Digital Elves Productions

2011-11-23T09:58:00.002-06:00

Check out my Doritos Commercial submission!

A boy uses Doritos as treats to practice tricks with his dog... but that sneaky bird has tricks of her own!

http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery?video=17728

Lake Owen Fun Dive - 2011

2011-11-08T10:18:00.000-06:00

Threw this video together last night - at the request of my son Steel. This is what it's like to dive in Lake Owen. It's a fairly clear lake in Cable, WI. During the day you can catch little cray fish & feed the bass - while they follow you around waiting for treats. At night it's easy to find bigger cray fish that can be boiled up for a group meal.... for those who have the stomach for it! (Not me)

I love My Dive Buddy - Heart T by octopusvision- 568795559

2011-09-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

I love My Dive Buddy - Heart T by octopusvision- 568795559

Dennis Brothers Liquors

2011-07-04T12:50:00.001-05:00

New video - created for Dennis Brothers Liquors

H2O For Life Walk For Water

2011-06-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

H2O For Life 2011 Walk For Water - Presented by Pentair Foundation - in Collaboration with Youth Service America celebrated Global Youth Service Day on April 16th

---- Through a WALK FOR WATER! The walk was at the Twins Ball Park / Target Field.

Family Promise of AZ -- Stars and Angels Gala

2011-04-20T21:36:00.003-05:00

Digital Elves in Arizona

2011-03-22T11:49:00.004-05:00

Me and my team - Ready for action!

Saturday we filmed the a big "Family Promise" charity event in DC Ranch, AZ. What a fabulous event! Will post the video soon. For more information about Family Promise - http://familypromiseaz.org/

Digital Elves Productions - Margo Cavis - Demo Reel

2011-01-24T14:17:00.000-06:00

JUST POSTED MY REEL!
Digital Elves Productions - Margo Cavis - Demo Reel

Reel 2 Real

2010-12-13T10:11:00.003-06:00

Well - the fall semester of school is just about over. I only have one class to finish - tomorrow - 3Ds Max. My final project is a virtual museum. I'll post it when I'm done. I have a bunch of other new stuff to post as well - so I thought I'd start with my Reel 2 Real project. This show is produced at Hennepin Technical Collage - several shows are produced each year. This is the episode that I directed and edited. It will be aired on local cable TV soon.

I had to divide it into 2 parts.

Part 1

Part 2

Vandenberg Video is done!

2010-10-30T20:42:00.003-05:00

See the wreck right after it was sunk - then 14 months later! 2009 footage shot by Jerry J. Petru & 2010 footage shot by Margo Cavis. Produced by Digital Elves & Edited by Margo Cavis.

USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was retired in 1983, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1993, she was to be sunk as an artificial reef originally intended for the spring of 2008, but instead was placed under Federal Lien to be auctioned off for payment recovery in December 2008 at Norfolk Federal Court.

A group of banks and financiers from Key West bought the vessel off the auction block and it was docked at the East Quay Pier of Key West Harbor.

The ship was sunk May 27, 2009.

It is the second-largest artificial reef in the world.

The Keys for my Birthday

2010-08-12T14:25:00.008-05:00

August 7, 2010
First day of diving - the Vandenberg wreck in Key West, FL.
After 8 1/2 years of diving, I had my first (personal) near-emergency dive today. Diving in fairly low viz on the Vandenberg - about 10-15 minutes into the dive, I lost track of my buddy. I wasn't too worried... until I noticed an unusual amount of bubbles hitting my chin. I looked down at my computer to find out I was loosing air pretty fast!!! I scrambled (a bit anxiously) to find my dive buddy (and husband) - Russell. It seemed like a few minutes while I was looking for him, watching my computer - showing my air dissappear and slowly ascending, but it probably was only a minute or less. Thank goodness for my signaling device! Once I spotted Russell, I was able to get his attention (since I was now above him). Once I found him... I knew I'd be okay. I took out my primary reg. & put in my secondary - to see that there was a big leak where it connects... to the hose!!! (I just had it checked out & serviced - BTW!)

Between the time I discovered the leak & the time I made a safe ascent (about 5 minutes) - I lost 1000 psi through that leak!!! (for the non-divers - that is a third of the air that is in a FULL tank... but my tank wasn't full at the time.) The Vandenberg is a fairly deep dive. I believe I was at about 85 feet when I noticed the leak.

