mbassador to the Marine Environment
Photographer, Adventurer, Diver and Educator
Ernest H. Brooks II was born to be a photographer. His Portuguese
ancestry, rich in men-of-the-sea, virtually insured the ocean environment
would play an important role in his life. As the son of Ernest H.
Brooks, founder of the internationally-renowned Brooks Institute
of Photography, Mr. Brooks was destined to follow in his father's
footsteps for part of his life's journey before forging his own
path. He graduated from Brooks Institute, served on the school's
executive staff and in 1971 assumed the office of the president,
a position he held until 2000 when the institute was sold to Career
Education Corporation, CEC. Throughout his long tenure as the head
of Brooks Institute, he carried out the duties that come with that
corporate territory including keynote speaking at international
conventions, working with national and international organizations
and companies to enhance the industry, and encouraging photographic
education and promoting photography as a universal language. Along
the way, while fulfilling the responsibilities of his office, his
achievements earned him numerous accolades and awards.As a noted professional photographer, educator and ambassador to
the industry, Mr. Brooks has won international acclaim for underwater
photography and audio/visual presentation. As a working professional,
he has contributed to numerous magazines and organizations including:
Cousteau Society, California Highways, Ocean Realm, Monterey Bay
Aquarium, Nature Conservancy and Natural Wildlife, to name only
a few. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards including:
1973 'Triton Award' Inner Space Pacifica, Hawaii; 1975 'NOGI' The
Underwater Society of America; 1977 'National Award' Professional
Photographers of America; 1971 through 1980 Hall of Fame elector
Photographic Arts and Science Foundation; 1978 Camera Craftsmen
of America; served on the National Advisory Council of the National
Society of Arts and Letters; 'Hall of Fame' Underwater Photographic
Society; was honored by the Oceanic Community of SSI and Nikon for
5000 hours beneath the sea 'Platinum Pro Diver Award'; and his most
recent honor, 'The 1996 Partner's Award,' was received from the
American Oceans Campaign for his lifelong commitment and dedication
to our oceans.
Mr. Brooks has been a trailblazer in the development of underwater
photographic equipment and technique, and has witnessed great industry
advances. And though he has harnessed and implemented much of that
new technology, at a time when a plethora of color underwater photographs
illustrate magazines and glossy brochures, he, perhaps surprisingly,
favors black and white. "I don't think that blue, an inherent
color of the ocean, really adds to many photographs, especially
of mammals - and I like the quality of black and white. Also, I
get the personal satisfaction of working with black and white in
being able to control the development and printing." The ocean
and underwater photography are among his main interests. In the
pursuit of dramatic marine images, he has descended into the fascinating
waters beneath the polar icecaps as well as into the depths of almost
every ocean on Earth.
His photographic legacy is the evidence that has illustrated changes
in our environment, while he himself remains a tremendous voice
in our need to witness the effect of that change.
His work has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Monterey
Bay Aquarium Shark Exhibit, Yugoslavia 'Man in the Sea,' Our World
Underwater, Smithsonian 'Planet Earth' and was also honored by the
Smithsonian Institute in January of 1995. He is a member of the
Professional Photographers of America and is one of forty photographers
in the world admitted to the prestigious Camera Craftsmen of America.
As a leader or principal member, Ernest H. Brooks II has participated
in projects of international recognition including: the photographic
investigation into the Shroud of Turin (1978 Shroud of Turin Research
Project); and photo-documentation of Arctic research station activities
(1977 sponsored by the McGinnis Foundation of Toronto, Canada).
He was also a project leader and member of the international panel
in the 'Focus on New Zealand' event in 1985, and led a photographic
research and travel expedition to the Sea of Cortez aboard the Institute's
research vessel, 'Just Love,' in 1986.
