UWMP eNews issue 21 - 2014 · July & August 2014 Top 10 Photos From DSLR Camera and Compact Camera and CSC · July & August Monthly Theme Photo Competition Winners and Position 4-12 · The Most number 1 - 2 - 3 LIKE on the UWMP PAGE in July & August 2014 · UWMP Survey Results... What is your preferred background for your UW Macro Photographs? · Coffee Break with Fred and Yorko Summer · Spotlight UW Macro Photographers July & August Winners Profiles · Our Official Sponsors Profile · Macro enthusiast at Sogod Bay · 3rd UWMP Group meeting 2015 · Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival 2014 · Vivid colours of the sea · Protecting your images
Transcript
UWMP eNews issue 21 - 2014
· July & August 2014 Top 10 Photos From DSLR Camera and Compact Camera and CSC
· July & August Monthly Theme Photo Competition Winners and Position 4-12
· The Most number 1 - 2 - 3 LIKE on the UWMP PAGE in July & August 2014
· UWMP Survey Results... What is your preferred background for your UW Macro Photographs?
· Coffee Break with Fred and Yorko Summer
· Spotlight UW Macro Photographers July & August Winners Profiles
· Our Official Sponsors Profile
· Macro enthusiast at Sogod Bay
· 3rd UWMP Group meeting 2015· Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival 2014
· Vivid colours of the sea
· Protecting your images
Editorial
03July & August 2014 Top 10 Photos From DSLRCamera and Compact Camera and CSC
47The Most number 1 - 2 - 3 LIKE on the UWMP PAGEin July & August 2014
52Spotlight UW Macro Photographers July & August Winners Profiles
48July & August Monthly Theme Photo Competition Winners and Position 4-12
56Coffee Break with Fred and Yorko Summer
68Our Official Sponsors Profile
64UWMP Survey Results... What is your preferred background for your UW Macro Photographs?
58Macro enthusiast at Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, Philippines
653rd UWMP Group meeting 201567Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival 2014
60Vivid colours of the sea62Protecting your images
Dear Members,
Welcome to the fourth edition of the eNews for 2014. We have more than 31,600 members on the Group, and nearly 21,000 Liked on the UWMP PAGE.
As usual we selected the top ten photos from July and August for DSLR and Compact Camera and CSC categories. The photos are beautiful, with great technique, here to inspire all of our members.
I would like to congratulate all photographers who appear in this issue and thank you for supplying additional details. I would also like to congratulate members who received the top 3 Like in July and August for their photos.
Our monthly theme photo competition in July and August produced some stunning photos of challenging subjects. Thank you to the judges, Alex Tyrrell, Jerome Kim, and Iyad Suleyman, for great results and a very tough job.
I would like to thank Bluewater Photos for sponsoring the competition each month, Lissenung Island Resort in PNG for the end of the year first prize, Aquatica Dive Resort in East Timor for second prize, and Liberty Dive Resort in Tulamben for third prize.
Also, the winners for each month get to showcase their portfolios in “Spotlight UW Macro Photographer”. Congratulations to the recent winners, Bo Savillo Mancao and Emmanuelle Camallonga, enjoy their fantastic portfolios.
We introduce a new feature in this edition called “Coffee Break with...” where we get to learn about one of our members in a lot more detail. Yorko Summer is in the “cafe” with Fred Juneau asking the questions.
We have some interesting articles: a review of diving for the “Macro enthusiast at Sogod Bay”, Philippines by Scott White, tips on how to take photos of nudibranchs in “Vivid colours of the sea”, by Yury Ivanov,, and a very informative article on “Protecting your images” by Frederic Juneau.
Chris Spence reveals what background our members prefer for their underwater macro photographs in the survey results.
I would like to thank Qing Lin for the great cover photo, everyone who has contributed to this issue of eNews and as usual a big thank you to the Admin Group and Page teams.
Critters name : Psychedelic Frogfish with eggs (Histiophryne psychedelica)
Location taken : Ambon, Indonesia
Personal Website : www.francescadiaco.com
Camera : Nikon D300
Lens : Nikon 60mm Macro Lens
Housing : Sea&Sea
Strobes : 2 x Sea&Sea YS-250 Pro
Camera Setting : F18, 1/100 sec, ISO 100
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
When I heard that the extremely elusive psychedelic frogfish was spotted again after 3 years (and with eggs!!!), I was brimming with excitement to see and photograph it. The dive guides, who shared the location of this frogfish, ensured that no divers or cameras got too close or stressed it out. We were each allowed a couple of minutes and no more than 5 shots from a safe distance. When it was my turn, I decided that preparation was going to be the key to success. So I observed the frogfish for a bit, thought carefully about what angle I was looking for and preset my camera and strobes before I slowly approached. I decided to go for a wide depth of field (f/18) to make sure I got everything in focus and strobes on 1/3 power turned slightly outwards. I took a deep breath, carefully composed the shot and fired off a shot. After briefly checking my composition and exposure on the LCD, I took 2 more shots and one long last look at the most precious fish I have ever seen...and swam away one happy lady. The best part was that I had no idea that I managed to get the babies in focus or that they were so fully developed until I uploaded them! It just goes to show that giving the marine life respect and a safe working distance can really pay off.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
It was one of my trips in the beautiful islands of Philippines, I asked my friend Bo Mancao to arrange my trip around Cebu.