During our surface interval, Russell took my regulator apart & managed to clean out the connection & put it back together - this seemed to work. So, even though I was a little nervous - using the same regulator - I went back down for a second dive. That leak didn't happen again, but there were 2 very small leaks in other places - not enough to worry about - but I do plan on getting my regulator worked on, now that I am back. I think I will even get new hoses. So, the second dive on the Vandenberg went well. The current did pick up quite a bit from the first dive though - which made it pretty difficult to get back to the line. But, it was a very good dive.... I even found an octopus on the wreck!

August 8, 2010
Second day of diving (and my B-day) - we just went to some nice shallow reefs in Key Largo.

August 9, 2010
Third day of diving - Key Largo - More reefs, and the Christ statue

August 10, 2010
Forth day of diving - Key Largo - the Spiegel Grove Wreck & the Benwood Wreck
The ocean was pretty rough this day. The waves were 5-6 feet. It was a bit tricky getting my video camera - as the boat was bouncing around. Then it was also a bit of a struggle to pull myself along the line with one hand, as the other kept my camera safe, to get to the buoy line... while the big waves were crashing into me. Once I made it to the buoy line & was able to begin my decent - the dive was awesome! There was even a turtle hanging out inside the wreck. When I stopped to take some video of him - he slowly moved right up to the doorway - to give me a better view. I guess he likes to be a model!

After the Spiegel Grove - we went to the Benwood - which is severely damaged - strewn out in pieces, but still a very interesting dive - with lots of fish. I even spotted a large spotted eagle ray - the ray even made a wide circle around me a couple times! Lucky me!!

Movie filming begins today

2010-06-29T11:21:00.004-05:00

Today I begin filming my new feature length film. Filming got postponed one day due to the star having a scheduling conflict. The last location was just secured on Sunday - so we are ready to roll! Filming will continue through the summer & hopefully be wrapped up by mid August.

The Cove Lodge is Gone

2010-06-25T11:35:00.003-05:00

In the very early morning hours of June 19th 2010 a fire in Elfin Cove Alaska, destroyed the Cove Lodge and Cohos Bar & Grill. Luckily, no one was hurt - but an important part of such a small town has been lost. My heart goes out to my close friends - Gordy & Dorothy during this time.

See the Cove Lodge as it was:

More information about the fire:
http://kcaw.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=centerBlock&ID=824

Saturday Events

2010-06-25T10:35:00.008-05:00

JUNE 19, 2010

Today was a day of many events... some good & some bad.

First I headed over to my friend Missy's house to do a photo shoot for H2O for Life. We managed to round up 10 kids to photograph in various colors of H2O shirts. Once again - we had a cloudy day, but still managed to get some good shots.

Then we headed out to "Rock the Garden" at the Walker. It was a great show! I really enjoyed OK Go & MGMT.

Shortly after we got home we heard from a close friend that their lodge in Elfin Cove, Alaska burned down! (The Cove Lodge is the place I did the videos and calendars for!)

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-462680

Terry Eason Music Video

2010-06-25T10:26:00.003-05:00

JUNE 15, 2010

Shot the Terry Eason Music video today - for one of the songs on his upcoming CD. We had to reschedule twice - due to all the rain we've had lately. Finally we got it done - we had 6 kids involved & all of them did a great job & were very cooperative! Here are a few photos my son Steel took during the shoot.

BP Oilpocalypse Creates Underwater Nightmare

2010-06-01T09:56:00.001-05:00

Just can't believe the destruction of man...

Official Horror Movie Trailer

2010-05-12T07:56:00.002-05:00

This is a sample movie trailer - using some fun lighting, color effects, after effects and a great kid - who is pretty good at looking scared.

Alaska Videos - at the Cove Lodge!

2010-04-23T11:50:00.004-05:00

Just posted 2 new videos:

I filmed some of the footage (almost all the HD footage), there is also footage from a couple of fishing shows and the rest is from about 13 years worth of old tapes the lodge gave me to wade through... Hope you like them!!!

