Ambassador to the Marine Environment Photographer, Adventurer, Diver and Educator Ernest H. Brooks II was born to be a photographer. His Portuguese ancestry, rich in men-of-the-sea, virtually insured the ocean environment would play an important role in his life. As the son of Ernest H. Brooks, founder of the internationally-renowned Brooks Institute of Photography, Mr. Brooks was destined to follow in his father's footsteps for part of his life's journey before forging his own path. He graduated from Brooks Institute, served on the school's executive staff and in 1971 assumed the office of the president, a position he held until 2000 when the institute was sold to Career Education Corporation, CEC. Throughout his long tenure as the head of Brooks Institute, he carried out the duties that come with that corporate territory including keynote speaking at international conventions, working with national and international organizations and companies to enhance the industry, and encouraging photographic education and promoting photography as a universal language. Along the way, while fulfilling the responsibilities of his office, his achievements earned him numerous accolades and awards.
As a noted professional photographer, educator and ambassador to the industry, Mr. Brooks has won international acclaim for underwater photography and audio/visual presentation. As a working professional, he has contributed to numerous magazines and organizations including: Cousteau Society, California Highways, Ocean Realm, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Nature Conservancy and Natural Wildlife, to name only a few. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards including: 1973 'Triton Award' Inner Space Pacifica, Hawaii; 1975 'NOGI' The Underwater Society of America; 1977 'National Award' Professional Photographers of America; 1971 through 1980 Hall of Fame elector Photographic Arts and Science Foundation; 1978 Camera Craftsmen of America; served on the National Advisory Council of the National Society of Arts and Letters; 'Hall of Fame' Underwater Photographic Society; was honored by the Oceanic Community of SSI and Nikon for 5000 hours beneath the sea 'Platinum Pro Diver Award'; and his most recent honor, 'The 1996 Partner's Award,' was received from the American Oceans Campaign for his lifelong commitment and dedication to our oceans.
Press release -
SAN JOSE, California (March 3, 2017) – With recent rains and flooding following years of drought, water is very much on the minds of Californians. From March 17 to August 6, 2017, San Jose Museum of Art will present an exhibition devoted to celebrating this precious, essential resource and encourage dialogue about water. Fragile Waters: Photographs by Ansel Adams, Ernest Brooks II, and Dorothy Kerper Monnelly features 120 black-and-white photographs by three artists who have expressed their lifelong commitment to protecting the sanctity of the environment through the universal language of photography. Fragile Waters is one of three exhibitions at SJMA this spring to examine the environmental, humanitarian, and social aspects of water.
Salt Marsh Island, Clouds, Ipswich, MA, 2005
Gelatin ...
FRAGILE WATERS premiers at The Mariners Museum, Newport News, Virginia, the first of five scheduled U.S. museum venues.
FRAGILE WATERS calls attention to water, the critical resource, in all its beauty and power, presenting inspirational work of three renowned photographers; Ansel Adams, Ernest H. Brooks II, and Dorothy Kerper Monnelly.
Water is more than a resource. It is essential to all the life we know. Yet our oceans, rivers, lakes and other sources of water are in crisis. Extreme weather events, aquifer depletion, rights of access, toxic contaminants, fracking, pollution, floods, desertification, and the impact of rising seawater on urbanized deltas, are just a few of the water-related issues that confront us. The FRAGILE WATERS exhibition was born out of this concern.
The black-and-white photogra...