Carl Dinse photos published in The Seattle Times

Photo by Carl Dinse

Carl Dinse, whose name you will recognize from his long affiliation with the Shoreline Area News, is an aquarium enthusiast.

Annie Fanning, in the At Home in the Northwest section of The Seattle Times, published an article on April 24, 2026 about aquarium hobbyists (read it here) which includes two of Carl's photos.

The first photo shows the aquarium of Shoreline resident Christina Rotondo, who says she designed her aquariums to fit in seamlessly with the midcentury modern vibe of her home’s décor.

Photo by Carl Dinse

This photo, also in the Times article, shows the aquarium of north Seattle resident Kevin Do.

Carl has been an aquarium hobbyist since he was a kid. Around 13 years ago a store in Firdale Village called Aquarium Co Op opened, specializing in freshwater aquariums, which is what he was interested in. 

The store owner introduced him to the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society which he joined immediately. In recent years he started volunteering for that club.

"Among other things in that club, I do a lot of photography for the club newsletter. One of the club's biggest annual events is the Home Show, where a crew of 5-6 people, (2-3 judges, a producer, videographer, and photographer) get together in a van and tour 7-12 homes in the greater Seattle area to video record and photograph aquariums."

In March the resulting one hour video is presented at the club monthly meeting. At that time the winners are announced and prizes are handed out. Most of the home show videos and photographs are published online at the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society’s website.

From those homes they award 2-4 homes as winners of the annual home show contest. 

Two years ago, I was asked if I’d like to join the crew as the photographer. This year was my second home show as photographer.

The Seattle Times article features three of this year’s home show contestants. They also feature the owner of Aquarium Zen, one of the club’s sponsor stores located in the Roosevelt neighborhood, and they left a link as well for Aquarium Co Op.