One dive place that I visited was Malapascua Island, well known because diving with the elegant and amazing thresher shark but in Malapascua you can also do beautiful macro dives so one day in August 2013 we did a night dive in a place called Evo reef.
Evo reef is a dive in a bottom sand where we have found a lot of critters like blue ring octopus, emperor shrimp, seahorse, crabs and many more.
That night on a bamboo trunk there were some sea urchins and one of them took my attention about something onto... Went closer and saw this zebra crab... I have never seen a zebra crab onto this kind of sea urchin, always in fire sea urchin. This one I liked even because got some pink eggs in her belly. I didn't need any diopter or magnification because canon 100 macro has a good magnification ratio (1:1) set my shutter speed quite fast (1/100s), diaphragm at f/25 for a good depth of field and ISO 100 for a good quality image and click!
Critters name : Horned Sea Pen Shrimp (Dasycaris ceratops)
Location taken : Lembeh Straight, Indonesia
Personal Website : www.niteflightphoto.com
Camera : Nikon D200
Lens : Nikkor 105mm
Housing : Sea&Sea
Strobes : 2 x INON Z220
Dioptre : Subsee +10 and 1.4 teleconverter
Camera Setting : F25, 1/160 sec, ISO 160
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Hold very still. Hahaha. This shrimp was perhaps 12mm. I did not have a tripod, and the shrimp was moving about inside this coral that I did not wish to touch. You must control your breathing pattern with the gentle sway of the ocean. Inhale when the sea lifts, and when it lifts your subject, you rise in tandem. This helps you to hold the focus. I was fortunate that there was very little current. Keeping the focus with stacked lenses can be a real challenge, so no movement at all is critical to get crisp edges. Sometimes you may find yourself holding your breath which is very dangerous at depth, so I try to become one with the ocean and changed my breathing pattern. Having a great dive guide is essential (Ben Sarinda) who will also rub out your sore shoulder from holding the housing so tight is also very much appreciated!
Critters name : Harlequin Shrimp (HymenoceraPicta)
Location taken : Gato Island, Cebu, Philippines
Personal Website : www.jonathansala.ch
Camera : Nikon D800
Lens : Nikkor 105 VR Micro
Housing : Ikelite
Strobes : Ikelite
Additional equipment add on : Retra SnootDS 161
Camera Setting : F25, 1/160 sec, ISO 125
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This picture was taken with the help of a friend, the flash with the snoot was managed directly by him to direct the beam of light directly on the subject. It took a lot of patience. In post production I have improved a little 'contrast and clean the photography.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
The shot is taken at the famous diving point Seraya, Tulamben. The grouper living in this cleaning station all the year. It is worth your patience to get this moment.
Set the camera with larger aperture and ISO to control the flash output and get continuous shooting. Move the flash arm forward and approaching the fish as far as possible. Then adjust the angle leaning upward to just light on the fish.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
The advice from this group was instrumental in getting this shot. In a word "patience". I was trying to get a portrait of a Sea Dragon with a pleasing background. I had tried a number of combinations that I wasn't happy with and then I saw the light falling on the sea grass and it looked beautiful (I got some great advice from an outstanding photographer once - "see what you see"). So I practiced some composition shots and then waited for a Sea Dragon to swim past in the right position. As the pier is only about 3m deep I had to lie on the sandy bottom (making sure nothing was underneath me) so I could get the sea grass in the background. Though I had a focus light, the natural light was excellent and enabled me to lock on to a very sharp focus. Took me about 20 minutes all up to get this shot.
Michael Liarakos (Australia)
Title : Up close with a Dragon
Critters name : Weedy Sea Dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)
Location taken : Flinders Pier, Melbourne Australia
Camera : Nikon D7000
Lens : Sigma 17-70 Macro at 62mm
Housing : Nauticam
Strobes : 2 x Sea&Sea DS1
Additional equipment add on : Sola 1200 focus light
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
I found this Spine-cheeked anemone fish on their beautiful breaching white anemone colour. A dive site name PANTAI NAMA1 at Ambon, Indonesia which is one of the best places for people who love macro life. Actually there are a pair stay together. This is a small one. I took photo of this one to show how contrast between fish and anemone and spend almost a whole dive to get this image.
Critters name : Mosshead Warbonnet (Chirolophis nugator)
Location taken : Keystone Jetty, near Coupeville WA USA
Personal Website : www.sea-visions.net
Camera : Nikon D7000
Lens : Nikkor 105mm Micro Plus Tamron 2.0 Teleconverter
Housing : Subal
Strobes : Sea&Sea YS 250
Camera Setting : F25, 1/160 sec, ISO 200
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
I always look for these tiny expressive fish hiding in empty barnacle shells and hope that I can get a good angle to photograph as close as I can so I can fill the frame with the face. This is a sought after fish to photograph in the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest of the US and Canada. Unlike many folks I use teleconverters to get my shots of tiny creatures as I do not yet have any diopters. I have found with patience and manual focus I can frame a shot, but it often takes many tries to get an acceptable image.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
As luck would have it, there were several Pygmy Seahorses in this one sea fan. This allowed me to switch from one individual to the other. This meant less stress and higher chance of having them face the camera.
