Tom Kline

Forum username: tom_kline
Posts: 1,247
Threads started: 7
Active years: 2005–2023
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique (48%), Lights/Strobes/Lighting (13%), Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing (9%), Beginner Forum (5%)
Specialization: Nikon systems, strobe technology, wildlife photography competition ethics

Community Role

tom_kline was one of Wetpixel’s most enduring community members, maintaining a near-continuous forum presence across 19 years (2005–2023). With 1,247 posts and only 7 threads started, they had the most lopsided start-to-reply ratio of any prolific contributor — essentially a pure responder who answered questions and participated in discussions rather than initiating them. This made them a quiet but steady voice of experience in the community.

With 596 posts in Photography Gear and Technique, 165 in Lights/Strobes/Lighting, and 106 in Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing, tom_kline was firmly a gear-and-technique contributor. They also helped newcomers through the Beginner Forum (60 posts).

Their sustained presence across nearly two decades of underwater photography technology evolution — from film-to-digital through DSLR to mirrorless — made them a valuable voice of continuity in a community where many members cycled through in 3–5 year bursts.

Notable Contributions

Strobe Technology

tom_kline was particularly engaged in strobe technology discussions, one of the most technically demanding areas of underwater photography:

• Retra Strobe Thread (29 posts) — one of the most active participants in this major thread tracking the emergence of the Retra strobe brand, which challenged established players like Inon and Sea & Sea
• Strobe recommendation for SWC (11 posts) — provided strobe selection guidance for super-wide-angle and close-focus wide-angle shooting
• Aquatica and Canon EF 8-15 (9 posts) — fisheye lens and housing compatibility, a perennial technical challenge

Nikon System Advocacy

tom_kline tracked Nikon’s position in the underwater photography market across the entire DSLR-to-mirrorless transition:

• Upgrade bug time, where to go from D2X (10 posts) — Nikon upgrade path discussion, reflecting the challenges facing high-end Nikon shooters
• Nikon left behind? (10 posts) — debating Nikon’s competitive position as Sony and Canon pushed ahead in mirrorless
• Nikon releases the Z8 mirrorless camera (9 posts) — engaged in the mirrorless revolution discussion, tracking Nikon’s late but significant entry
• Nikon D4 video (9 posts) — DSLR video revolution topic
• Possible Nikon D3X specs (3 posts) — one of their own started threads, speculating on Nikon’s high-resolution full-frame body

Competition Ethics

• Skullduggery in the Wildlife Photographer comp (12 posts) — participated in the community discussion about ethics violations in prestigious wildlife photography competitions, a topic that periodically erupted on Wetpixel

Community Trust

• Give your feedback on buyers/sellers (18 posts) — active participant in the community marketplace integrity thread, helping maintain trust in the forum’s classifieds section
• EMWL Water Jacket (2 posts) — one of their own threads, discussing the Nauticam Extended Macro Working Length system

Activity Profile

• Peak year: 2005 (205 posts — their first year, suggesting they found the community and immediately dove in)
• Steady period: 2014–2022 (consistently 39–74 posts per year for nine consecutive years)
• Thread participation style: 1,247 posts but only 7 started threads (ratio of 178:1)
• First appearance: 2005-02-20
• Last appearance: 2023-12-06
• Activity score: 1,272

References