Artist's Bio

Bruce Elliott Rasner lives in Laguna Niguel, California and has been an underwater photographer for over twenty years. He first did photojournalism capturing the magnificent marine life found in our planet’s many seas and oceans. Eventually, he began to see that sometimes the details were more beautiful and intriguing that the entire subject. The lure of becoming a serious fine art photographer and using the design elements, colors, textures and patterns found in the ocean realm has enabled Bruce to enrich his joy of marine exploration and photography.

In addition to diving in his native California waters, he has traveled to Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, the Maldives, Micronesia (Palau and Truk Lagoon), Costa Rica, Indonesia, Tahiti, Thailand, Burma, Fiji, the Solomon islands, the Sea of Cortez, the Red Sea, British Columbia, Norway, Patagonia, Malaysia, Galapagos, Islands, Australia, Argentina, and the Caribbean, including the Caymans, Belize, Honduras, Dominica and the Bahamas, Sata, Cozumel, Turks, and Caicos. These virgin marine habitats have enabled him to study and photograph ocean life in diversified and pristine conditions.

He has participated in several fine art show, including the Beverly Hills Fine Art Show, La Quinta Arts Festival and for eighteen years at the renowned Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts. His work has been displayed in several Southern California art galleries an dvenues. Over the years he has won numerous competitions in international photographic events including Best of Show in the Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society international competition, Grand Prize in the EPOC international Underwater Photographic competition and best of Show in the Discovery Expo Underwater Photographic Competition.

He has taught underwater photography techniques as well as Underwater Photography as Fine Art at Irvine Valley College. He was selected and served as a judge in the international Underwater Malaysia Competition and the Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society’s Annual international Photographic competition. Bruce has work on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.

Rather than merely documenting the myriad of marine life found in exotic environments, Bruce has dedicated himself toward photography as fine art. His highly magnified images of nature’s design elements, colors, textures and patterns emphasize composition and lighting. He hopes that his unique perspective will foster an appreciation of the ocean realm and inspire the preservation and the integrity of our seas.