James Wiseman

Aliases: james, jamesw
Role: Wetpixel co-administrator, gear reviewer, technical writer, underwater photographer, expedition leader
First appearance: 2001 (forum), 2002 (articles) ([1])
Last appearance: 2014 (forum activity)
Location: Houston, Texas
Personal website: reefpix.org
Affiliation: Wetpixel (co-administrator), Houston Underwater Photographic Society (HUPS), Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (volunteer)

Biography

James Wiseman is the most prolific forum contributor in Wetpixel’s history with 8,634 posts across 577 threads started, and one of the original trio (with Eric Cheng and Alex Mustard) who ran the site in its formative years. He served as co-administrator — not merely a moderator — placing him in the Wetpixel leadership tier alongside Cheng ([2]). He authored 158 articles for Wetpixel (peaking at 70 in 2005) and left 98 comments on other articles, making him the primary content engine of Wetpixel from 2002 to 2005 before Adam Hanlon took over editorial duties.

Wiseman grew up in California, snorkeling in San Diego’s cold waters two to three times a week, and moved to Houston approximately four years before his earliest Wetpixel writings in 2002. He began diving only three years before that, and took his first underwater photos in the Florida Keys using a Coolpix 990 in full automatic mode ([3]). Despite this relatively late start, he progressed rapidly, crediting digital photography’s instant feedback as “the ultimate learning tool” that “probably cuts the learning curve in half for new underwater photographers.”

By profession, Wiseman was an engineer. James Wood, a fellow Wetpixel contributor, noted: “James Wiseman is an engineer by trade and it shows in his rigorous analytical assessment of equipment. When almost every article in photography magazines is really an advertisement full of useless marketing fluff, I find James’ objective articles and technical detail especially useful” ([4], comments). His engineering career took him offshore periodically — from September 2006 to early March 2007 he managed the commissioning of 13 offshore pipelines in Equatorial Guinea, West Africa, with very limited internet access ([5]). He later mentioned working offshore frequently and having a wife and baby by 2009 ([6], comments).

Based in the Houston area, Wiseman was deeply involved in HUPS (Houston Underwater Photographic Society), volunteering at their booth at Seaspace dive shows, writing columns for their newsletter, teaching workshops, and serving as a tireless community educator. He was named HUPS Member of the Year in 2005 ([7]). The HUPS president’s nomination letter praised his contributions: “Perhaps James’s most significant contribution to HUPS is in the area of digital photography. He shares his expertise with others in many ways, including workshops, monthly meeting topics, and newsletter articles.”

Wiseman’s primary dive site was the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, which he visited repeatedly for both photography and volunteer work. He also dove extensively in the Bahamas, Fiji, Belize, Little Cayman, the Philippines, and California, and after his West Africa assignment, took a photo safari in East Africa with his wife Sarah ([8]).

Camera Systems and Equipment Evolution

Wiseman’s equipment progression documented the film-to-digital transition that defined underwater photography in the early 2000s:

Compact Era (2001-2002)

Started with a Nikon Coolpix 5000 (later also used a Coolpix 990), housed in an Ikelite housing. These early dives at the Flower Garden Banks and in Kona produced his first digital underwater images ([9]).

Fuji S2 Pro Era (2002-2004)

Received one of the first Fuji S2 Pro cameras in the United States — Fuji had reserved 60 cameras for reviewers but accidentally shipped them to pre-order customers. He immediately sent it to Ikelite for housing, then later acquired housings from Aquatica and Seacam for the same camera body ([10]). Used Nikon lenses including the Nikkor 60mm Micro, Nikkor 105mm Micro, Nikkor 12-24DX, Nikkor 16mm fisheye, Nikkor 70-180mm macro zoom, and Sigma 14mm f/2.8 ([11]).