3 minute Promo - Mini Snappy Coil commercial

2010-04-15T09:03:00.006-05:00

A project for my Corporate Video Class

This is a sample of a 3 minute promo video for the Mini Snappy Coil - a lanyard used primarily by scuba divers to keep gear attached. I had the idea to make this promo after I lost some expensive dive gear during a trip to Alaska. I had forgotten my Mini Snappy Coil so I had to use a wrist lanyard - while hanging on to an anchor line in extremely rough conditions - my camera got loose and ended up somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. Thanks to Steel K-C and Russell Cattelan for helping with product demonstration, David Shirley for narration and Scuba Center for the use of their pool & letting me in on their fun ice dive! Also thanks to Brian Hoskins for coming out to the ice dive to help out with some of the above water camera shots.

Fun with lighting!

2010-03-07T20:07:00.004-06:00

I have recently been experimenting with lighting for both - video & photography. Here are some of the results.

Above - there are 3 lighting sources & some reflection.

Above - 2 diffused lights and a low light - aimed up with green gel.

Above - 2 lights with colored gel.

Above - 3 lights, plus a wall of windows with natural light and the random florescent lights.

Another big Ice Diving Class for Scuba Center! Click Here

2010-02-13T19:57:00.005-06:00

Check out the video at the link above!

Above - Russell Cattelan is cutting the hole for the divers!

Upcoming Events

2010-01-05T22:51:00.003-06:00

In January i will be going to the Great Lakes Aquarium to test out my new video housing. I was majorly disappointed with the Equinox housing (and other products), so I recently sold all that crap - to help me pay for a new Ikelite housing for my video camera.

January - working on videos for The Cove Lodge.

In February I will be once again filming an Ice Dive for Scuba Center. Hopefully I will be able to get more underwater footage this year. I also hope to get under the ice sooner and have assistants do the above water filming to give me more time to direct.

Green Screen Filming

2009-12-09T10:15:00.005-06:00

My first attempt at Green Screen Filming
Thanks to Keith Gulsvig for the photos!
Music Video for Paul Metsa & Sonny Earl.
Thanks to my awesome additional camera men - Brian Hoskins & Neil Niederkorn.
Filmed at Hennepin Technical College - Thanks to Rich Oxley!

I did not get to see the background photos before we filmed the dancer. For this project, I was just hired as the director, so I was shooting "Blind". All things considered, I think the video turned out fairly well. I just hate to think how awesome it would have been if it had been an actual collaboration.

Official Music Video - Filmed by Margo Cavis

2009-12-08T10:58:00.004-06:00

Here is the full music video that I recently filmed & edited for Minneapolis Musician Paul Metsa. There was 4 days of shooting: one with Paul only, one with Paul, Sonny & all the extras, then 2 days of filming scenery, trains, homeless, etc.

See more videos at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalelves

Music Videos

2009-11-22T18:27:00.008-06:00

I recently filmed 2 music videos for a local musician - Paul Metsa. The videos will premiere on Nov. 27th at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis - during the CD/DVD release party & concert. More after the event!

You can find out more about the event at: www.skywaytohell.com

Great Opening for "Road Work Ahead"

2009-10-03T23:08:00.004-05:00

Lots of people showed up for the opening of this show! We played my movie over & over to a full room of people, plus there were lots of great photos to look at throughout the gallery!

I also had 2 photos in the show:

Highway 12 Photography Workshop Documentary - Preview

2009-08-29T21:21:00.004-05:00

NEW PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION:
Location: Icebox Gallery
When: Thursday, October 1st, 2009, from 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Exhibition: "Road Work Ahead" and the screening of the documentary by Margo Cavis
Show runs through October 31st.

This is a short PREVIEW of the movie.

Highway 12 Photography Workshop

2009-07-21T21:07:00.006-05:00

Last weekend was Howard Christopherson's 3rd Highway 12 workshop. I went along to film the workshop - with Howard and his Guest Photographers, Will Agar & Sid Kaplan. The landscape in Lily & the surrounding towns of SD are very interesting. There are also many interesting characters! I will be releasing the video when I get a chance. Here are a few photos I took along the way!

Alaska 2009

2009-06-28T16:21:00.003-05:00

I recently took a working vacation to Alaska to make some videos for the Cove Lodge in Elfin Cove. I was able to bring the family along to help out & be models. The kids LOVED it there! Here's a quick video I put together with some of the activities:

I will still be doing more extensive videos with more information about the lodge soon.

Catching Up!!!

