Ernest H. Brooks II

Ambassador of marine environment, photographer, adventurer, diver and educator, Ernest H. Brooks II was born to be a photographer.

As the son of Ernest H. Brooks, founder of the internationally renowned Brooks Institute of Photography, Ernie Brooks was destined to follow in his fathers footsteps for part of his life’s journey before forging his own path.

Throughout his long tenure as Head of Brooks Institute , he carried out duties that come with that of 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.

As a noted professional photographer, Brooks has won international acclaim for underwater photography and audio/visual presentations and, in his pursuit of dramatic marine images, has descended into the treacherous waters beneath the polar icecaps and into the depths of almost every ocean on Earth.

As a trailblazer in the development of underwater photographic equipment and techniques, Brooks has witnessed great industry advantages and though he has harnessed and implemented much of that new technology, at a time when plethora of color underwater photographs illustrate magazines and glossy brochures, he, perhaps surprisingly, still favors black and white.

His photographic legacy is the evidence that has illustrated the dramatic changes in our oceans, and he himself remains a tremendous voice for oceanic exploration, and through that, the preservation of our marine environment.