Canon Switch (Late 2004-2008)

In November 2004, switched from Nikon to Canon, acquiring a Canon 20D and Canon 1Ds Mark II. The switch was driven by Canon’s eTTL2 system and full-frame sensor availability. His wife Sarah also shot a Canon 20D in an Ikelite housing ([12]). He housed the 1Ds Mark II in a Seacam housing and later moved to the Canon 5D in a Seacam housing in 2006 ([13]). Championed the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens on the advice of Craig Jones, becoming its most vocal advocate on Wetpixel — later referenced by other reviewers as having “been championing the Sigma for ages as an ideal macro solution for full frame cameras” ([14]). Also tested the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 macro zoom as a Canon replacement for the beloved Nikkor 70-180mm, reviewing it extensively with underwater test shots from the Philippines ([15]).

Strobes and Accessories

Primarily used Ikelite DS-125 and DS-200 strobes, plus Inon Z-220 strobes for macro. Built a custom buoyancy collar from Last-A-Foam polyurethane foam to neutralize his heavy Seacam/1Ds Mark II setup, documenting the engineering process in detail ([16]). Also reviewed the Fisheye FIX LIGHT HG20DX spotting light, one of the first dedicated autofocus-assist lights for underwater use, which he recommended highly ([17]).

Contributions

HUPS Newsletter Beginner Series (2002-2003)

Wiseman wrote a monthly beginner column for the HUPS newsletter, which was reprinted on Wetpixel. These columns systematically walked newcomers through every aspect of the film-to-digital transition:

Community members were eager for more — when the columns were delayed, forum users asked for them by name, and Eric Cheng admitted the delay was his fault for not posting columns Wiseman had already supplied ([23]).

Housing Reviews

Wiseman reviewed more housings across more manufacturers than any other Wetpixel contributor in the early years. His reviews were detailed engineering assessments covering construction, ergonomics, port compatibility, controls, and in-water handling:

Technical Tutorials

Wiseman produced a series of technical articles aimed at helping photographers understand digital workflow and post-processing:

Complementary Filter Photography (2007)

Wiseman’s most technically sophisticated article. Building on Craig Jones’ 2003 foundational article on filters and ambient light photography and Alex Mustard’s Magic Filter, Wiseman took the technique further by pairing a CC30m (magenta) filter on the lens with a CC30g (green) complement on the strobes. He tested the setup on a trip to Little Cayman with his wife Sarah, producing what he described as the first side-by-side comparison under identical lighting conditions between filtered and unfiltered wide-angle setups — possible because “my wife and I have similar camera set-ups.” The results showed dramatically bluer water backgrounds with saturated foreground colors, and he explained the physics of why the filter improved sun-ball rendering by reducing cyan saturation of the digital sensor ([40]). See Wide-Angle Photography.

Buoyancy Engineering (2005)

Wrote a detailed engineering tutorial on building a custom buoyancy collar from Last-A-Foam rigid polyurethane foam (4 lb/ft3 density, providing 60 pounds of lift per cubic foot). The article explained Archimedes’ principle, center of gravity vs center of buoyancy, and included procurement sources, fabrication steps, and dive testing results. Motivated by his Seacam/Canon 1Ds Mark II macro setup being “literally pounds” negative underwater, causing him to roll forward in his drysuit ([41]).

Super Macro Presentation (2009)

Presented “Super Macro” techniques at HUPS covering equipment choices (lenses, teleconverters, diopters), focusing technique, and image processing. The announcement generated widespread demand from the Wetpixel community for a DVD recording, with members offering to pay for copies. Wiseman agreed to record but noted he’d “rather spend time w/ my wife and baby than learn video editing” ([42]) ([43]). See Macro Photography.

Accessory and Gear Reviews

Beyond housings, Wiseman reviewed a wide range of accessories:

Community Engagement via Comments

Wiseman left 98 comments across Wetpixel articles, many with standalone educational value. In the RAW vs JPEG article comments, he offered practical advice for photographers intimidated by RAW: “Shoot a whole dive on RAW” and compare the results. He contributed detailed technical commentary on the Aquatica Kodak ProSLRn housing, clarifying that the SLRn and SLRc shared only the sensor and electronics but had completely different bodies. Community member Margaret Bradley wrote of him: “I’ve never met James, but twice, just days before dive trips, he has come through and helped me with hardware issues which otherwise would have left me either without my camera, or with a disappointing result” ([53], comments).