The FIX NEO 1200dx Focus light can be set as low as 1% power. In this case, I had the power set at 10%, which is just enough to keep the autofocus working efficiently. I feel this was an advantage in keeping the Pygmy Seahorses from turning away.
A powerful diopter is always a challenge to use on such small subjects and patience is a key component. When frustration levels are high, it is best to back-off to regain composure rather than power through the session.
Luck plus Gear and plus Patience is rewarded with positive results.
Location taken : Bacoli Lagoon, Gulf of Naples, Italy
Camera : Nikon D800E
Lens : Nikon 105 micro
Housing : Seacam
Strobes : Seacam 150
Additional equipment add on : Retra LSD snoot
Camera Setting : F22, 1/200 sec, ISO 100
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This beautiful specimen of male peacock blenny had chosen his lair in the abandoned shell of a coil that had an entrance hole exactly the diameter of his body.
I immediately thought of this isolate, through my snoot Retra LSD, so as to form a circle that was going to narrow down exactly the hole in the coil by illuminating the head of blenny as the "radius bull's eye" illuminates an actor on the scene.
This was not easy because the blenny stuck his head out of the den for a few seconds and then retreated inside, so I had to wait patiently until I had the opportunity to do good for this shot.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Calm water, no current and quiet tiny nudibranch on the sandy bottom. The apt underwater conditions while taking this photo gave me nice opportunity to get this picture! And of course using strobes in manual mode – it gives you more flexibility in adjusting the lighting and makes more possible to get the correct amount of light.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Composition: This photo was inspired by Matteo Visconti's photo. After seeing his photo, I targeted to take a shrimp with face on composition before my Tulamben trip. Studying others stunning photo was the shortcut to take a good picture, photoshop may rescue minor shooting technique problem, but never help in aestheticism.
Technique: Good focus light and magnified housing viewfinder are essential in shooting super macro photo, they would greatly enhance the chance of shooting accurately focused photo. Therefore, try to compose the photo by using camera viewfinder grid since the margin area was out of boundary and shoot when the critters eyes have sharp reflection from the focus light.
Yat-wai So (Hong Kong)
Title : Relax
Critters name : Crinoid Shrimp
Location taken : Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia
Personal Website : flickr.com/photos/40229527@N02/
Critters name : Leafy Filefish (Chaetodermis penicilligera)
Location taken : Lembeh Straight, Indonesia
Personal Website : facebook.com/martina.engelsdunmore
Camera : Nikon DX2s
Lens: Nikkor 60mm Marco
Housing : Subal
Strobe : INON Z240
Additional equipment : INON Snoot, mounted on camera, not handheld
Camera Setting : F18, 1/200sec ISO 200
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Buoyancy and Patience is the main key to a frame like this, as to any other image. But Muck diving on Lembeh's Lava-Ash Dive Sites affords an especially good Buoyancy to not end up in a cloud of dust. Train your Buoyancy and get as close as you can and then even a bit closer and you will be halfway there to great images.
Personal Website : miguelpereiraphoto.wordpress.com
Camera : Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor 105 mm VR Marco
Housing : Nauticam
Strobe : Sea&Sea YS-D1
Dioptre : Kenko 1.4 Teleconverter
Camera Setting : F45, 1/200sec ISO 200
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
During this dive I've found a Lizardfish eating a Scorpionfish, which was still alive. Since I was using a 150mm equivalent lens setup (105mm + 1.4 Teleconverter), I rapidly changed my camera to a very small aperture in order to get as much DOF as I could. I've used also a fast shutter speed because the background was very cluttered. I approached the two fishes then, and managed to get a good angle right in front of them, pointing slightly upwards to make the image with more impact. In order to isolate the subject I've positioned both strobes as close to the fishes as I could, in order to keep them from lighting the background (if you have a good exposure, the closest the strobes are to the subject, less light will illuminate the background). As a general guide to this kind of behavior shots you need two things: luck to witness it and to act fast, because the poor Scorpionfish won't stay for long in the Lizardfish's mouth. The photo hasn't almost any post processing: I've just applied some cloning in order to remove some backscatter.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Usually you will find the yellow goby in the Bottles, Cans or other plastic containers on the shallow sandy areas. You don‘t need to hurry to take the pictures, observe their behaviour. They will begin the activities and do already doing, then you can take pictures of them, Sometimes you could take some unexpected expression.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
It’s not difficult to find the eggs if you can locate the hard coral which its parent is likely to lay them. This photo was taken in June. I guess that it might be a good season to find it in Lembeh. In my opinion, you need strobe firing at the back which can make the egg more transparent. Hope that you can take one and even better soon!
Frederick Tsang (Hong Kong)
Title : Cuttlefish Inside Egg
Critters name : Giant Cuttlefish
Location taken : Lembeh Straight, Indonesia
Personal Website : https://m.facebook.com/frederick.tsang
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This species is quite rare in the subtropical waters of eastern Australia and I have only come across specimens twice in over 25 years of diving the Solitary Islands. This is one of a pair found by my dive buddy Bob Edgar. When first observed they were on a patch of turtle grass but soon started to move – luckily into a better position for a photograph. I took quite a few images but liked this one because I was able to get on the same level as the animal as it turned directly towards the lens. I have always found subjects with black markings to be challenging to illuminate as too much direct light results in backscatter against the dark subject but not enough means the detail is lost in shadow. Some tweaking of the shadows in the RAW file (using Adobe Lightroom) helped in this case. The image was slightly cropped, sharpened and a few spots of backscatter were removed.
