In 2005, International League of Conservation Photographers was born and Michele is proud to be a founding fellow. This prestigious (501c3) charitable organization agreed that its mission was to further environmental and cultural conservation through communication initiatives that create vital content and disseminate conservation messages to a wide variety of audiences.

Pictures send a powerful message and as a photographer passionate about the world’s oceans and culture, Michele is dedicated to the mission statement and involved at several levels.

Michele’s assignment was made possible through the partnership of iLCP and the Prince Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. She documented The Gambier Islands in French Polynesia – only one of the many stops the M/Y Golden Shadow made while circumnavigating the globe for several years.

Her task utilized her skills not only as a recognized underwater photographer but she pulled from her knowledge of photographing commercial vessels and scuba diving lifestyle.

It was those attributes that enabled her to depict the state-of-the-art research vessel, its crew and the amazing scientists in a way that could complete the visual story.