Site Building and Leadership

Wetpixel v3.0 (2004)

Co-built the ground-up redesign and rewrite of Wetpixel.com with Eric Cheng and Craig Jones, migrating all news, reviews, and forum content from the old site ([54]).

Forum Moderator to Co-Administrator (2002-2009+)

Named forum moderator in October 2002 when he was already responsible for “more than 20% of the total forum posting volume (1000+ posts)” ([55]). By 2005, he held the title of co-administrator alongside Alex Mustard, with both continuing in that role when the moderating team was expanded with nine new members in September 2005 ([56]).

Show Coverage

Wiseman was Wetpixel’s primary correspondent for Houston-area dive events and contributed to major trade show coverage:

Expedition Leadership

Led and co-led Wetpixel diving expeditions:

Awards and Recognition

Public Speaking

Article Output

YearArticlesKey topics
20024Seaspace, Ikelite S2 housing review, beginner guides (strobe use, getting started)
20038Printing, travel, Aquatica S2 housing, Seaspace, Image Tank, why go digital
200447Seacam S2, lenses, RAW vs JPEG, ACR, chromatic aberration, channel mixer, DEMA coverage, leak detector, FIX light, media cards, Seaspace, Digital Shootout Fiji
200570Peak volume — Canon switch, Aquatica Kodak, Ikelite D100/20D, Sigma 150mm, Sea & Sea DX-8000G, buoyancy collar, YS-110 strobe, Backscatter ND filters, numerous gear news items
200622Seacam 5D, Aquatica D200, HUPS workshop, dive show coverage
20076Complementary filters, Visions conference, Seaspace 2007
20083Aquatica 1Ds III housing, Tamron 70-200mm, Texas Dive Show

Forum Activity

Wiseman’s 8,634 forum posts made him the single most prolific contributor in Wetpixel’s history. His top threads by reply count include:

His forum activity spanned 2001 to 2014, with active years including 2001-2012 and a final appearance in 2014. He started 577 threads and his posts appeared across the Photography Gear and Technique, Shooting Technique, General Chat, and Photo/Video Showcase forums.