Critters name : Pontohi Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi)
Location taken : Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
Personal Website : flickr.com/photos/ndoetz
Camera : Canon S110
Housing : Ikelite
Strobes : 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D10
Dioptre : INON UCL-165 M67 and Subsee+10 (stacked)
Camera Setting : F8, 1/640sec, ISO 80
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Lucky to find this beautiful buddy just right before I did the safety stop & not much air left. This little creature was at the wall, so it was not so easy to manage the shot while maintaining the buoyancy. From some shots I took, this one is the best I think.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
I remember that day I just tried to have a nice photo of this yellow Nudibranch, and surprised to find the Imperial shrimp commensalism on the Nudibranch, suddenly, the shrimp became my title role.
To take the photo of such small shrimp, most important is focus on his eyes. However, it's not easy on such tiny thing, so I will set my aperture as small as possible to get DOF (depth of field), that will have the shrimp eyes clear & sharp.
Critters name : Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)
Location taken : Anilao, Batangas, Philippines
Personal Website : www.anilaocritter.com
Camera : Canon G15
Housing : Canon
Strobes : INON S2000
Dioptre : KIT pro + 10
Camera Setting : F3.5, 1/250sec, ISO 100
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This shrimp always lives in a U-shape hole and almost impossible to find them outside when they are laying eggs. I managed to knock on her door 3 times and patiently waited till she showed her face. Finally, I made some shots before she came in again into her burrow.
Critters name : Eggshell Shrimp (Hamopontonia Corallicora)
Location taken : Anilao, Batangas, Philippines
Camera : Olympus EPL2
Lens : Panaleica 45mm
Housing : Olympus
Strobes : INON S2000
Dioptre : SubSee +10
Camera Setting : F14, 1/180sec, ISO 200
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This is an Eggshell Shrimp with a scientific name of Hamopontonia Corallicora which dwells on a Flower Pot Coral or otherwise known as Goniopora spp. Normally this kind of shrimp is also associated with Mushroom Coral (Heliofungia spp.) In this photo, a diving buddy of mine Cesar (BuceaYa Cabo de Palos) spotted this one despite hiding on the flower like part of the coral where it was in full bloom that time. I waited patiently until the polyps retracted, exposing the critter as it was moving towards that perfect angle where I wanted it with that black background while lying on the flower coral. The key here is to be patient and wait for that perfect timing.
Critters name : Harlequin Shrimp(Hymenocera picta)
Location taken : Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
Camera : Olympus OM-D E-M1
Lens : M.Zuiko 60mm
Housing : Nauticam
Strobes : 2 x Sea&Sea 110a
Camera Setting : F16, 1/250sec, ISO 200
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
I love to take pictures in profile, with the black background. To make this picture I tried to take the shrimps by keeping them aligned as much as possible. For the black background I used a time of 1/250 and a F pretty close and lots of patience.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This nudibranch is a kind of Doto, perched on a certain hydroids. There is a high chance to see it in Northeast Coast, Taiwan. Late July through early September to be most suitable for the season.
Nudibranch Expert "Neville Coleman" called it "Taiwan Doto", but it was found by a Japanese diver in Japan many years ago.
Doto feeds on arborescent (tree-like) hydroids which form small clumps on current-swept sand slopes at depths over 20 metres, giving photographers a frustrating time.
Critters name : Painted frogfish (Antennarius pictus)
Location taken : Northeast Coast, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Personal Website : 500px.com/JimChen2
Camera : Panasonic GX1
Lens : Panasonic DG Leica 45mm Macro
Housing : Nauticam
Strobes : 2 x INON Z240
Additional equipment add on : Video Light, Fiber Optic Snoot with honeycomb grid
Camera Setting : F16, 1/160sec, ISO 160
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Painted frogfish (Antennarius pictus) left large female swollen with eggs, right smaller male close to larger female. And male did not fight back when female hit him. I observed them for a while, male followed female like a shadow. I like their interaction. They ignored me entirely, giving me the opportunity to get a few shots.
I used snoot, strobe light and a good choice of locations, to create mood and atmosphere. With a snoot and a honeycomb grid, the light is much more tight and defined.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
The most important thing for me when shooting macro is to be patient. Then slowly I get as close to my subject as possible without interfering with its natural behaviour. I find the focal point I want on the animal and with a few different settings, angles and a steady hand I take as many shots as my subject allows. Sometimes I get a lucky shot!
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
With compact camera I can see angles that a larger housing can't reach. It's important to realise the limits of the camera and to work inside that range of distances where inner strobe gives the best.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
I took this shot while the Goby and Ladybugs were resting on soft coral. I was at the same spot day before but I had no luck to get all of them in line. So second day I went back and try my luck again. I stabilised my camera and waited until the right moment will come. I spent there more than 15 minutes but it was well worth it .
Location taken : Kwinana Grain Terminal, Western Australia
Camera : Canon G12
Housing : Recsea
Strobes : 2 x Sea&Sea YS-01
Dioptre : Nauticam SMC
Additional equipment : Home Made Snoot & a torch
Camera Setting : F8, 1/1250sec, ISO 80
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This shot was taken while trialing the Nauticam SMC. As there aren’t a lot of super macro opportunities at this site I had chosen the disc that closes off the tube worm to practice on.
