AQUA LIFE PHOTOS
DRAY VAN BEECK
Underwater Photography, Travel Photography and Digital art
About me
Dray van Beeck
Born in the Netherlands (1961)where I studied and taught Art.
Started diving in 1997 and became a dive professional in 1998.
I have been teaching diving since 1999 in Malaysia, Canary Islands, Thailand, the Philippines, Egypt and Indonesia. Been working as a live-aboard guide in Egypt since 2003. From 2006 until 2012 for Blue O Two. On the boats I taught photo workshops. At the moment, together with my wife Karin, we manage Bali Diving Academy Pemuteran on Bali, Indonesia. Here we offer UW photography and videography workshops.
I started photography when I was still very young. A friend borrowed to me a Leica for a holiday to Canada when I was 16. I was sold. Soon after I bought a Canon AE1 from my savings soon to be joined by a Canon A1. Loved taking landscape and people photos. Followed a 2 year course in Art Academy.
I started under water photography in 2002 with the Canon Powershot S40 and the Canon Powershot S70. In 2006 upgraded to the Nikon D80 with Ikelite housing and DS125 strobes. Upgraded again in 2008 to Nikon D300 with Hugyfot housing, 2x Inon Z-240 and 2x Ikelite DS 125 strobes.
At the moment my work consists of underwater photography, travel photography and digital art.
Articles and Publications
This page contains articles that were published over the last few years. To read the article (mind you it's the draft, the way we sent it to the magazines) click on the bar. The way the articles were created was that I had the idea and made a quick draft after which Karin edited and brought back to a readable and comprehensive piece.
November 2011. My very first printed cover on a dive magazine. Divestyle is a South African dive magazine.
Articles
2006 Article: Longimania (Oceanic white tip sharks) Duikmagazine
2007 Article: Macroleven in de Rode Zee ( macrolife in the Red Sea) Duikmagazine
2007 Oceanic photo used for advertisement purposes in Duikmagazine.
2007 Top Trumps- Sharks. Haynes Publishing. Contributing photos.
Jan. 2008 Runner-up in Underwaterphotography.com annual photo contest. Categor Fantasy.
July 2008 Winner of the 2nd session of DAN Europe Photo contest 2008
Oct 2008 3rd place of the 3rd session of DAN Europe Photo contest 2008
Dec 2008 5th place in the open contest, portfolio of BSOUP (British society of underwater photographers)
Jan. 2009 Silver medal in Underwaterphotography.com annual photo contest. Category:
Wide angle/ natural light.
Jan.2009 Runner up in Underwaterphotography.com annual photo contest. Category: Divers
May 2009 Monthly hotshot in Underwaterphotography.com annual photo contest.
June 2009 Photo of the month Dive magazine.
August 2009 2nd and 3rd place BSAC photocomposition.
September 2009 Photo of the week Underwaterphotography.com
November 2009 Photo of the month Dive magazine.
November 2009 Photo of the month Underwaterphotography.com
December 2009 3rd place in 4th quarter of DAN photo contest
January 2010 Placed in Shark trust calendar
February 2010 World champion (annual overall winner) Underwaterphotography.com
April 2010 Photo of the week, Wetpixel wrecks
June 2010 Photo of the month Dive magazine (teeth)
November 2010 Photo of the month Dive magazine (patterns)
December 2010 Photo of the week, Wetpixel Soft coral
April 2011 2nd and 3rd place Wetpixel Photo of the week
April 2011 2nd and 3rd place annual competition BSAC Open category
December 2011 Winner BSOUP open competition
January 2012 2nd place, Wetpixel “of camera strobes”
March 2012 2nd place, beneath the Sea, creative category
March 2012 2nd place, wetpixel, eating
April 2012 3rd place, wetpixel, cruising
2009 Article Symphony of light, Duikmagazine (dutch diving magazine)
2009 Article Tigermania in Sportdiver
2009 Photo use in advertisement Zavora in Tauchen
2009 Article Zavora in Italian divemagazine
2009 Article Macrolife in the Red Sea in Sportdiver
2009 article Zavora in Sportdiver
2009 photos for article about Red Sea in Sportdiver
2010 Article Symphony of light (southern Red Sea caves) in Sportdiver
2010 Sales folder BlueOTwo
April and further, photos used in all 3 English dive magazines for advertisement for Blue O Two.
2010 Featured photographer in the Equalizer
2010 photos for article about Red Sea in Sportdiver
2009 contribution for Children’s book; Eye wonder shark
2010 contribution for children’s book; Oceans alive: cuttlefish
2010 contribution for National Geographic Explorer Grades 2-3
2010 Apple I-tunes app. Aqua Life Images Fish id book
2010 Apple I-tunes app. Guide to UW photography editing and manipulations. Also in print.
2010 Apple I-tunes app. Treasures of the Sea. 100 photos and quotes.
2010 Apple I-tunes app. Guide to UW Advanced UW photography.
2011 Apple I-tunes app Sharks of the Red Sea (also in print. app Guide to UW photography lighting
2011 Photos to go with article Red Sea for South African Magazine “divestyle”
2011 Photo Giannis D wreck in Culinary magazine
2011 Cover photo book “the amazing world beneath the waves”
2011 Cover Divestyle (south African dive magazine)
2011 and on photos for advertisement for Red Sea Divers.
2011 Book; The diving photographer. With James Dawson and Johan Boshoff
2012 portfolio Dutch NOB magazine
2012 article Blue sharks, Sportdiver
2014 article Biorocks Pemuteran, Asian Diver
2014 article Biorocks Pemuteran, Ocean Geographic
2014 Photo half page in The undersea journal (PADI) 3rd Q 14
2015 Photos Biorock DYK
2016 3rd place and honorable mention Beneath the Sea creative category
2016 photo in Asian diver full page
2017 2x honourable mention Beneath the Sea creative category
2017 Photos for articles about SunSuko resort in Pemuteran, Bali for Schweitzer Illustrierte
2017 Photos used for book on Ocean conservation United Nations
2018 1st place Beneath the Sea creative category
2019 2nd place Beneath the Sea creative category
2020 1st-2nd and 3rd place Beneath the Sea creative category