Timeline

References


Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Apr 16, 2002: Seaspace 2002 Report Truly Unsinkable
  2. Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2005: Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team
  3. Wetpixel article, Sep 6, 2003: Why Go Digital
  4. Wetpixel article, Jan 28, 2005: Upgrading Your Digital Camera Kit
  5. Forum thread: James Wiseman Back From Africa
  6. Wetpixel article, Feb 27, 2009: Wetpixels James Wiseman To Present Super Macro At Hups
  7. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2005: James Wiseman Hups Member Of The Year
  8. Forum thread: James Wiseman Back From Africa
  9. Forum thread: James Beginner Equip
  10. Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2002: Ikelite S2 Pro Housing
  11. Wetpixel article, Jun 29, 2003: Aquatica S2 Pro Housing1
  12. Wetpixel article, Jan 28, 2005: Upgrading Your Digital Camera Kit
  13. Wetpixel article, Mar 29, 2006: Seacam 5d Housing First Impressions
  14. Wetpixel article, Feb 15, 2005: Sigma 150mm F28 Apo Dg Ex
  15. Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2008: Tamron 70 200mm F 28 Macro Lens Review
  16. Wetpixel article, Sep 5, 2005: James Wisemans Buoyancy Collar Review
  17. Wetpixel article, Dec 7, 2004: Fisheye Fix Light Hg20dx Spotting Light
  18. Wetpixel article, Sep 6, 2003: Why Go Digital
  19. Wetpixel article, Oct 31, 2002: How To Get Started In Underwater Digital Photography
  20. Wetpixel article, Oct 31, 2002: Strobe Use For Digital Cameras For Beginners
  21. Wetpixel article, Mar 3, 2003: Diving Abroad With A Digital Underwater Camera For Beginners
  22. Wetpixel article, Mar 3, 2003: Printing Digital Images For Beginners
  23. Forum thread: Monthly Beginner Column By James Wiseman
  24. Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2002: Ikelite S2 Pro Housing
  25. Wetpixel article, Jun 29, 2003: Aquatica S2 Pro Housing1
  26. Forum thread: Congrats To Our Man James
  27. Wetpixel article, Jan 19, 2004: Seacam S2 Pro Housing
  28. Wetpixel article, Jan 15, 2005: Aquatica Kodak Proslrn14n Housing Review
  29. Wetpixel article, Feb 13, 2005: Ikelite 20d Housing With Ettl2 Converter Conversion Circuitry Enables Ettl2
  30. Wetpixel article, Feb 8, 2005: Ikelite D100 Housing And Ports A Review In Photos
  31. Wetpixel article, Jul 19, 2005: Sea And Sea Dx8000g Review
  32. Wetpixel article, Mar 29, 2006: Seacam 5d Housing First Impressions
  33. Wetpixel article, Nov 27, 2008: Aquatica 1ds Mark Iii Housing For Canon 1d 1ds Mark Iii Review
  34. Wetpixel article, Feb 21, 2004: Raw Vs Jpeg
  35. Wetpixel article, Apr 26, 2004: Tips For Using Adobe Camera Raw
  36. Wetpixel article, Aug 7, 2004: Correcting Chromatic Abberation Using Adobe Photoshop Cs
  37. Wetpixel article, Jan 29, 2004: Using The Channel Mixer To Correct Green Water
  38. Wetpixel article, Mar 23, 2004: Selecting Lenses For Your New Digital Slr
  39. Wetpixel article, Jun 25, 2004: New Article Posted Choosing The Best Media Card For Your Camera
  40. Wetpixel article, Jun 15, 2007: Complementary Filters And Wide Angle Underwater Photography
  41. Wetpixel article, Sep 5, 2005: James Wisemans Buoyancy Collar Review
  42. Wetpixel article, Feb 27, 2009: Wetpixels James Wiseman To Present Super Macro At Hups
  43. Forum thread: James Wiseman To Speak At Hups
  44. Wetpixel article, Dec 7, 2004: Fisheye Fix Light Hg20dx Spotting Light
  45. Wetpixel article, Apr 10, 2004: Marine Camera Distributors H2o D Leek Detector1
  46. Wetpixel article, Sep 8, 2003: Image Tank G2 Portable Storage
  47. Wetpixel article, Feb 15, 2005: Sigma 150mm F28 Apo Dg Ex
  48. Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2008: Tamron 70 200mm F 28 Macro Lens Review
  49. Wetpixel article, May 22, 2005: Kata 103 Camera And Laptop Backpack
  50. Wetpixel article, Oct 4, 2005: Sea And Sea Ys110 Strobe
  51. Wetpixel article, Jun 17, 2005: Backscatter Neutral Density Underwater Filter System
