Extraordinary Women Leaders in Speleology (EWLS)

Join Extraordinary Woman Caver and author Marian McConnell and videographer David Socky on Mar 23, 2017 at 8:00 PM CDT. Register now ! Videographer David Socky, and Author Marian McConnell, talk about the Murder Hole cave movie and books as an example of preserving cave history for future generations. This infamous cave in Catawba, Virginia, is now the subject of a book and a movie documentary; both of which educate (and entertain) the public about cave safety, conservation, and lessons learned from the past. Stories, artwork, photographs, and music, as well as more modern tools such as drones, helmet-mounted cameras, and video was used to preserve the history of this significant cave. As McConnell likes to say, "Someday, when my ashes are strewn into the Murder Hole daylight cave, the new owner and visitors will have an 'owner's manual' about this very special place." David has been actively caving since 1974. He has caved throughout the U.S., P...

Tabitha Rossman has been with us for 2 years! She manages the Instagram Photography blog, creates numerous community relationships, shares her awesome photography, and writes articles. We appreciate all you do lady!

By Tabitha Rossman , Edited by Lisa Bauman   Virginia Treat, amazing photographer who supports conservation and caves, has a project you will find quite interesting. Virginia has been photographing since 2015 when she found out she enjoyed being behind the camera instead of in front of it. It started out as a hobby just taking photos of family and nature photos, as well as improving on her photography by taking photos of models/friends. Virginia’s work has been published in several magazines and newspapers from the Surreal Magazine , Fashion Bombshell Magazine, Idaho City Newspaper, Idaho Statesman Newspaper and an article that came out in the July/August issue of Greenbelt Magazine . Then after a family trip to Craters of the Moon , Virginia started talking with her husband about a big idea she had combining nature with high fashion to create a variety of different themes throughout the year. She wanted to create a book and use the proceeds to donate back to nature conservatio...

Oana Ghiocel, Romanian documentary filmmaker is creating Immigrants Under Earth, which follows Romanian speleologists in the 1980s to uncover a world of explorations, discoveries and unexpected freedom. The idea for the film came while shooting The Bear Cult, which investigated the relationship between humans and bears from prehistoric times to the present. With more than 50 hours of interviews gathered, the film will be a medley of stories of a “generation of adventurers” who, between 1979 and 1989 established many speleological groups and mapped an impressive number of caves. Accompanying the on-site shooting and interviews in the film will be reenactments. New shooting will take place in spring and summer and Ghiocel says she hopes to be able to finish production by end-summer. Apart from the new documentary, she is also working on a book gathering material related to the subject of The Mystery of the Carpathian Sphinx and also a sequel to the film. The plan is to have the book ou...

Becky Kagen is an award-winning underwater director of photography. Other then being a photographer, she is also a tech instructor. Becky has had a had a curiosity for what was underneath the waves since she was a kid and she always thought that documenting it was what she was going to do. Becky is an Emmy Award winning underwater camera operator, photographer and technical diver. She has been seen on major networks including National Geographic, Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. She has done several exploration projects and has earned her place within the Fellow Explorer Club. In 2013 she was introduced into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. She has filmed in challenging environments such as caves, under ice, shipwrecks, and even sharks. She has over 20 years of diving experiences, logging thousands of hours underwater making her comfortable in most any environment. She has passion about the underwater world and loves to share her photography and give diving lesions. Her advent...

Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864 – 1952) is said to be the first woman cave photographer. Her primary work consists of magazines, portraits, and social and architectural documentation. Frances started to experiment with photography during the 1885 when she started her professional studio in Washington, D.C . She was a writer as well. In 1891 she went to Mammoth Cave to gather content for the Demorest’s Family Magazine June 1892 article and her book Mammoth Cave by Flash-Light published in 1893. Later in life she photographed prominent members of Washington’s political and social circles and authored a series of articles about women photographers for the Ladies Home Journal. #Women C avers #ewls #CavePhotography Source: kentuckyexplorer.com Written by Tabitha Rossmann Edited by Lisa Bauman 

“You need to treat your team how you would like to be treated and give the young, new divers a taste of the action ... you have to give something back." Christine Grosart Founder of WetWellies Caving, Cave Photographer, Paramedic, and 2015 EWC #ScienceWomen #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org

