Ralph Clevenger 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 at San Diego State University and worked as a diver/biologist for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California before attending Brooks Institute of Photography. He holds a BS degree in zoology and a BA degree in photography. Ralph is the author of Photographing Nature, published by New Riders.