A brief Biography of Jason Pickering
Jason Pickering is an enthusiast; not just an enthusiastic diver, photographer, artist, scuba instructor, yacht skipper, teacher, naturalist and phD level biologist - but all of these. He lives on board his yacht, Ciao, and spends his days either working in Antigua or sailing around the Caribbean; aided and abetted by his wife, Kirsti, and their daughters Rosie, 6, and Maesie, 6 months.
Jason's life story is certainly not run of the mill and he feels lucky to have experienced such a wide varied tapestry of jobs and interests that have made his a truly wonderful life. Jason started his professional carreer with 10 years as an academic biologist. After competed his phD in medical Virolgy at Birmingham University, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at several universities in Oxford, Hamilton (Canada) and then London. After leaving the laboratory he worked in Sales and Marketing for two lab supply companies (on a dot com during the dot com bubble era), before he completely moved away from science to become first an expedition diving officer in the Philippines and then coming back to UK to start his own diving company.
It was during his stint diving officer on a coral conservation expedition on a remote island in the Philippines, that Jason's diving and life was really transformed. Learning to spot and identify more than 500 species of fish, coral and invertebrate enabled him to recognise what he was seeing and he describes this as seeing clearly underwater for the first time. A new underwater housing for his digital cameras, this new found vision and his artistic eye, allowed him to combine two of his greatest passions - diving and photography; with stunning results. He hasn't looked back since.
After a couple of years diving in the cold waters of Northern Europe Jason stepped away from diving (or dried out!!) for a short time whilst he concentrated on becoming a commercially endorsed yachtmaster, and buying and refitting a 39 foot yacht, Ciao, which is now home. Living on board gives Jason every opportunity to dive and take photographs. Jason specifically chose Ciao and set her up to accommodate all his equipment and cameras. Whilst Ciao is still his studio in the caribbean off season, Jason now has a more permanant home for his photographic endevours, a new Studio Gallery in English Harbour, Antigua.
Underlying everything he does is his drive to understand, learn and conquer, and his unbelievable determination to succeed. Sharing his knowledge is as important to Jason as breathing itself, and this is one reason for jasonpickering.com; to share what he has captured underwater with all.
As well as being a professional caribbean and under water photographic artist with exhibits art galleries, hotels and shops across the Caribbean, Jason teaches courses in underwater photography and fish identification, and is a PADI staff instructor. If you're interested in further info on his courses email him.