  52. Wetpixel article, Jan 14, 2006: Sealife Reefmaster Dc500 Review
  53. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2005: James Wiseman Hups Member Of The Year
  54. Wetpixel article, Jan 23, 2004: Wetpixel V30
  55. Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2002: Forum Announcements
  56. Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2005: Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team
  57. Wetpixel article, Apr 16, 2002: Seaspace 2002 Report Truly Unsinkable
  58. Wetpixel article, May 31, 2003: Seaspace 2003 Show Report
  59. Wetpixel article, Jun 5, 2004: Seaspace 2004 Houston Tx
  60. Wetpixel article, Jun 10, 2005: Seaspace 2005 Report
  61. Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage1
  62. Wetpixel article, May 7, 2004: Digital Shootout Fiji Webcast 2004
  63. Wetpixel article, Apr 6, 2005: Wetpixel Bahamas Shark Expedition 2005 Report
  64. Wetpixel article, May 28, 2005: Wetpixel Shark Expedition March 2006
  65. Wetpixel article, Oct 27, 2008: Wetpixel Bahamas Expeditions 2009
  66. Wetpixel article, Feb 4, 2005: James Wiseman Inon Artist Of The Month
  67. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2005: James Wiseman Hups Member Of The Year
  68. Wetpixel article, Feb 11, 2005: Beneath The Sea 2005 Winners Posted
  69. Forum thread: James Wiseman August Scuba Diving Magazine
  70. Forum thread: Congrats To Our Man James
  71. Wetpixel article, Aug 14, 2007: James Wiseman To Speak At Visions Conference
  72. Wetpixel article, May 31, 2003: Seaspace 2003 Show Report
  73. Wetpixel article, Jun 5, 2004: Seaspace 2004 Houston Tx
  74. Wetpixel article, Apr 17, 2006: Houston April 22nd Intro To Uw Digital Workshop
  75. Wetpixel article, Sep 23, 2006: James Wiseman To Speak At Aquarium Conference
  76. Wetpixel article, Aug 14, 2007: James Wiseman To Speak At Visions Conference
  77. Wetpixel article, Feb 27, 2009: Wetpixels James Wiseman To Present Super Macro At Hups
  78. Forum thread: Wearing A Drysuit And Shooting Macro
  79. Forum thread: Wetpixel Bahamas Trip
  80. Forum thread: Tamron 70 200 F28 Macro
  81. Wetpixel article, Apr 16, 2002: Seaspace 2002 Report Truly Unsinkable
  82. Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2002: Forum Announcements
  83. Wetpixel article, Oct 31, 2002: How To Get Started In Underwater Digital Photography
  84. Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2002: Ikelite S2 Pro Housing
  85. Wetpixel article, Mar 3, 2003: Printing Digital Images For Beginners
  86. Wetpixel article, May 31, 2003: Seaspace 2003 Show Report
  87. Wetpixel article, Jun 29, 2003: Aquatica S2 Pro Housing1
  88. Forum thread: Congrats To Our Man James
  89. Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage1
  90. Wetpixel article, Jan 19, 2004: Seacam S2 Pro Housing
  91. Wetpixel article, Jan 23, 2004: Wetpixel V30
  92. Wetpixel article, Feb 21, 2004: Raw Vs Jpeg
  93. Wetpixel article, May 7, 2004: Digital Shootout Fiji Webcast 2004
  94. Wetpixel article, Jun 5, 2004: Seaspace 2004 Houston Tx
  95. Wetpixel article, Aug 7, 2004: Correcting Chromatic Abberation Using Adobe Photoshop Cs
  96. Wetpixel article, Jan 28, 2005: Upgrading Your Digital Camera Kit
  97. Wetpixel article, Jan 15, 2005: Aquatica Kodak Proslrn14n Housing Review
  98. Wetpixel article, Feb 4, 2005: James Wiseman Inon Artist Of The Month
  99. Wetpixel article, Feb 11, 2005: Beneath The Sea 2005 Winners Posted
  100. Wetpixel article, Feb 15, 2005: Sigma 150mm F28 Apo Dg Ex
  101. Wetpixel article, Apr 6, 2005: Wetpixel Bahamas Shark Expedition 2005 Report
  102. Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2005: Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team
  103. Wetpixel article, Sep 5, 2005: James Wisemans Buoyancy Collar Review
  104. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2005: James Wiseman Hups Member Of The Year
