diverpam

Forum username: diverpam
Real name: Pam
Posts: 378
Active years: 2009–2015
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Photo/Video Showcase, General Chat, Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing
Specialization: Nikon DSLR photography, manta ray photography, Lightroom workflow, travel computing

Community Role

diverpam (Pam) was an enthusiastic and warmly engaged member of the Wetpixel community from 2009 through 2015. With 378 posts over seven years, she was a prolific contributor who brought infectious energy and genuine passion to the forums. She was a Nikon DSLR shooter who dove extensively with liveaboard operators, particularly Aggressor Fleet vessels, and was an active participant in photo competitions.

Pam was one of the more visible female voices in the Wetpixel community during her active years, and she used the forums in a characteristically social way — seeking feedback on competition entries, sharing personal milestones, and fostering community connections. Her posting style was personal and engaging, often signing her posts “DiverPam” and expressing genuine gratitude for community help.

Notable Contributions

• “Lightest, smallest computer that runs Lightroom” (64 replies): Started the most-discussed thread in her history in May 2012, seeking recommendations for a lightweight travel laptop to run Adobe Lightroom. As a PC/Windows user with a 6.5-year-old heavy laptop, she needed advice on ultrabooks and netbooks for dive trip photo management. The thread generated extensive community recommendations covering Lenovo, Acer, ASUS, and Apple options, becoming a practical reference for traveling underwater photographers dealing with the same portability vs. processing power tradeoff (^[1]).

• “Nikon D90 — seeking feedback on housing and lens setup” (36 replies): Started a comprehensive gear selection thread in 2009 as she was building her Nikon D90 underwater system, seeking community input on housing choices and lens combinations (^[2]).

• “How do you rationalize $$$ for diving” (33 replies): Started a popular lighthearted thread in February 2011 about justifying diving expenses to family members. She shared that she was trying to find an excuse for her husband to approve another workshop with Alex Mustard. Her husband, when asked how she justifies these expenses, described her approach: “I want it! And I don’t stop until I get it” — capturing the determination many underwater photographers share. The thread drew humorous responses from the community about their own excuses (^[3]).

• “Opened cover of Alert Diver and found MY picture” (27 replies): Shared an excited milestone in August 2011 when her manta ray photograph appeared in Alert Diver magazine alongside an Aggressor Fleet advertisement. The image, titled “My First Manta,” was taken in June 2010 at German Channel, Palau, during an Aggressor trip. She credited the Wetpixel community for feedback that helped refine the image during the 2010 Aggressor Photo competition. The community warmly celebrated her achievement (^[4]).

• “Contest entry — help with choice please” (25 replies): Sought community feedback in October 2010 on three manta ray shots from her Palau trip for the annual Aggressor Photo Contest, demonstrating her use of the community as a sounding board for competition preparation (^[5]).

Activity Profile

diverpam was active across seven years (2009–2015), starting 48 threads and contributing 378 posts. Her activity was concentrated from 2010 through 2014, with peak engagement around 2011–2012. She was a regular liveaboard diver, with documented trips to Palau (German Channel for mantas) and Cayman, primarily on Aggressor Fleet vessels. Her forum engagement spanned gear selection, workflow optimization, competition preparation, community socializing, and personal milestone sharing. Her discussions with Alex Mustard and other prominent community members reflected her integration into Wetpixel’s social fabric.