Damo

Forum username: Damo
Posts: 431
Active years: 2008–2014
Location: Ireland
Primary forums: Beginner Forum, General Chat, Conservation and the Environment, Trip Reports and Travel
Specialization: Beginner to intermediate DSLR underwater photography, environmental discussion

Community Role

Damo was an active Wetpixel community member from 2008 through 2014, contributing 431 posts across a wide range of forums. Based in Ireland, he brought a European perspective to the predominantly North American and Australian community. He was notably prolific in starting threads, with 90 threads initiated during his six years of activity — one of the highest thread-start-to-post ratios among regular contributors — reflecting his curiosity and willingness to ask questions and spark community discussions (^[1]).

Damo’s posting style was informal, enthusiastic, and community-oriented. He frequently engaged in general photography philosophy, travel planning, environmental topics, and gear selection discussions. His threads often generated substantial responses, indicating that he raised topics of broad interest to the community.

Gear Journey

Damo’s underwater photography evolution was documented through his forum posts. He started with an Olympus mju 800 compact camera in an Ikelite housing with a DS-51 strobe. He upgraded to a Nikon D200 DSLR, seeking advice from the community on the transition in March 2008. He initially considered the Nikon D80 before settling on the D200 (^[2]).

At the time of his DSLR upgrade, he was learning RAW workflow processing, transitioning from JPEG-only shooting with his compact camera to working with RAW files and TIFF output for print (^[3]).

Notable Contributions

• Louisiana Oil Disaster Thread (2010): Started the initial thread about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which became a merged discussion thread with 25 replies covering the environmental implications for the Gulf of Mexico and the diving/underwater photography community’s response. The thread drew participation from members with professional oil industry knowledge (^[4])
• Thoughts on Diving with a Camera (2008): Started a thoughtful discussion on the challenges of being an underwater photographer who needs a compatible dive buddy, particularly in locations where camera-carrying divers are scarce. He described solo diving shallow sites in Ireland as his most productive approach, sparking a 21-reply discussion on buddy compatibility and underwater photography workflow (21 replies) (^[5])
• DSLR Nikon Advice (2008): Thread seeking community guidance on transitioning from compact to DSLR underwater photography, useful as a documented beginner’s journey (19 replies) (^[6])
• RAW Workflow (2008): Beginner-oriented thread on post-processing workflows for RAW files, generating practical advice from experienced members (17 replies) (^[7])
• Asia Travel Advice (2009): Thread seeking dive destination recommendations from Ireland-accessible Asian destinations, contributing to the community’s travel knowledge (11 replies) (^[8])
• Conservation Engagement: Active participant in environmental discussions, including the Deepwater Horizon disaster and other conservation topics in the Planet Earth section of the forums

Diving Context

Damo dived primarily in Irish waters, where conditions included cold water, limited visibility, and limited availability of dive buddies who were also photographers. He described diving a shallow site of about 4 meters depth with good visibility and abundant subjects for solo macro photography. He expressed interest in tropical diving destinations and sought travel advice for Asia, with Bali recommended by several community members (^[9], ^[10]).

Activity Profile

Damo’s activity was concentrated between 2008 and 2012, with a peak around 2010–2011. His posting tapered significantly after 2012, with his last recorded activity in July 2014. He posted in the Beginner Forum, General Chat, Conservation and the Environment, Trip Reports, and Photo/Video Showcase forums. He also left at least one article comment on the Wetpixel main site.