Kelly is a caver from Tennessee. She has been caving for 13 years. However, she did not join the NSS until 4 years or so into her caving. She is now a lifetime member and Fellow of the NSS. When she started with photography, she used a typical point and shoot camera. On a photography trip Tumbling Rock Cave, a SCCi Preserve in Alabama in 2005, Kelly was inspired by Nathan Williams who taught her a few tricks that day. After this, she purchased her first DSLR and some flashes and self-taught from there. She’s always preferred FUJI cameras but she’s not to technical. She works very simple in caves. Her work has been on two covers of the NSS News, and she has won a few Merit Awards as well as Honorable Mention s Awards in the NSS Salons. Kelly designed newsletter covers for TAG Caver and has won awards for that as well. She tells new cave photographers “be prepared that anything you take underground can be destroyed by a cave environment. If you purchase hig...

Cristina was born in Mexico in 1966. She is a photographer as well as a Marine Biologist. For the past 20 years she has been working as a writer and photographer. In 2005 she funded the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP). Cristina has elevated conservation photography to a whole new level. Back then when she started out with Nature and conservation photography it was considered taboo to talk about the environment. In 2010 she was awarded the Mission Award from North American Nature Photography Association; an organization that experiments with ideas to show how photographers can have an impact on conservation. The organization is now launching a non-profit called Sea Legacy whose mission is to share the power of photography and story-telling to raise awareness of biodiversity and marine conservation. Cristina uses her photography to show the importance of cave conservation. The destruction of species and landscapes ignited by her passion for conservation. S...

Montreal (Quebec) at TOHU March 23 to May 8, 2016 After its great impact at the UNESCO House in Paris in January 2015, the exhibit highlighting the importance of these geological riches in the culture and history of Haiti is now invited to Montreal (Quebec) at TOHU, from March 23 to May 8, 2016. This multimedia exhibit, presented by the Association Hommes des Cavernes , displays works by three cave photographers: EWLS Social Media Reporter Carole Devillers, Jean-François Fabriol, and Olivier Testa of the http://www.Cavesofhaiti.org team. It was put together by curator and caver Stéphanie Jagou, of the same team. Come and discover it! #speleology #womencavers #ewls #cavesofhaiti SOURCES Carole Devillers, EWLS Social Media Reporter tohu.ca grottesdhaiti.org  cavesofhaiti.org facebook.com/CavesofHaiti

“When I cave, I feel a connection to the Creator. The beauty leaves me speechless. The awesomeness of it all is breathtaking.” Carole Devillers Expedition Photographer Caves of Haiti Project EWLS News Reporter & 2014 EWC #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org

“Caving pushes me to my limits and it is rewarding to be able to push past that comfort zone … I enjoy very much the friendships, camaraderie, and social aspects.” Kara Mickaelson Award Winning Cave Photographer & 2013 EWC #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org

Montreal (Quebec) at TOHU March 23 to May 8, 2016 After its great impact at the UNESCO House in Paris in January 2015, the exhibit highlighting the importance of these geological riches in the culture and history of Haiti is now invited to Montreal (Quebec) at TOHU, from March 23 to May 8, 2016. This multimedia exhibit, presented by the Association Hommes des Cavernes , displays works by three cave photographers: EWLS Social Media Reporter Carole Devillers, Jean-François Fabriol, and Olivier Testa of the http://www.Cavesofhaiti.org team. It was put together by curator and caver Stéphanie Jagou, of the same team. Come and discover it! #womencavers #speleology #ewls #cavesofhaiti SOURCES Carole Devillers, EWLS Social Media Reporter tohu.ca grottesdhaiti.org cavesofhaiti.org facebook.com/CavesofHaiti

Annette Price is a cave, mine, adventure sport, and wild place photographer. She has been a freelance photographer since 1988, producing images that meet the needs of magazine editors, news agencies, equipment and clothing manufactures - as well as athletes and print buyers.  She is based in the UK but travels abroad when required to photograph sports, explorers, athletes, and recreational outdoor enthusiasts in remote locations. Annette is trained as a graphic designer and illustrator. She has been diving since 2004, caving since 2003, and a photographer for operation Raleigh (now Raleigh International) for 3 month expeditions in the jungles of Guyana, South America. She is also the Assistant photographer for John Snett, an advertising and editorial studio photography in West End, London. Annette has been published in several Magazines such as BBC Focus Magazine, The Times, The Daily Mail, Digital SLR User Magazine, Land Rover Owner International Magazine, Diver Magazine, Outdo...