Looking through the lens I saw this minute (4mm) skeleton shrimp dancing around on the disc & the dive became a lot more interesting.
I find my best results (sharpest images) using diopters with my rig come when I have my camera fully zoomed in.
Shooting up on an angle and a high shutter speed are essential to creating a solid black background.
The single biggest tip I would say to obtain images like this would have to be pay more attention to what is on the other side of the lens, so often I am reviewing my shots and realise I have overlooked a great photo opportunity.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
See this nudibranch, the first thought is Green Giant corn kernels, huh! Good beautiful creatures ah, shot this photo of the moment, and there is nothing special in mind, I take pictures of purpose is very simple, technology is not very good, but I love the ocean and sea creatures, wanted to share this beautiful creature with everyone, this is my mind, I am grateful you like this picture, my hometown Taiwan is a very beautiful island, I hope everyone can have a chance to see this beautiful island and the sea!
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
So there are 2 ways of making your macro subject "burst out" at you.
1ST - Is "Contrast" where you find the best way to separate your subject from the background. A good example is the ever so famous "black background" which can be done easily by setting your shutter and aperture to make everything other than what your lights hit black. More advanced shooters look into positioning their cameras so that they set a vibrant coloured background using sponges, rocks or corals that have contrasting coloured backgrounds from their subjects.
2ND is with "Depth of field (DOF)" which is done by setting aperture to produce a blurry effect. This allows the subject to appear to be clear at the desired focal point and slowly blur forward and backward. It gives the photo a greater sense of "depth".
Tim Ho (Malaysia)
Title : Fishing
Critters name : Frogfish
Location taken : Zambouanguita, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
Frogfishes are quite unpredictable, you think they will stay then they move, think they will yawn then they won't. Based on my experience with froggies is to watch their mouths, the moment it starts moving faster then either a yawn or movement will follow.
Lucky Manzano (Philippines)
Title : Up, up and away superfroggie
Critters name : Frogfish / Anglerfish
Location taken : Anilao, Batangas, Philippines
Personal Website : facebook.com/luismanzanoofficial
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
I honestly don’t have any special technique in shooting photos. However, before I shoot a subject, I watch and learn it first. Watch to understand and to feel it. Then, I design the frame in such a way that the subject stands out, aim for the focal spot and fire. Strobe is what I usually adjust to get the desired result. Since the subject moves and sometimes so does the photographer, it usually takes time to get a good result, so be patient. Most importantly, I love what I shoot and I shoot it with love.
Critters name : Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) and Parasitic (Cymathoid Isopods)
Location taken : Komodo, Indonesia
Camera : Canon G15
Housing : Nauticam
Strobes : Sea&Sea YS D1
Additional equipment : Light DF3
Camera Setting : F8, 1/60sec, ISO 100
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
This photo has been taken this summer during a Komodo dive cruise on the Mermaid – Nice international (Canada, Sweden, Russia, Swiss, Singapore/Thai, Finland, France,) cruise with nice people and some good photographers on board. It was the first diving day of the cruise, second dive on the dive site called “Satonda”.
We were going down to 35m to see an hypothetic Denise pygmies (and we saw some!). The Hawk fish was around 20m deep, Good visibility, sunny day and clear water.
My G15 zoom position (focal distance) was 20mm and the distance from the fish around 18-20mm for this shot. I took 3 pictures of the Hawkfish and only this one (the second one) shows it in a good position with no gorgonian fan hiding the parasites.
I was testing my STTL mode with my new S&S strobe that’s why the speed may seem low (speed is frozen at 1/60 in Av mode on this camera) but the result is ok. I shot in full manual mode most of the time to have a full latitude on aperture and speed.
Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :
When I spotted this eel among some coral rubble, I wanted to try taking a close-up picture, just like how DSLR users do it. I know however that with 2 lenses stacked together, my focusing distance will be very close to the object and thus impossible for me to move too far forward to get focus, otherwise the eel will go back into hiding.
All I did was to hover at a distance from it, adjusted my strobe light position and waited for a while. I was lucky as the eel came out and moved towards my camera. It stayed there for a few seconds and that's when I managed to get a few pictures of it before it slid down again.
The Underwater Macro Photographers Facebook Page is a showcase of our member ’s best and most interesting photographs.
Each day our dynamic and hardworking Page Admin Team carefully select images that have been posted to our Facebook Group and feature them on our Facebook Page.
Criteria for selection can vary – commonly featured are shots displaying rare species, fascinating animal behaviour and of course shots with creative, artistic and technically excellent attributes.
417 new members joined our Page during the month of July 2014, followed by another 329 in August! Our total membership count (at the time of writing) is 20,940.
UWMP are proud to have a strong following of members from countries all over the world.
Thanks to Facebook statistics we can see a few in te res t ing ins igh ts about our membership base:
- The country home to the most UWMP members is the USA with 2,900.
- Bangkok, Thailand is the city with the most UWMP members; 523.
- UWMP Page membership is comprised of 60% males and 40% females.
- 25-34 year olds are our most common age demographic, closely followed by 35 – 44 year olds.
Born to a family of divers in Cebu. He fell in love with the underwater world at age 8 and remembers his first dive with his father like it was yesterday. He feels very fortunate that his childhood years were spent diving and travelling because his mother worked in the airline industry. You can say Scuba and Travel is in his DNA.
