Ralph grew up on the coast of North Africa and began diving in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea at the age of 7 with his father.  He eventually went on to study zoology and worked as a diver/biologist for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego before attending Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.  He holds a BS degree in zoology and a BA degree in photography.

Based in Santa Barbara, California, Ralph specializes in commercial photography and video of eco-travel, wildlife, and underwater subjects.  He is the author of the book “Photographing Nature”, published by Peachpit Press New Riders. Ralph’s stock images are represented worldwide by Tandem Stills & Motion and Getty Images.

He was a senior faculty member at Brooks Institute for over 33 years teaching courses in Natural History Photography, On-location Lighting, Video Production, and Undersea Photography among others.

Ralph has traveled throughout the world on assignments including Australia, Chile, Ireland, the Caribbean, New Zealand, Mexico, Costa Rica, Antarctica and several countries in Africa. His publication credits include; Audubon, Afar, Islands, National Geographic, Nature’s Best, Oceans, National Geographic Traveler, Outside, c’t Digital Photography, Orion Nature Quarterly, National Geographic Books, Smithsonian Books, Sierra Club Books, and many other national and international publications.

Commercial clients include: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Adobe Systems, University of California, National Park Service, Fox Sports Network, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The Nature Conservancy, MacGillivray-Freeman Films, Denali National Park Wilderness Centers, California State Parks, ImageCloud, Light and Motion Industries and many others.