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OCCHIO SUMMER NEWSLETTER
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Greetings!
Shades Of Gray
My calendar for the next few months ahead sits in front of me looking like an advanced calculus computation. There is a to-do list several legal pages long next to my keyboard, I haven't had a full day off in weeks, and I'm loving every minute of it. A few weeks ago I got back from Quepos, Costa Rica, where I went searching for a new billfish motor drive shot, this time of a Pacific sailfish. I got what I went for and am very pleased to show off our new shot entitled "Shades Of Gray." Videographer Luke Pearson joined me to shoot behind-the-scenes video of the trip. He did a fantastic job that you can see here: "Getting The Shot: Shades Of Gray." We joined Jamie and Jenny Walker from Frenzy Sport Fishing for a week-long adventure that was five stars all around. We were guests in their magnificent home in the rain forest above Manual Antonio and worked from the incredible Maverick 42' Frenzy I but, best of all, we raised 40-plus Pacific sailfish during a time that many considered to be late in the season. To read more about it and see photos from the trip check out the Occhio blog. Some of our new motor drive images including "One Second" and "Shades of Gray" can now be viewed online in FULL resolution, allowing you to see every detail down to the smallest bubble or parasite living on the billfish's face. By clicking on any of the panoramic images in this newsletter you will see them as they are supposed to seen.
I hope you enjoy all our news below and follow us during our upcoming trips and adventures.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Marc
 | | Getting the Shot | Shades of Gray |
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Bermuda or Bust
It's now time to turn planning into reality for my next shoot. A few nights ago I dropped off more than 150 lbs. of camera housings and dive gear onboard the 67' Jarrett Bay Waste Knot as she filled up here in Morehead City. She was in final prep for the 650-mile trip across to Bermuda. She is joining the Triple Crown blue marlin tournament season held on the island every summer. On July 6th I'm scheduled to fly into Hamilton to join her for a week, but I won't be there for the tournaments. The boat's owners, the Poole family, have invited me to join them on a five day HOOKLESS big blue marlin safari to try for my next shot. Although I'm very happy with my last blue marlin shot from St Thomas, in Bermuda I'm going to be looking for something new and, like every shot, it starts with visualizing a clear picture of the shot before I even leave Morehead. The outline is pretty simple. I want a girl big blue (blue marlin females are way larger than the much smaller males--700 lbs. plus, with shoulders like a Cape buffalo, charging me mouth open within inches of the dome port.) Just the thought of an animal that size chasing the teaser "spitting" mad makes the hair stand up on my arms. As I found out on my past blue marlin trips, once you go over that transom and are in the water it's too late to back out. It's like being at the peak of some knarly rollercoaster about to take the plunge down a vertical stretch of track. The mates know to bring that teaser over the top of my head, and behind it is a five-foot spike driven by a few hundred pound hammer coming at me at 20 knots. That's if I'm lucky? No amount of swimming in the opposite direction is going to get me out of the way in time if I change my mind, again if I'm lucky. Bermuda has some incredible offshore mountains that have water so clear and blue you feel suspended in space out there in a few thousand feet of water. The other thing Bermuda has is blue marlin, not just lots but big, very big, blue marlin. Stay tuned or follow us on the Occhio blog as we try to build on our previous shots.
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Happenings In Morehead City
Over the last few weeks I've started pointing my camera a little closer to home and shooting some local landscapes. I started with a panorama of the waterfront along which we have the gallery. It was shot from Sugarloaf Island looking back at the docks, restaurants, and charter boat row here in downtown Morehead City. It gives me the "warm fuzzies" to have found a home in such a great community and I'm very proud to have my gallery here. I remain so thankful for the regional support people have show us. Stay tuned for a lot more local images from Occhio in the near future.
While on the topic of Morehead City--the Occhio Gallery on the Morehead City waterfront has gone from strength to strength over the last year. A big reason for that has been the addition of Karrie Wempen to our gallery team as our new gallery manager. She has been fantastic in getting things organized and adding a lot of new products and brands to the gallery.
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| New Face At Occhio |  Karrie Wempen |
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| Guy Harvey at the Occhio Gallery
Since our last newsletter there have been so many exciting things to talk about. Our experience at the Miami International Boat Show was fantastic for print sales, especially with the number of international orders but, most importantly, we enjoyed getting to meet so many people who are excited about what we are doing here at Occhio. I was hoarse by day two talking f-stops and shutter speeds with the massive number of photographers out there who are really pushing the envelope with blue water fish photography. The Miami show also represented a very proud moment for me personally. Dr. Guy Harvey, who has been such a great support to me over the last few years, offered to buy my complete 23-print exhibition that was on display at the IGFA Hall of Fame and Museum in Fort Lauderdale for the past eight months. Guy Harvey is not only a world-renowned marine artist but is also at the forefront of marine conservation with his work at the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, as well as an all around nice guy. My images will be on exhibit at his Cayman Islands gallery, the Bimini Big Game Club in the Bahamas, and some will be going into his private collection. Click here to read more on Guys blog .
Guy has also been generous enough to exhibit three of his original paintings in our Occhio Gallery here in Morehead City. The three pieces are "Threat & Needle", "Rock Star", and "Blue Runner". The originals are the centerpieces of our new Guy Harvey expansion to the gallery just completed in the Spring. Along with Guy's art we are also carrying a wide range of Guy Harvey merchandise. Click here to views of the new gallery and Guy Harvey's original art.
Click Here to Enlarge
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