2009-06-28T15:32:00.003-05:00

OK... it's been way too long since I updated this! Since My last post, I have made several videos, traveled to Cozumel and Alaska and got laid off from my FT job as a Graphic Designer. So, I will be using this opportunity to go back to school for Video Design & Production! I also have a solo exhibition (for my new paintings) lined up for October of this year that I am trying to prepare for.

Here are the videos:

Water for Everyone

2008-12-13T15:06:00.006-06:00

This is the condensed version of the documentary "Water For Everyone" by Margo Cavis. This documentary is about 2 kid's (aged 10 & 12) first dive trip, their views about diving and the environment. (This movie has been condensed from half-hour to 12 minutes for online viewing.) Find out more about Margo's underwater art at www.margocavis.com

Recent Volunteer Dive at GLA

2008-11-12T22:08:00.010-06:00

A fish's point of view!

I took these 2 photos from inside the Great Lakes Aquarium last weekend.

Below is a photo from the outside of the largest of the 3 aquariums. I also added a few photos of the area under the aquarium, food prep & dive prep.

Bahamas

2008-11-12T21:30:00.002-06:00

August 27, 2008

I just had to send an update - since today's dives went so well. We didn't get to dive at all yesterday - since the weather didn't clear up until evening.

Today both Talon & Steel did 2 dives. Patrick is one of the divemasters & he took Talon aside to help him. (This is why I chose a small dive shop - instead of the big one located in the hotel we are at.) It worked out so well on the first dive, that we decided to throw some sharks in the mix for the second dive. The second dive was shark alley - both Talon & Steel were calmly swimming among the sharks! If they keep doing good we might be able to add in some afternoon dives as well. I am going to have to try to find some more tapes for the video camera - I didn't bring enough. Russell is using my Canon DSLR now, since I'm doing video.

Bahamas

2008-11-12T21:10:00.004-06:00

October, 2008
We just recently took a trip to the Bahamas. Both kids are now old enough to get certified - so we got to make it a family dive vacation. Talon is 12 & got certified last year. Steel is 10 & just finished his certification.

August 26, 2008
We are stuck at the hotel right now since we are waiting to see what the weather is going to do - I guess there is the possibility of some rough weather. We are supposed to call the dive shop soon to find out if it will be possible to go out today.

I swear I think Steel is part fish! We can't keep him out of the water at all & he's doing great with the diving. Every second he's not in the ocean - he's in the pool. We have done 4 dives so far. Talon just did the first one. Steel has done all 4 dives. The seas were a bit rough yesterday... enough to make me feed the fishes - but Steel still did both dives with me. He got to see a small wreck, a turtle, lion fish & tons of other stuff. He gets very excited & is pointing out just about every fish. He's got a natural knack for finding things too! He spotted a lion fish inside the wreck at the same time I did - plus he said he saw an eel that I did not see. Talon is not taking to it quite as easily. He has a lot of anxiety. We will most likely need to have to have really calm water to get him back in.

I just brought my DSLR on the first dive day - since I needed to see how the kids would do before bringing new/different equipment. Then yesterday I brought the video camera. I really enjoyed doing video.... Guess I knew I would. I see advantages to both. With the DSLR I can take photos that can be enlarged. With the video I'm able to capture some very different things that don't really look dynamic in photos.

Great Lakes Aquarium

2008-03-03T10:35:00.000-06:00

Our whole family spent this weekend in Duluth. We went snowboarding all day Saturday (except my son Steel who prefers skis - & is a speed demon). Then stayed overnight at a hotel & went to GLA (Great Lakes Aquarium) on Sunday to volunteer in the 3 large freshwater tanks. My son Talon took some photos. I'm in the Blue/Black drysuit & my husband Russell is in the Red/Black drysuit.

While in the tanks we feed the fish and then do some cleaning. I really enjoy it!

Ice Diving in Minnesota

2008-03-03T10:32:00.000-06:00

Feb. 16 & 17 - Ice Diving at Square Lake

Volunteering at Great Lakes Aquarium

2008-02-11T09:47:00.000-06:00

I just recently had my first volunteer dive in the Great Lakes Aquarium. It was a blast! The water is pretty cold. It was 55ºF - so we all wore drysuits. There were 3 of us - me, my husband & our friend David. We first got into the largest of the 3 big tanks. All new volunteers have to do a couple skills in the tank first - no matter what type of certification you have (Russell & I are divemasters & David is an instructor).