He pursued a career in Information Technology after his university days. And this opened job opportunities in 3 different continents. His calling was always to the ocean.
In October 2012, Bo's second coming to the diving world was with his cameras and a renewed commitment to ocean conservation. He hopes that his images will encourage more people to take up diving and increase marine conservation awareness in the archipelago and in South East Asia.
Bo currently runs The Dive Local Network a Scuba and Adventure tours company in the Philippines.
I am an Underwater Photographer. I make some Underwater Photography for fifteen years now, I always be fascinated by nature and particularly the underwater world.
I began to dive twenty years ago. I like very much the approach of those animals, and try to capture them with my camera.
Every pictures I took, been taken in the moment. I don’t like to spend so many times with a subject. I like to catch the instant scene directly, the real wild life. The photography is a very good media to protect this incredible underwater life. I am very interested by colours and textures of this biodiversity and try to give it in my pictures.
I have a beautiful revelation from Macro photography when I went in Raja Ampat, in Occidental Indonesia. I saw a lot of things I’ve never seen before! So small!
I am very lucky to work in different places as a design teacher: four years in Tahiti, in French Polynesia in the Pacific, first, and after in the Indian Ocean, four years in Mayotte island and two years in Reunion Island before coming again in Tahiti, last year.
I was very lucky in Mayotte to be published in three books: “Regards croisés sur Mayotte”, “Symphonie sous-marine dans le lagon de Mayotte”, “Mayotte en partage”, and also in Reunion Island: “Ile de la Réunion, Biodiversité Marine”.
I won different prizes from Underwater Photography competitions, in Mayotte and New Caledonia as a diaporama or thematic pictures.
Every year I participate in the International Underwater Festival of Marseille, in France.
My own objective is to continue because it’s a real pleasure to make underwater pictures. It’s my big passion!
Thank you to Underwater Macro Photographer to choose my picture!
The Winning photo - ISO 100, F/9, 1/160www.scubashooters.net/index.php?s=scuba-diving&act=display&page=1&iduser=79
Hi! I am Yorko Summer, an underwater photographer from Taiwan. I am also a dive instructor and a travel journalist. There are 3 essentials in my life; diving, photography, and traveling. And fortunately enough for me, those are also my jobs. Although I’m based in Taipei, these days, I’m always in different countries exploring their many islands and dive sites. Therefore, I think the ocean is more like my home.
2. How did you get interested into the underwater world and scuba diving?
As you know, Taiwan is surrounded by the ocean. I’ve always been interested in the ocean since I was a child. I moved to Palau in 2002, after learning of its world famous status as a diving paradise, it was natural for me to commence my diving career there.
3. Tell us a little about when you got into underwater photography?
I was in Palau when I first started my underwater photography career, the first camera I used for underwater was the Olympus C5050. Whenever I got the chance to go to the Rock Islands, I would always take my camera with me to take pictures. The more places I went, the more photography equipment I would collect. Once you fall in love with diving, there’s no turning back. Since then, underwater photography has been one of my main jobs.
4. What do you like specifically about underwater macro photography?
Honestly, I like all types of underwater photography themes, whether its macro or wide angle. Obviously the places I mostly visit are full of tiny creatures, so most of my pictures are macro. I enjoy exploring and searching for tiny and beautiful creatures myself. That is also why I like macro more.
5. As a travel journalist, photographer and diver, you must enjoy the globetrotter lifestyle. What are the places you liked most and why?Indeed, I travel around the world non-stop, because that's my job. A lot of people tell me they wish they could have my job, but in reality, this job is very tiring, which most people won’t understand. If I wasn’t motivated by the ocean, I would not be able to keep on going. In recent years, the places I visit the most are also my favourite dive sites, such as Tulamben, Bali and Anilao, Philippines. These two places are world renowned for macro photography, especially Tulamben which I consider my second home.
6. You have been involved with various diving events as a speaker or photo competition judge. Tell us about the recent events and your experiences as speaker and judge?
Yes, I have been very honoured to be invited as speaker and underwater photo competition judge in many different events. For example, ADEX Singapore in April, Beijing International Dive & Resort Show and ADEX China in Shanghai in September. At the end of November this year, along with UWMP’s founder Ken Thongpila, I will be very honoured again to be one of the judges for the 2nd Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival. This year I will also have a chance to be part of-Canon exhibition as guest speaker. I don’t mind being a judge or speaker, what matters to me is to get a chance to be with my friends from the diving community. I enjoy sharing my pictures and my activities with all those in the diving community.
7. If you had to choose only one of your underwater macro photos to showcase, which one would it be and why?
This is my favourite picture off all, not because it’s an interesting subject, but because of the colour composition. Normally, for macro shooting, we always try to make the small subject as big as possible, but for me colour composition has always been the primary concept behind my compositions. Thus I purposely did not try to make the nudibranch look big, and preserved the details of the surrounding environment within the composition. You will also notice the tunicates are in the shape of the letter 8, which in Chinese culture is a lucky number and symbolises wealth, which I enjoy as well.
