I live in sunny San Diego, and am one of the rare natives. I have an amazing wife and a new child, who has become a favorite photographic subject. My education is in Physics, and I am a professional software developer for a large pharmaceutical company.
When I am not out photographing things, working, or playing with my daughter, I enjoy scuba diving and being outdoors.
Photography
The evolution of my photography has been what might be best described as "organic". It just sort of grew, in its own way, from a very casual and passing interest, into a legitimate hobby, and now into a second profession.
I started, as most people do these days, with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera. Then, as my photographic aspirations ran into the limitations of my current camera, I got a better camera. This happened every few years, as I advanced in skills, features, and megapixels. The big leap was when I ventured into the world of digital SLRs. With their massively improved picture quality relative to the point-and-shoots I had been using, my photography improved by leaps and bounds.
Much like my interest in "topside" photography, my interest in underwater photography evolved naturally. I have always loved the ocean and have enjoyed visiting some of the most amazing and far-flung corners of the underwater world. I wanted to be able to keep some tangible memories, so I purchased an underwater housing for one of my cameras. This is a whole new photographic world, and a new set of challenges. I have enjoyed the adventure immensely.
As I showed my images to others, an increasing number of friends were telling me, "You should sell these!" Once those voices got loud enough, I started to believe them, and Dan Gehlhaar Photography was born.
Equipment
My main topside camera is a Canon 50D with a variety of consumer- and professional-grade lenses.
In the underwater world, the vast majority of my pictures were captured with a Canon A710 IS camera in a Canon housing. I recently purchased an Ikelite housing and DS-160 strobe for my (older) Canon 30D SLR, and look forward to the benefits and challenges of using an SLR underwater. No more big digital preview!
A side note on camera brands: I am not, as would appear, a Canon loyalist. I have owned my fair share of Nikon cameras. Like many things in my life, the all-Canon thing sort of just happened.