"Pink Anemonefish" An exhibit of underwater photographs will open Friday at McKay Imaging & Studio in Red Bank. "REEFlections" features photography by Vince Matulewich and will run through March 22.

An opening reception will be held Friday, 7-10 p.m.

Matulewich will present an artist's talk: "A Lesson in Underwater Photography" Friday, March 2, 8 - 9:30 p.m. He will discuss his work and demonstrate his equipment. The talk is limited to 30 people. Please RSVP.

Matulewich began his photographic endeavors on the U.S.S. Shangri-La CVA-38, taking human interest and travel photographs for the ship's cruise books.

After serving in the U.S. Navy he earned degrees in environmental science from Rutgers University and continued his graduate work in pollution microbiology at Rutgers.

The next five years were spent in water quality planning activities and photographically documenting environmental abuses. Wanting to take a more active role in protecting the environment, he joined the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice becoming the first environmental scientist in the nation to become a sworn law enforcement officer. He was assigned to the nation's first unit solely devoted to investigating and prosecuting environmental crimes.

"Crinoid" Matulewich was selected and attended the F.B.I. National Academy in Quantico, Va., where he was schooled in police photography.

He has photographed hundreds of environmental crime scenes and lectured extensively on the subject of crime scene processing. One of his assignments was to supervise his unit's public safety dive team, which collected evidence and photographed underwater crime scenes.

Thus, his love of underwater exploration was born. Wanting to graduate from "black water" diving, he sought refuge in the waters of the Caribbean and Pacific, where the majority of his photographs have been shot.

He hopes his underwater photographs will help viewers to understand and respect the beauty of a healthy marine environment.

Matulewich's work hangs in the collections of Greenpeace International and the Oceans at Indy Zoo Project at the Indianapolis Zoo. He is a member of the Art Alliance of Monmouth County, Red Bank, and the Guild of Creative Art, Shrewsbury.

McKay Imaging & Studio is located at 12 Monmouth St., second floor. Gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., or by appointment. For information, call (732) 842-2272 or visit www.mckayimaging.com.