Kenneth Ingham is a photographer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He works with light and its absence in capturing the images that he sees when he starts. He shoots mostly women, scientists, science-in-action, and caves. He works often with models to create a professional portfolio and says “If you believe that you are sexy, you are, and it shows it in the photos.” Kenneth got his first camera around 1970 when he was 8 years old. He got a SLR in 1980. The first photo he ever sold was around 1985; about the time he started caving. “ I took my first very bad cave photos. It took a while to learn how to get good photos in the cave” he said.   The first time he took his camera with him caving it was in Fort Stanton Cave. He got in to caving as someone who liked photography and took photos on every cave trip; back in the film days photos were made by calculating flash to subject distances and then bracketing and hoping to get a single good photo per roll of film. ...

Ginger Livingston Sanders, women caver and photographer was noticed by Applebee’s. Her work is now displayed as wall murals in Bend and Redmond Oregon restaurants. #ewls #womencavers #WLeaders www.ewls.org

Tabitha Rossmass has been the Photography Blog Director for one year at EWLS. She has been a strong advocate for the EWLS mission. “She is in inspiration really” said Lisa Bauman, EWLS President. “Tabitha operates more like a advocate than a blogger. She is so dependable and wonderful and she truly cares about people.” Tabitha has donated countless hours to inspire people on social media but she also contributes on the field. In 2015 she volunteered as a trip leader at the EWLS annual event, arriving days early to help with the event preparation. She finds contributors for EWC in the annual magazine and coordinates with local caving and community organizations as a volunteer. “I am working to build a community of women cave photographers and create a place where we can learn from each other.” Tabitha said. Tabitha graduated from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 2014 with a BS in Agriculture with an emphasis in Wildlife Science and have over three years of experience with mon...

The 50-year-old diver, Jill Heinerth also doubles as an underwater photographer and film-maker. She  has spent decades exploring some of the world’s most dangerous waters. "Shipwrecks, dangerous caves and exploding icebergs are all in a day’s work for Jill Heinerth." writes reporter for The Royal Gazette, Jessie Moniz Hardy. Jill regularly is asked to share her skills with aspiring scientists, cavers, and divers. Two weeks ago she taught rebreathing techniques to scientists at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) and lectured about some of her experiences at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. She has written many books on diving techniques and has become a pioneer in rebreather diving, a method still not used by the majority of divers because of the level of training needed. Her most dangerous dive was a cave in an Antarctic iceberg 15 years ago. The Connecticut-sized iceberg was one of the largest on record and broke off the Ross Ice Shelf in 2...

Devillers is an internationally published photographer, writer, and caver with several articles in the National Geographic magazine, and photos in Reuters News and various books. In 2009 she co-created an on-going long-term project of exploration, promotion, and conservation of the caves of Haiti, which became a touring exhibit in 2014 right after she was featured in the Women Cavers Guidebook & Magazine. Carole is passionate, dedicated, and experienced and her contributions to EWLS make her a valuable asset on our team. We are glad to have you Carole! Thank you for supporting women in caving. #womencavers #ewls #speleology Read more about Carole here: ewls.org

Liz is a Australian cave diver and Underwater Cave photographer. She is apart of the Cave Diver Association of Australia in Mt Gambier region. She takes five hour dives west of Melbourne for regular weekend trips to provide perfect opportunities for underwater cave photography with in the crystal clear freshwater within the Australia waters. Liz enjoys diving in the salty waters outside of the Queenscliff for living near a temperate ocean it means the occasional winter trips with in the tropics that become partially mandatory.   She has won several underwater cave photography awards and also has had several publications some of her publications that her photography has been published in has been the Alert Diver 2012, The Weekend Australian Magazine January 2012, and the underwater speleology: Journal of the Cave Diving section of the NSS in January 2012.   Her publications of her excellent underwater cave diving photograph go back to Sports Diver Magazine in 200...