Right away when we got into the tank a crowd formed - so we had an audience for our mask removal & regulator retrieval, etc. While I was trying to put my mask back on a big Sturgeon was sucking on my head & they would swim right up in my face. I guess they were hungry! So, then we got to "perform" for the crowd - feeding fish. The big Sturgeon were really fun to feed. We would get them to come up off the bottom so the people could see their big sucker mouths come down to take food from our hands.

The other things we are supposed to do is clean the inside of the Plexiglass & scrub rocks. We didn't get a lot of cleaning done on the first dive since there were so many people watching. Then we moved into the 2 smaller tanks. I was a little cold by then, so I was happy to scrub some rocks. On the second dive I realized I wasn't just getting cold at that point - my feet were wet! After I got out I realized I was completely wet from the waist down. The drysuit I had borrowed had started leaking at the waist seal. This week we have to try to make sure it's all sealed up.... since I have to wear that same suit for the ice dive that's coming up. I would not be able to complete a dive if I had that much water in my suit for an ice dive - with 39ºF water!

Next time I will get some photos. I'm also hoping to get some good photos of the upcoming ice dive!

Australia 2007

2007-12-11T09:28:00.000-06:00

We are home after our 3 week adventure in Australia! The trip was fun, but expensive. After our amazing dive with the Fur Seals in Tasmania I did end up buying a new lens for my camera while we were in Sydney. I was able to find a fixed 28mm lens that fit in the lens port on my Ikelite underwater housing.

After our week in Tasmania, we spent a couple days in Sydney - then a couple days in Cairns before we went on the live-a-board for a week on the Great Barrier Reef. I am happy to say I did not get sea sick at all while at sea. The water for diving was much warmer - in the low 80s (Fahrenheit) - as apposed to the high 50s of the water in Tasmania... so, I was happy!

The visibility was not as good as I had expected, but still not bad. The amount of pristine beautiful coral was wonderful! We saw lots of sharks - most of them were smaller than the ones I've seen in other oceans, but much of that was due to the breed of sharks we saw - mostly white tip reef sharks. We also saw gray & silver tip reef sharks. We did do a shark feed on one day so I got some great shark photos!

Some other fun stuff we saw: octopus, cuttlefish, lion fish, huge cod (grouper), bump head parrot fish, schools of barracuda, anemone fish (even one true clown fish), plus many other fish in massive quantities!

Australia 2007

2007-12-10T16:31:00.000-06:00

Written Nov. 26, 2007
We did not have internet in Tasmania. We are back in Sydney now for a couple days & then we fly to Cairns - in northern Australia to catch the boat that we will live on for a week. We have seen lots of cool stuff & have lots of good pictures. The diving in Tasmania was VERY COLD - but definitely worth it when we saw the Sea Dragons & the Fur Seals. The Fur Seals were very playful & seemed real curious of my "quacker" signaling device. In fact they were so close to me so often that I think I missed many good photos - since my new Canon SLR does not have a wide angle lens! I'm kind of tempted to see if I can find a wide angle lens that will fit my housing while we are here in Sydney..... I am attaching a couple pictures - the first one is a Sea Dragon & the second is a Fur Seal.

New project for 2007

2007-05-19T00:29:00.000-05:00

(Left: Photo from some of my marine conservation work... you have to get real good at hovering up-side-down!)

I just recently started a new painting & photography series about the troubles the oceans population is facing today. I will be exploring the devastating amount of "bycatch" as well as the unsustainable fishing practices & more... still in my surrealistic style.

While doing research, I ran across a very upsetting video on the Oceana site (http://www.oceana.org/north-america) about the japanese yearly slaughter of dolphins. I was completely shocked & horrified... I'd never heard of this before. So, I felt compelled to spread the word. Please note that the video is VERY disturbing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UOGgUdNhVM

I hope to show people what is happening underwater - since most people do not ever get to see first-hand how much harm we are doing to the oceans' population & underwatwer environment. In my paintings & photographs, I will attempt to portray both the devastation & the beauty. I hope to journal my experiences as well.