8. After your trip to Yap, where will we get a chance to see you jumping and dancing next?
Right now, I am in Yap because I was invited by Yap Visitors Bureau for a photo shoot and travel promotion. After I finish my shooting here, I will be returning to Palau for a couple of days, before heading to Tulamben, Bali then Beijing, China at the end of next month. It will be a busy schedule for the remainder of my calendar this year with trips planned to beautiful places such as the Galapagos, Anilao and Raja Ampat.
Sogod bay is located in southern Leyte, it is approximately 35km in length and 25km at its entrance and is approximately 1km deep – this makes it home to a wide variety of marine fauna.
For the macro enthusiast, there is a wide range of nudibranchs, and crustaceans. As well as pigmy seahorse, and several varieties of frogfish.
Dive sites for macro are diverse, from wall diving to specific sites such a Padre Burgos Pier and other sites on sand, where small creeks flow into the bay, supplying nutriments to a wide variety of macro critters. A lot of the sites for macro are newly discovered, and there is always some new critter being found on a regular basis – such is the diversity of the bay.
An excellent night dive is the Padre Burgos Pier. Padre Burgos is the small town located at the beginning of the bay, a 10 minute drive from the resorts. Here you may expect to find many varieties of nudibranch, also stargazers, shell life, sea horses, and many different crustaceans (expect the unexpected).
The house reef at the resort is spectacular and also a great night dive. The wall in front of the resort drops sharply to 50m+ and is an excellent area for macro as well as wide angle photography. Many varieties of fish and corals are found here, and the reef is very healthy. Dive sites in the area are situated on both sides of the bay. An outstanding dive is Napantao – a beautiful wall dive, and is usually done as a drift dive depending on the current. Huge schools of fish live both off the wall and on top of the wall, schools of jacks and giant trevally, beautiful corals, and an amazing variety of fish are found on this dive site. There is also great macro subjects on the wall itself.
by Scott White
Diving conditions in the bay are good all year round and there is rarely a day when you cannot dive, as it is well sheltered. A lot of sites can be done as shore dives but to reach specific sites, these are done as a boat dive. When not doing my own thing shore diving, I dive with Sogod Bay Scuba Resort – easily the best and most well run resort in the area, their boats and dive guides are second to none. The resort has excellent amenities and accommodation, and they cater specifically for the photographer, so much so that they are sponsoring an underwater photography competition this December.
Getting there :
Most divers travel to Southern Leyte from Cebu, then a 4 hour ferry trip to Maasin, the southern provincial capital, where they are transferred to Sogod Bay Scuba Resort – a 30 minute drive. Alternatively, you can fly into Tacloban, the capital of Southern Leyte from Manila. The airport is back online after the devastation caused by typhoon Yolanda, here you are transferred to Sogod Bay which is a 3 hour trip.
Dive boat and guides Resort beach front with dive boat Goniobranchus kuniei - ISO 80, 1/125, F3.5
Nudibranches are my favorite subjects of underwater photography. I would say that they are vivid colors of the sea. We know several thousand species of nudies, most of them live in tropical seas, but of course they live in cold waters too. Indonesia and Philippines are my favorite places to observe these creatures.
I would recommend you to find a good guide before you go under water because only a good one knows where you can see the largest number of nudibranches.
So you chose the place of a trip, found a good guide, and now we have to think about the camera, or more specifically, which lens is better to use.
by Yury Ivanov
http://diveivanov.comwww.facebook.com/diveivanov
I recommend to use Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Lens for Nikon and Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM for Canon. Add Subsee +10 for small creatures and add the INON UCL-165 for tiny animals and, in rare cases, you will need to use 60mm f/2.8 Macro for very large nudibranches (100 mm and more).
Speaking about strobes, note that in underwater macro photography you do not need to use powerful lights. In my case, I use Sea&Sea 110, it`s more than enough. You can choose something similar, fortunately different manufacturers offer a large selection of strobes. And of course you need a focusing light, such as Light & Motion Sola 500 Photo Light, which will be sufficient. It is very handy to use a 45° prism viewfinder because most of our creatures live on the seabed, or close to it. We care about the environment, so we’ll use a 45° prism viewfinder because it is better for nature.
We are ready to go under water, so let's think about the strategy. Nudies usually move slowly or are completely still. This means that we very often have enough time to take an interesting photo. Try to choose the most attractive position and wait for the interesting point. If you do not hurry you will definitely see how fun they move and rotate their head, feed, mate, lay eggs, create a symbiosis with other inhabitants of underwater world etc.
Speaking about settings, I suggest ISO-100, s/200-250, but not higher in all situations. You can not be absolutely fixed under water and usually you do not have much time to make a shot when you have caught the focus. Choosing aperture will depend on your artistic intent. Manual settings of strobes will give you the opportunity to get more interesting lighting. You can get very beautiful images if you do not hurry! Good luck!
As members of the UWMP community, what brings us together is the desire to share our passion for the underwater world through our images. In recent months the underwater photographers community has been reminded that it is becoming increasingly difficult to protect images from theft. Ultimately, there is no solution to totally prevent image theft, other than not to post on the Internet at all. But there are simple steps that we can all take to indicate that we are the owners of an image and make it less attractive to image theft.
1. Metadata and copyright statement
Metadata is information that is embedded into an image file. Some of the information is written by the camera as you take a photograph, and some is added in post-processing.
The EXIF is written by your camera when the image is captured and includes your camera settings. Some camera models offer the option to include your name as the owner. Look it up in your camera menu to see if you can do that. If you use that feature, your name will also appear in the EXIF.
