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José Alejandro Alvarez I was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic but am actually living in the city of Santo Domingo, working as a freight forwarder to support my alter ego existence as an underwater photographer. I started scuba diving in 1989 and underwater photography in 1996, gradually became so involved with capturing images that nowadays I usually don’t dive without a camera. I’ve been lucky enough to dive in some of the most spectacular places on the planet, like Isla del Coco, Malpelo, Fiji, Bali, Raja Ampat, Lembeh, Bunaken, Wakatobi, Ambon, California, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Bonaire, New Zealand, Islas Revillagigedos, Cozemel, Mar de Cortes, Isla Mujeres, Galapagos, Belize, South Africa, Utila, Dominica, Philippines and Dominican Republic. Through the years I’ve gathered a considerable amount of images from all those places and have a big and diverse bank of images which sometimes I sell for books, magazines, calendars, prints, etc. Very often I participate in some of the most important international underwater photo contests and have won several prizes since 2003. Lately I’ve become involved in the conservation of the marine ecosystems in my country and try to raise some awareness about the importance to preserve such vital resources. I find that my images are very helpful for this purpose. I’m founding member of the Fundacion Espeleobuceo Hispaniola and member of the director’s board of Reef Check Dominican Republic. Also co‐author of the book “Cuevas Sumergidas de la Republica Dominicana” and author of the book “Mar Azul”. http://josealejandroalvarez.com/ AWARDS 2003 Aggressor Fleet Photo Contest, USA ‐1st place macro Concurso Internacional de Fotografia Casa de Teatro, Republica Dominicana ‐2nd place black and white ‐honorable mention color 2005 43rd Annual International Competition / The Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐1st place wide angle ‐honorable mention wide angle Sea 2005 International Competition / The Northern California Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐honorable mention macro Solmar V Photo Contest Socorro Island 2005‐2006, Mexica ‐finalist 2006 Scuba Diving Magazine Photo Contest, USA ‐1st place marine life Under water Images Photo/Video Competition, USA ‐1st place majestic ‐honorable mention majestic Sea 2006 International Competition / The Northern California Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐2nd place macro ‐2nd place wide angle 44th Annual International Competition / The Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐4th place wide angle ‐honorable mention marine related scenics Our World Underwater International Competition / Wetpixel, USA ‐3rd place wide angle traditional 33 Festival Mundial de L’Image Sous Marine – Antibes, France ‐7th place portfolio 2007 Our World Underwater International Competition / Wetpixel, USA ‐the Best of Show ‐1st place macro ‐honorable mention macro Underwater Images Photo/Video Competition, USA ‐the Best of Show ‐3rd place Conservation ‐1st place macro/close up open ‐3rd place macro/close up open ‐3rd place majestic ‐honorable mention majestic Scuba Diving Magazine Photo Contest, USA ‐1st place marine life The Environmentally Aware Photographic Image Competition (EPIC), USA ‐1st place digital 34 Festival Mundial de L’Image Sous Marine – Antibes, France ‐8th portfolio Sea 2007 International Competition / The Northern California Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐2nd place wide angel open digital ‐2nd place conservation ‐honorable mention macro Images of the World ‐ San Disk Red Sea, Israel ‐3rd nominee portfolio 2008 Underwater Images Photo/Video Competition, USA ‐1st place wide angle open ‐3rd place dives and marine life ‐honorable mention conservation 46th Annual International Competition / The Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐2nd place wide angle open ‐4th place marine related scenic ‐5th place marine related scenic ‐honorable mention marine related scenic Shark Images Photo Award, Germany ‐2nd place panorama ‐6th place overall 2009 Underwater Images Photo/Video Competition, USA ‐2nd place conservation ‐honorable mention conservation ‐honorable mention wide angle open ‐honorable mention majestic ‐honorable mention divers & marine life th
47 Annual International Competition / The Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐2nd place macro open ‐3rd place marine related scenic ‐honorable mention marine related scenic ‐honorable mention wide angle open Sea 2009 International Competition / The Northern California Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐1st place marine conservation ‐honorable mention advanced wide angle Our World Underwater International Competition / Wetpixel, USA ‐honorable mention wide angle traditional Scuba Diving Magazine Photo Contest, USA ‐2nd place topside ‐3rd place topside 2010 Our World Underwater International Competition / Wetpixel, USA ‐honorable mention wide angle traditional Sea 2010 International Competition / The Northern California Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐1st place marine conservation ‐honorable mention marine conservation ‐honorable mention advanced macro 48th Annual International Competition / The Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐honorable mention macro ‐3rd place photo essay ‐honorable mention photo essay 2011 49th Annual International Competition / The Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society, USA ‐2nd place photo essay 2012 Ocean Views, Nature’s Best Magazine, USA ‐highly honored