Currently I have 4 paintings in progress that I am very excited about. I also have been able to upgrade my photography equipment, so I now have a Canon Digital SLR Rebel XTi (400D) with a huge Ikelite underwater housing. I've read lots of good reviews about my new Canon - but haven't found anything written from people who have taken it underwater yet. I can't wait to try it out. This summer I am going to try to get up to Lake Superior to do a little wreck diving to try it out. Then I have another big adventure trip coming up that I'll write about later.

Art-A-Whirl

2007-05-19T00:26:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder - this weekend is Art-A-Whirl.

There will be tons of open galleries & studios this weekend in NE minneapolis.
FRIDAY, MAY 18th - from 5-10:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 19th - from 12-8:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 20th - from 12-5:00 p.m.

Also Saturday there will be an opening at Icebox gallery for the Joseph Rosen shows - "Blues Roots" & "New Orleans Red" - from 8-Midnight (after the AAW hours). Really cool photos!

PLUS - I will have 5 underwater photos in the Icebox Gallery during AAW & the opening. They are all around 11"x14" & printed on Metallic paper, so they have a pearl like finish. Two are from Jamaica, two from the Seychelles & one from Cozumel.

You can get directions to the Icebox gallery here: http://www.iceboxminnesota.com/

More AAW info here: http://www.nemaa.org/

Jamaica

2007-04-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

Jamaica - a pleasant surprise!

We recently went to Jamaica - it was my first time there, since it's not a big Scuba destination. So I went to Jamaica without many expectations of good diving, but figured it would be a fun spot for a honeymoon.

Well, it turned out to be better diving than I expected... & lots of fun while not diving as well! Here's a few pictures.

Ice Diving!!!

2007-02-11T21:37:00.000-06:00

I just got my Ice Diving certification! I can't believe I did it.... I hate the cold. (That picture is me - getting in the water for my first Ice dive.)

SATURDAY:
The first day was mostly miserable. It was SO COLD outside. We had to get out to the lake at 8am and it was 12 BELOW ZERO. First we had to clear a large patch of snow from the ice - so we would have a place to cut the hole & put up the tent. I started shoveling & right away my fingers went painfully numb. So I went to the truck to add more layers. After we shoveled the space for the hole & tent, we had to shovel lines out from the hole area - for light penetration & to point the way back to the hole. Russell cut the hole through the 16 inch thick ice. We put up a large militaery tent. I think it took about 3 hours to get everything set up. Then we started the dives. I was one of the last divers, so by the time I was going to dive, I had cold hands & feet all day. I was borrowing a drysuit, since they are really expensive, so I didn't want to buy one before trying one out. But the drysuit I borrowed was a little too big, so on my first dive my glove flooded.... that was SO COLD! I thought at first - okay, this is cold, but I can handle it.... but about half way through the dive my hand hurt really bad. I was determined to make it through the dive, so I did. As soon as we came up through the hole I had to get that glove off. My hand was so cold, I couldn't even put it in the warm water they gave me. Then we had to wait - sitting on the edge of the ice hole - for 10 minutes & then do our second dive. So I got even colder waiting there, then I had to do the dive with one wet glove & one almost dry glove. I got really cold.

SUNDAY:
The second day - huge change in weather.... yeah, it was actually above zero! I think it was about 13ºF ... that was much better! Then I got to go with the second dive group. We used a little electrical tape around my wrists to seal up the suit & gloves better. The dive was amazing! So much better with dry hands! The ice looks really cool from below & the way our bubbles spread out under the ice. I really enjoyed it! After we finished our dives David brought beer & wine to celebrate.

Now I'm ready to get a dry suit that fits me & go diving on the wrecks in Superior.

Caught in the Act

2006-12-09T12:22:00.000-06:00

I have this photo in the current show at Icebox Gallery - "Caught in the Act". The whole show is pictures of people taking pictures. I knew the show was coming up while I was in the Seychelles, so I was always keeping an eye out for a good shot. I got my opportunity on this dive. I saw the turtle way ahead of the rest of the divers. I went over & took a few photos & just followed the turtle along - waiting for the other photographer to notice. As soon as he finally saw it, he was so focused on the turtle, I'm sure he had no idea I was focused on the both him & the turtle. The only thing that bothers me about the photo is that he is using his hand to steady himself in a situation where he really didn't need to. I can't tell for sure - but hopefully he is only touching rock, not coral. I have found in my travels that people touch stuff much more in Europe than they do in the States & the Caribbean. It's really hard to not get annoyed with these divers! Especially since I was there doing conservation work.

