Marty Snyderman
Aliases: martysnyderman
Role: Emmy Award-winning cinematographer, photographer, author, educator
First appearance: 2003 ([1])
Affiliation: DIVE Training Magazine (Marine Life Editor), California Diving News (Senior Editor), Featured-Creatures, REEF (Board of Trustees), Atlantis Dive Resorts (Photo Ambassador)
Biography
Marty Snyderman is an Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer, still photographer, author, and speaker who has been working in the marine environment since approximately 1975. Based in San Diego, California, he is one of the most experienced and respected figures in underwater image-making, with a career spanning close to five decades that encompasses film, still photography, writing, education, and conservation advocacy.
Snyderman is a recipient of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association’s (DEMA) 2008 Reaching Out Award, recognizing his contributions to the diving community ([2]). He serves as Marine Life Editor for Dive Training magazine, where he has written the “What’s That?” animal column for approximately 20 years, and as Senior Editor for California Diving News ([3]).
Early Career
In a 2017 Wetpixel interview conducted by Abi Smigel Mullens, Snyderman described his journey from wildlife enthusiast to photographer: “The whole thing is, I got ocean interested before, and wildlife interested before I got photography interested. Photography was my excuse to not have to do homework, and spend time with wildlife.” He has described himself as “a documentarian rather than an artist,” focused on being “a little spokesperson for animals in places that can’t speak for themselves” ([4]).
Snyderman’s early career included groundbreaking film work. He filmed dangerous sequences with Howard Hall including blue sharks feeding on squid in the 1970s and gray whales in Baja California. In the 1990s, he co-produced a film about sharks for the PBS series Nature with Rocky Strong. He also filmed gill net operations at night for the documentary Indiscriminate Kill, which contributed to laws banning drift nets ([5]).
Snyderman worked with Hardy Jones on early films about dolphins, contributing to campaigns against dolphin kills in Japan. He also worked with Chuck Nicklin early in his career at the San Diego Diving Locker — Nicklin lent Snyderman his housed Nikon F2 camera when he was first trying underwater photography, and took him diving with blue and mako sharks on trips “when not everybody got to go.” Snyderman shared a memorable story of seeing orcas with Nicklin off Mexico’s Coronado Islands ([6]).
He later worked on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom in the 1980s and contributed to IMAX productions, accumulating approximately 150 combined years of experience alongside Howard and Michele Hall, as Eric Cheng noted in a 2020 interview ([7]).
Image Library and Keywording
Snyderman’s image library contains close to 200,000 images. He co-developed a keywording program with Eric Cheng and Barry Guimbellot (keywordworkflow.com) containing 14,000 commonly encountered marine species to help photographers organize their libraries. This was released as the MarineLife keyword list for Lightroom and Aperture ([8], [9]).
Contributions
- Emmy Award-winning cinematography: Won an Emmy for underwater cinematography. Co-produced and filmed documentaries for PBS, National Geographic, and other major outlets, including pioneering shark films and the groundbreaking Indiscriminate Kill about gill nets ([10]).
- Animal behavior specialist: Self-described “animal geek” who has made documenting marine animal behavior his signature specialty. His Full Frame portfolio on Wetpixel showcased behavioral images spanning decades of fieldwork ([11]).
- Ocean Art Competition judge: Served as a judge for the annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition from its 2010 inception through at least 2022, helping evaluate thousands of entries over many years ([12], [13], [14]).
- Featured-Creatures magazine: In partnership with Rick Voight, Snyderman created Featured-Creatures, a subscription-based online magazine highlighting marine wildlife for school-aged children and adults. Each monthly edition includes photographs, facts, and a video clip produced by Howard and Michele Hall ([15], [16]).
- Education and mentorship: Worked with the GATE (Gifted And Talented Educational) program in San Diego schools, taught through workshops at the Digital Shootout, and served as Photo Ambassador for Atlantis Dive Resorts, organizing the annual Atlantis ImageMakers events ([17], [18]).
- Atlantis ImageMakers: As Atlantis Photo Ambassador, Snyderman organized the annual ImageMakers gathering in the Philippines, bringing together proven underwater image-makers for collaborative diving and knowledge sharing. Sara Shoemaker Lind described the 2019 event as featuring “multiple generations of divers from across the globe” with “no competition — only tech support and ideas shared from years of cumulative bottom time and industry participation” ([19], [20]).
- Apps and digital education: Collaborated with David Fleetham and Newmediasoup to create the “Histograms Explained” educational app for iPad and iPhone ([21]).
- Books: Co-authored 101 Tips for Underwater Photographers (2021) with Eric Riesch, published through Wise Divers eBooks. Praised by Adam Hanlon for simplifying complex concepts for all experience levels ([22]).
- Conservation: Board of Trustees member of REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation). Active advocate for ocean conservation through photography and writing ([23]).
Relationships
Snyderman’s career has been deeply intertwined with the San Diego underwater photography community. He was a close colleague of Howard Hall, with whom he filmed dangerous sequences in the 1970s and continued collaborating for decades. He knew Bob Cranston well and contributed a moving tribute when Cranston passed in 2016 ([24]). He has cited Douglas Seifert as one of the photographers whose work he studies and admires, and organized a 2017 Philippines trip with Howard and Michele Hall, Seifert, David Fleetham, and others ([25]).
Forum Activity
Snyderman maintained a presence on the Wetpixel forums under the username “martysnyderman,” with 5 posts during 2009, 2011, and 2013. His threads included “Manta Fest In Yap” (7 replies) and classified ads for Ikelite strobes ([source: person_matrix.json]).