  105. Wetpixel article, Mar 29, 2006: Seacam 5d Housing First Impressions
  106. Wetpixel article, Apr 17, 2006: Houston April 22nd Intro To Uw Digital Workshop
  107. Forum thread: James Wiseman August Scuba Diving Magazine
  108. Wetpixel article, Sep 23, 2006: James Wiseman To Speak At Aquarium Conference
  109. Forum thread: James Wiseman Back From Africa
  110. Forum thread: James Wiseman Back From Africa
  111. Wetpixel article, Jun 15, 2007: Complementary Filters And Wide Angle Underwater Photography
  112. Wetpixel article, Aug 14, 2007: James Wiseman To Speak At Visions Conference
  113. Wetpixel article, Nov 27, 2008: Aquatica 1ds Mark Iii Housing For Canon 1d 1ds Mark Iii Review
  114. Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2008: Tamron 70 200mm F 28 Macro Lens Review
  115. Wetpixel article, Feb 27, 2009: Wetpixels James Wiseman To Present Super Macro At Hups
  116. Wetpixel article, Oct 27, 2008: Wetpixel Bahamas Expeditions 2009
  117. Seaspace 2002 Report (article)
  118. Ikelite S2 Pro Housing Review (2002) (article)
  119. Forum Announcements — Wiseman Named Moderator (2002) (article)
  120. How to Get Started in UW Digital Photography (2002) (article)
  121. Strobe Use for Digital Cameras for Beginners (2002) (article)
  122. Why Go Digital? (2002) (article)
  123. Printing Digital Images for Beginners (2003) (article)
  124. Diving Abroad with a Digital UW Camera (2003) (article)
  125. Seaspace 2003 Show Report (article)
  126. Aquatica S2 Pro Housing Review (2003) (article)
  127. DEMA 2003 Show Coverage (article)
  128. Image Tank G2 Portable Storage Review (2003) (article)
  129. Seacam S2 Pro Housing Review (2004) (article)
  130. Wetpixel v3.0 (2004) (article)
  131. RAW vs JPEG (2004) (article)
  132. Selecting Lenses for Your New Digital SLR (2004) (article)
  133. Marine Camera Distributors H2O-D Leak Detector (2004) (article)
  134. Tips for Using Adobe Camera RAW (2004) (article)
  135. Using the Channel Mixer to Correct Green Water (2004) (article)
  136. Digital Shootout Fiji 2004 Webcast (article)
  137. Seaspace 2004 (article)
  138. Choosing the Best Media Card (2004) (article)
  139. Correcting Chromatic Aberration (2004) (article)
  140. Fisheye FIX Light Review (2004) (article)
  141. Aquatica Kodak ProSLR/n Housing Review (2005) (article)
  142. Upgrading Your Digital Camera Kit — Nikon to Canon (2005) (article)
  143. INON Artist of the Month (2005) (article)
  144. Beneath the Sea 2005 Winners (2005) (article)
  145. Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Test (2005) (article)
  146. Wetpixel Bahamas Shark Expedition 2005 Report (article)
  147. Wetpixel Shark Expedition March 2006 (article)
  148. Seaspace 2005 Report (article)
  149. Backscatter ND Filter System (2005) (article)
  150. Sea & Sea DX-8000G Review (2005) (article)
  151. Buoyancy Collar Review (2005) (article)
  152. Wetpixel Expands Moderating Team (2005) (article)
  153. Sea & Sea YS-110 Strobe (2005) (article)
  154. HUPS Member of the Year (2005) (article)
  155. Seacam 5D Housing First Impressions (2006) (article)
  156. HUPS Digital Workshop (2006) (article)
  157. James Wiseman to Speak at Aquarium Conference (2006) (article)
  158. Complementary Filters Tutorial (2007) (article)
  159. James Wiseman to Speak at Visions Conference (2007) (article)
  160. Aquatica 1Ds Mark III Housing Review (2008) (article)
  161. Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review (2008) (article)
  162. Wetpixel Bahamas Expeditions 2009 (article)
  163. Super Macro at HUPS (2009) (article)
  164. Monthly Beginner Column thread (forum)
  165. James Wiseman review in UwP Magazine thread (forum)
  166. James Wiseman Scuba Diving Magazine thread (forum)
  167. James Wiseman — Back from Africa thread (forum)
  168. James Wiseman to Speak at HUPS thread (forum)
  169. Wearing a Drysuit and Shooting Macro thread (forum)
  170. Wetpixel Bahamas Trip thread (forum)