Welcome to Ocean Planet Images Galleries!

Award winning photographer Thomas Carey became interested in photography while he was in junior high school in Southern California, just taking pictures of his friends surfing and skateboarding. He would wrap his little Kodak Instamatic camera in plastic to keep the water out.

As an adult, living in Ventura, CA, he was close to the beautiful Channel Islands, only 11 miles off the coast, where Tom began SCUBA diving in 1977. Soon, he gave up the Instamatic and bought a Nikonos III underwater camera. While diving for lobster, abalone, and scallops and spearfishing with his friends, he would dive with his camera instead of a speargun. Quickly becoming more serious, he bought a used housing for his Nikon F-2 camera, which allowed the use of many lenses and so, more creative control.

After retiring and moving from California to Hawaii early in 2004, Tom had more time to follow his passion, which is traveling the world to do marine photography. His interests in photography are underwater, marine topside, travel, landscapes, and portraits.

Tom’s photos have been featured in publications such as: Skin Diver Magazine, Sportfishing Magazine, Nat Geo Explorer, and California Fish and Game Magazine.

Now living in Kona, he can play in the warm Pacific and make getaways to the South Pacific, Asia, and beyond.

While not diving, Tom began making bowls, vases, and all shapes of wood. He specializes in Hawaiian woods, including Koa, Mango, Norfolk pine, Milo, Monkeypod, and whatever nature generously provides. His work includes traditional bowl shapes, such as Umeke, used by Hawaiians for centuries, as well as more modern vases, platters, and spheres. He allows the wood to suggest what shape the finished piece of art will be, always looking to enhance the natural grains and swirls that is loved by collectors of fine wood objects. All works of art are created, start to finish, in his studio right in Kona, on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. 

The photos are for sale in many sizes, both in print form and digital. Please contact me by email at [email protected] with any comments, suggestions or to inquire on contract photography services.

Please stay tuned...

Aloha,

Tom Carey