In post-processing, you can add much more information about yourself in the IPTC section. Your photo editing software could also allow you to save time by using a preset that adds the details for you.
You can see an example of this in these screen captures where I used Adobe Lightroom.
You can watermark your images by adding your signature, logo or copyright statement on them. There are many ways to do this, and various styles you can use. You can see some examples with the images on the next page with the use of a logo or copyright notice in a bottom corner and also one less visible but placed into the image to avoid being cropped out. It comes down to personal preferences for the style you adopt (including position, size and opacity), but keep in mind that your watermark should not be a visual distraction.
Most photographers use their photo editing software to add a watermark when they export an image, such as Lightroom or Photoshop. There are also a number of free solutions available to you. For example, MAC users can use Preview to add a simple text watermark. Windows users can use Paint for the same purpose. Some free watermarking tools can also be checked at these links.
by Frederic Juneau
PC and MAC:http://fast-watermark.en.softonic.comhttp://www.star-watermark.comhttp://iwatermark.en.softonic.com
PC users only:http://freewatermarksoftware.comMAC users only:www.cfxsoftware.com/products/watermarkprooverview.html
When using a photo editing software, always keep in mind the media intended for your image when you export. This way you’ll be able to choose a file size (dimension in pixels) and quality that will allow your viewers to enjoy your work while limiting the potential use of your image if stolen. Most would agree that 1000 pixels on the long edge is enough for image sharing on social media. I normally use 960 pixels on the long edge when sharing on Facebook for example.
Here is a link about file size for Facebook:
www.facebook.com/help/266520536764594/
Remember that it is your responsibility to protect your images. You should always do your own research to determine what tools and practices best suit your needs. And always edit copies, never your original file!
What is your preferred background for your Underwater Macro Photographs?
A subject close to every Underwater Macro Photographer’s heart. What is your preferred background for your Underwater Macro Photographs? This question can be a matter of taste but also which negative space allows the subject to standout in your minds.
There are a number of options available to Underwater Photographers to produce different backgrounds for their subjects. Some are based on photographic technique to plain and simple artificial backgrounds placed behind subjects.
It seems that the photographic techniques for creating backgrounds for subjects are the clearly preferred options for our members. A black ground using the Water Column, closely followed by Blurred or Bokeh, with a Natural Environment a close third.
A Black background using the Water Column is obtained when the subject has clear water behind it and the photographer is positioned below the subject and is shooting with camera pointing up at the subject.
Bokeh can be achieved in a number of different ways, but most simply by opening the aperture to a low f stop. Depending on the camera type F8 or lower.
Thank you to all our members who took time to vote. We appreciate your participation to share your knowledge and opinions.
Anilao is the favourite Macro Diving Destination that our UWMP group members voted for the past 2 years. It has so many photo opportunities from rare Nudibranch, Shrimp, Crab and many colourful fish species. Anilao is also known as Underwater Macro Photographers Paradise.
Crystal Blue Resort (www.divecbr.com) is one of the highest rating resorts in Anilao which is dedicated to Underwater Photographers. It has beautiful rooms with ocean views over the bay. It also has one of the best Camera rooms and photography working stations, great dive guides with good knowledge of macro critters and everything we need for diving and Underwater Photography.
Diving package US$799 Included :-1. 5 nights accommodation based on twin share 2. 12 Dives, can be 12 dives (daytime) or 10 dives (daytime) and 2 night dives3. Group pick up around 10:30am on 25 May 2015 around Manila Airport areas or Hotel near Airport4. Group drop off around 11:00am on 30 May 2015 to Manila Airport areas or Hotel near Airport5. All meals… breakfast, lunch and dinner6. 4 divers per 1 dive guide per boat7. Tanks and weights8. Free Crystal Blue Resort T-Shirt9. Free UWMP Group T-Shirt and UWMP Baggage Tags and Lens Cleaner and more…
Excluded :-1. Nitrox at cost US$52 for 12 tanks or US$6 per extra tank2. Dive gear rentals3. Arrival and departure at different times will cost US$115 per car (for 2-4 people)4. Extra dive US$30 per dive
Other Notes :-1. Collection of marine animals is strictly prohibited.2. A 30% deposit or US$240 will be required to confirm and secure a place and full payment will be required 60 days before event start.
The group activities will be announced nearer the time. It is going to be good fun and educational, learning from each other’s personal experiences.
If you need more information or want to reserve a place, please contact Ken Thongpila on Facebook or email [email protected]
Categories• Macro/Super Macro Photography • Marine Behaviour • Nudibranch Portrait • Shrimp Portrait• Portfolio (DOT photographer of the year)
Competition Classes• Open Class • Compact Camera
Competition MechanicsOnly photos taken on the shootout dates (November 27-30, 2014) in the Mabini-Tingloy (commonly referred to as Anilao) will be eligible for entry.
SubmissionAll entries must be submitted before 10AM of November 30, 2014, to allow for enough time for judges to go through all images. Entries will be submitted at designated place.
AwardingAwarding ceremony and farewell party will be held on 7PM onwards November 30, 2014
5 nights in a single room chalets style with ensuite bathroom and kitchen4 boat dives and 8 shore divesBreakfasts and LunchesReturn airport transferTanks, weights, dive guide