If you would like to check out the whole show, it's at: http://www.iceboxminnesota.com/Caught/Caught_info.html
There are some really good photos!

Lake Diving

2006-11-30T00:22:00.000-06:00

That's just crazy! Going from the warm oceans in the Seychelles to the freezing cold lakes in Wisconsin! Actually, I was colder in the Seychelles. The water temp there was usually around 76 - which may not sound cold, but if you are a diver - you know that can get very cold! Plus, I only had my old 3/2 wetsuit.... so I was shivering after most dives. Anyway, the water temp in Lake Owen was 68 and I had my nice 7/5 wetsuit, hood & gloves - so, I wasn't as cold.

So, since lakes are so boring, we have to make it interesting. We go to lake Owen every year for a fun dive weekend. We do a golf ball hunt and Cadillac Hood ornament hunt. The balls & ornaments have numbers on them - so we win prizes. That's a picture of me - sporting my BC Bling.

My older son got to go diving for the first time during this trip.... but he got too cold & was only able to do 2 out of his 4 certification dives. Guess he'll have to wait until spring to finish his Open Water certification. That's him - shivering underwater. He did really well on all his skills though, dispite the cold water.

Out of the Blue

2006-11-29T23:43:00.000-06:00

I recently had a one person show of many of my photos from the Seychelles. I got a pretty good response - lots of compliments!

I feel like my underwater photography skill is finally getting to a professional level. So, I guess now I need to invest in a more professional level camera. Right now I am using an Olympus 5060 digital. It does a pretty good job - but I think I can really improve the grain & color, among other things, if I invest in an SLR. I would love to get a Nikon Digital SLR... but the underwater housings for those are really expensive! So, I am thinking about getting the Olympus Digital SLR - since they make their own housings. Guess I'll have to do a little research.

You can see the whole show at: http://www.iceboxminnesota.com/Margo/SeychellesShow/seychelles_info.html

Seychelles - Summer 2006

2006-11-22T17:30:00.000-06:00

Summer 2006: Artist Residency & Dive/Marine Volunteer in the Seychelles (Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar). This was an amazing opportunity... I was able to combine my interest and concern for the worlds oceans and my artistic talent on this 6 week long expedition in the Seychelles. Even though there were many fun adventures during my trip - including a flight in a microlight. By far the most amazing thing was swimming with the whale sharks!

I kept a journal during this trip & here's what I wrote that day:
My first whaleshark sighting! Actually, I got to swim with 3 of them.... and one of them was longer than the boat! It was so amazing. We all jumped out of the boat as carefully as possible & headed out to where we had seen a fin pierce the surface. I headed a little further over, hoping to head it of, when all of a sudden out of the blue where I couldn't see much - this huge open mouth is headed straight for me. I hesitate for a moment, trying to decide if I should swim left or right to try to get out of it's way. Just as I decide to go left, it seems to veer a little in the same direction - that gets me moving a little faster. I got off to the side - snapping a couple photos on the way & was able to swim along with it for a good bit until it dove down & I could no longer see it. We all then got back into the boat .... then shortly after, we saw 2 more fins poke up.... we threw our fins & masks back on & hopped back into the water. At one point after swimming with one, I head back closer to the boat & looked down to see 2 swimming up - I had to do some quick maneuvering in order to not be caught between them - one of the 2 was the really big one that was longer than our dive boat! Our dive group couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the evening. This was so amazing, I almost forgot about the nice big octopus I saw right before that!

If you are interested in reading the whole journal it's posted at:
http://www.iceboxminnesota.com/Margo/Seychelles/seychelles.html

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Holding My Breath - Paintings

2006-11-22T17:08:00.000-06:00

This was my "come back" show, I suppose you could say. Although it really was a new beginning. Before this show, I had not shown my art for 12 years! Hard to believe that much time went by! But I was in a bad place for my artistic freedom. When I broke free from the weight of that situation - my creativity exploded... and I enjoyed my art again! The introduction to scuba diving was a big part of my transformation as well.... as I'm sure you can guess by looking at my work.

See the rest of the show at:
http://www.margocavis.com/gallery1.html