Timeline
- ~1975: Begins career in underwater photography and cinematography
- 1970s-80s: Films blue sharks feeding on squid with Howard Hall; films gill net operations for Indiscriminate Kill; works with Hardy Jones on dolphin films; works on Wild Kingdom ([26], [27])
- 1990s: Co-produces shark film for PBS Nature with Rocky Strong ([28])
- 2003-10: Attends DEMA 2003 ([29])
- 2006-06: Participates in Kona Classic 2006 competition ([30])
- 2007-03: Leads underwater photography seminar at DUPS (Delaware Underwater Photography Society) ([31])
- 2008: Receives DEMA Reaching Out Award ([32])
- 2009-04: Photographed at SDUPS Film Festival evening with Eric Cheng and Michele Hall — captioned as “Trifecta” ([33])
- 2009-06: Releases MarineLife keyword list for Lightroom and Aperture, co-developed with Eric Cheng and Barry Guimbellot ([34])
- 2010-08: Judges inaugural Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition ([35])
- 2010-12: Ocean Art Competition winners announced ([36])
- 2011-12: Collaborates with Fleetham and Newmediasoup on photo training app ([37])
- 2012-12: “Histograms Explained” app released with David Fleetham ([38])
- 2016-06: Contributes tribute to Bob Cranston ([39])
- 2017-02: Featured in Wetpixel Full Frame portfolio and in-depth interview by Abi Smigel Mullens; announces Featured-Creatures magazine ([40], [41])
- 2017-02: Organizes Philippines trip with Howard and Michele Hall, Douglas Seifert, David Fleetham, and others ([42])
- 2019-06: Leads Atlantis ImageMakers 2019 as Photo Ambassador at Dumaguete and Puerto Galera, Philippines ([43], [44])
- 2020-04: Featured in Eric Cheng interview video with Howard and Michele Hall at Atlantis Dumaguete, discussing 150 combined years of experience ([45])
- 2021-02: Announces 101 Tips for Underwater Photographers with Wise Divers eBooks ([46])
- 2021-03: Wetpixel publishes review of 101 Tips ([47])
- 2021-07: Wise Divers ships two new eBooks ([48])
- 2022-12: Contributes personal tribute to Chuck Nicklin upon his death ([49])
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Marty Snyderman Animal Behavior ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Marty Snyderman Animal Behavior ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 8, 2022: Rip Chuck Nicklin ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 1, 2020: Interview Marty Snyderman With Howard And Michelle Hall By Eric Cheng ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 12, 2009: Marinelife Keyword List For Lightroom And Aperture ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Marty Snyderman Animal Behavior ↩
- Wetpixel article, Aug 4, 2010: Call For Entries Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Aug 9, 2011: Call For Entries 2011 Ocean Art Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2022: Ocean Art 2022 Is Calling For Entries ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Marty Snyderman Animal Behavior ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Featured Creatures Online Magazine Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 19, 2019: Atlantis Imagemakers 2019 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 21, 2019: Live Reports Atlantis Imagemakers 2019 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 19, 2019: Atlantis Imagemakers 2019 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 10, 2012: Histograms Expained Available In The App Store ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2021: Book Review 101 Tips For Uw Photographers ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 9, 2016: In Memoriam Bob Cranston Underwater Cameraman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 1, 2020: Interview Marty Snyderman With Howard And Michelle Hall By Eric Cheng ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 5, 2006: Kona Classic 2006 Contest Winners Photos ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 16, 2007: Marty Snyderman To Lead Underwater Photography Seminar At Dups ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Marty Snyderman Animal Behavior ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 29, 2009: Photos From Sdups Film Festival Evening ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 12, 2009: Marinelife Keyword List For Lightroom And Aperture ↩
- Wetpixel article, Aug 4, 2010: Call For Entries Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2010: Ocean Art Competition Winners Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 15, 2011: Newmediasoup Releases Photo Training App ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 10, 2012: Histograms Expained Available In The App Store ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 9, 2016: In Memoriam Bob Cranston Underwater Cameraman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Marty Snyderman Animal Behavior ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2017: Interview With Marty Snyderman ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 21, 2019: Live Reports Atlantis Imagemakers 2019 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 19, 2019: Atlantis Imagemakers 2019 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 1, 2020: Interview Marty Snyderman With Howard And Michelle Hall By Eric Cheng ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 23, 2021: Wise Divers Announces 101 Tips For Underwater Photographers ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2021: Book Review 101 Tips For Uw Photographers ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 23, 2021: Wise Divers Ship Two New Ebooks ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 8, 2022: Rip Chuck Nicklin ↩
- DEMA 2003 show coverage (article) ↩
- Kona Classic 2006 (article) ↩
- Marty Snyderman to lead UW photography seminar at DUPS (article) ↩
- Photos from SDUPS Film Festival evening (article) ↩
- MarineLife keyword list for Lightroom and Aperture (article) ↩
- Ocean Art competition call for entries (article) ↩
- Ocean Art 2010 winners (article) ↩
- Histograms Explained app (article) ↩
- In Memoriam: Bob Cranston (article) ↩
- Interview with Marty Snyderman (article) ↩
- Marty Snyderman: Animal Behavior (Full Frame) (article) ↩
- Atlantis ImageMakers 2019 (article) ↩
- Interview: Marty Snyderman with Howard and Michele Hall by Eric Cheng (article) ↩
- 101 Tips for Underwater Photographers review (article) ↩
- RIP Chuck Nicklin (article) ↩