

• 2008-05: First appearance on Wetpixel forums
• 2008-07: Posted leafy sea dragon images from South Australia road trip; praised by Alex Mustard (^[10])
• 2008-08: Posted mating dumpling squid discovery with Jim (^[11])
• 2009-03: Won Best of Show at Beneath the Sea 2009 for leafy sea dragon image (^[12])
• 2009-04: Started SubSee diopter discussion thread (91 replies) (^[13])
• 2009-05: Won Wetpixel Flickr group logo competition (^[14])
• 2009-08: Featured in dedicated Wetpixel article on swimming pool photography by Giles Shaxted (^[15])
• 2009-10: Launched calmerophotography.com; announced on Wetpixel with 28-reply congratulatory thread (^[16])
• 2010-11: Explored panoramic underwater photography for gallery prints (^[17])
• 2011-06: Investigated 4x5 large format underwater photography for pool work (^[18])
• 2011-08: Shot with Nikonos I film camera underwater (^[19])
• 2011-09: Announced trip to North America (^[20])
• 2019-11: Last recorded forum activity