About the photographer
Rich Setterberg has been a photographer since the 1950s in high school. He started actively taking pictures and working in the darkroom for his high school audio visual department. He gradually became a regular contributor to the high school newspaper and yearbooks.
He joined the United States Air Force in 1968, where he trained and served as a journalist, public information and community relations specialist. He wrote for base newspapers, where his photography frequently accompanied his stories. He served at Clark Air Base in the Republic of the Philippines between 1970 and 1972, including brief service in Vietnam. While stationed at Clark, he was a reporter, layout manager and eventually editor for the Philippines Flyer, the base newspaper. His first Nikon cameras and lenses acquired in the far east remain in his possession and in good working order to this day.
Rich learned to dive in the Philippines, and he spent many weekends during his two year assignment in the South China Sea. His first Nikonos brought back his first underwater pictures.
He continued photography as an avocation for the next 20 years. He met and married his wife and dive companion Madelyn, and in the early 90s he dove again for the first time since the service. Armed with a simple underwater camera he borrowed from a friend, he revived his interest in underwater photography. That renewed interest led to a new Nikonos film rig in 2000 and, in 2008, a full digital still setup.
He currently shoots a Nikon D800, supported by a variety of late model Nikon lenses. His favorites are his 17-35 wide zoom and the 105 macro. Under water, he will house the D800 in newly arrived Aquatica housing with double Sea & Sea strobes. All shots currently on this site were taken with his now-retired D700.
Also along for each trip: Underwater video equipment. His HD video setup took its first voyage in 2011. Presently, he’s thrashing at the Final Cut Pro learning curve to bring some decent first efforts to the screen. How he will manage both video and still photography at the same time is anyone’s guess. But here’s a clue: Wife Madelyn just got a point and shoot and housing and came back from the last trip with some really good results. Don’t believe a P&S is up to the task? See the Movies page.
Rich’s other interests are flying (he is a private instrument-rated pilot), theater, playing music (bass) and home improvement projects. In his day job, he is a health care lawyer in his own law firm, the Richard A. Setterberg Co.
