Terry Goss is a Divemaster, photographer, and musician in San Jose, California.
I was born and raised in and around the Los Angeles area, and began my artistic explorations as an illustrative artist - achieving special recognition in secondary school and attending summer session at Art Center College of Design. After beginning musical studies around age twelve or so, music gradually took over my complete focus as a young adult. I attended Hamilton Academy of Music, and some notable schoolmates included producer/bassist Michael Elizondo, producer/percussionist Manolo Marroquin, pianist Vernell Brown, drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. and trumpeter Asdrubal Sierra.
With a guitar - and later bass guitar - in hand, several bands and a multitude of performances and recordings ensued, continuing to the present day. Initially hitting the 'LA Scene' with progressive metal-funk gumbo Day & Age, I migrated to the Bay Area in the early 90's and hit the clubs with hip-hop metal trio Middlefinger. Later, I pretended to be a frontman as singer/bassist for "financial thrash" trio 401k, then got back into the 6-string as lead-guitarist for Sourpuss, which led to being guitarist & former bassist & occasionally some vocals with renowned Bay Area metal stalwarts Scorched-Earth Policy. Throughout these years I also appeared alongside the awesome Mica Lee Williams, on stage, in the studio, and even on tv a couple times. I can currently be seen and heard with Livermore-based EARTH CRAWLER, and Fresno-based HateFX - as well as on my own musings (terrygoss.bandcamp.com). I've also served as bassist for LD/50 - featuring guitarist Glen Alvelais (Forbidden, Tenet, Testament), drummer Jeremy Colson (Steve Vai, Billy Idol), and singer Clark Brown (GZR/Geezer) - and I think some more material might be coming out someday....
A lifelong lover of the oceans and marine wildlife - especially sharks! - I only began scuba diving in 2006 (becoming a "Divecon"/Assistant Instructor in early 2009). Having taken up playing around with digital photography just a year or so prior, the two activities were a natural complement; countless hours, miles, depths (and cash!...) later, there seems to be no turning back from this passion for the open water, and the documenting of its diversity and incredible fragility (and resilience).
As a shark photographer, I have been featured in Shark Diver Magazine, ScubaDiving.com, and several books including the Smithsonian Institute's Natural History (from DK Publishing), IUCN Redlist's Species on the Edge, and some others; as well as on the wall of California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium (San Francisco). I've managed to place well in various underwater photo competitions, such as the winning Marine Photobank's Ocean In Focus competition, with some subsequent pics on National Geographic's official blog.
When not in the water, I can usually be found behind a desk within the recesses of the financial markets, as a fully-licensed somethingorothermobob - and spreading the word for sharks and the oceans (... and metal...) at every opportunity, like a broken record.... :D
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A quick note on gear: as the old saw goes, it's not the equipment, it's how you use it... I would hasten to add, however, having really good gear at your disposal just makes it that much easier to ply your craft. (With the added "benefit" ( :D ) of laying bare most of your inadequacies - can't blame the gear if it's the good stuff!... I should get more crap gear!) ;P
Underwater, I use & favor: Nikon bodies, Aquatica housing & ports, Nikkor & Tokina lenses, Sea&Sea strobes, Ultralight Control Systems arms & clamps, GoPro video cams, Xit404 housing knobs; USIA and Bare drysuits, Tusa, Apollo & ScubaPro fins, Suunto computers, Oceanic gauges & computers, Aqualung regulators, Seaquest BCs, Otter Bay custom
hoods, Pinnacle & Aqualung wetsuits, and Cressi masks. ... For now.
Above water, I use & favor: Zon, Skervesen, Fender, G&L, ESP, Taylor, & Steinberger guitars & basses; Orange amps, Accugroove cabinets, QSC monitors, Darkglass preamps, Zoom processors, Tech21 NYC preamps, MXR effects, Catalinbread effects, Wampler effects, Keeley effects, Boss effects, Digitech effects, The String Source, D'Addario & Ernie Ball strings, Line6 wireless, Shure & AKG mics, AKG cans, Gravity picks, Dunlop picks; also, Nikon D300 bodies, Nikkor lenses, Apple computers, Seagate & WD drives, Crumpler camera bags. ... For now.