Underwater- Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia

I haven't posted much in the last month or two so... The below images were shot yesterday and today; a sample of what I'm doing here. I'm shooting approximately 250 images a day; diving two-three times daily. Everything is shot on a Nikon D3x, Nikkor 105 VR Macro, all in an Aquatica housing. I'll have more as the week goes by. Thanks for looking!


Wendy

Nothing to say, but wow!

Mike

Really Kool!

This place is pretty interesting. The underwater scenery is not at all the riotously colorful coral reef environment one typically expects from a dive destination. At first impression, it's a wasteland of dark sand and a bunch of trash (there's a lot of boat traffic here and the area is not a marine park; loads of stuff gets tossed over the side). However, when one looks close, the Lembeh Strait is home to the most diverse collection of small marine animals on the planet- many of which are found no where else. The dive guides are invaluable; they know just where to look and have amazing eyes.

Even though I can shoot 300 images a day here, underwater work is demanding- I'm moving, the subject is moving, and I've got to keep track of depth, time, and gas. It's very rewarding to get good shots. I've done a lot of this in the past- shooting film- and digital has revolutionized underwater work. Gone are the days of a 36 exposure dive. I can shoot 125+ images each dive and that makes all the difference. I'm already planning a Red Sea trip!

Wendy

This is good stuff, Wendy. I used to dive a moderate amount (couple of trips a year), mainly to Caribbean destinations, and really enjoyed it. That was before I got into Photography, and I've thought about returning to the seas, but I have increasing difficulty clearing my ears, so I don't think I will.

But being familiar with both, I have great respect for those who combine the two. The difficulties of each are challenging enough by themselves, but doing both adds difficulty and rewards, as your shots demonstrate!

Thanks for sharing.

Don Cohen said:

This is good stuff, Wendy. I used to dive a moderate amount (couple of trips a year), mainly to Caribbean destinations, and really enjoyed it. That was before I got into Photography, and I've thought about returning to the seas, but I have increasing difficulty clearing my ears, so I don't think I will.

But being familiar with both, I have great respect for those who combine the two. The difficulties of each are challenging enough by themselves, but doing both adds difficulty and rewards, as your shots demonstrate!

Thanks for sharing.

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Thank you for the encouragement, Don. It's been 15 years since I shot underwater and these last couple of days have brought to mind how much I've missed it. I've another eight days here and plan to make the most of them!

Wendy

Wendy,

Now can you also photograph the tiny creatures? How would one approach life as small as these.

Asher

Wendy, wonderful shots. I do not have a clue about shooting underwater; though I can appreciate
the effort and talent required. Well done!

I am a land animal..cant climb, cant fly, cant swim.!!

keep safe.

Beautiful images; thanks for sharing.

Asher Kelman said:

Wendy,

Now can you also photograph the tiny creatures? How would one approach life as small as these.

Asher

Click to expand...

I believe these images were shot by Espen Rekdal, a Norwegian who specializes in this sort of thing. One needs teleconverters, extension tubes, and diopters to do this. It's very difficult; the depth of field is almost non-existent and the shots are done in open-ocean drifts. I'm shooting as close as 1:1; with the addition of a teleconverter I can get to 2:1 but a price is paid- it isn't the loss of a stop or two that's the issue since this sort of photography is shot at f18, 22, etc. The problem arises from extending the port with more extension rings- by stacking two or three (or more) rings between the housing and the port to fit the lens and extensions, the possibility of a flood goes up dramatically.

Wendy

Re: The "Amazing New Tiny Life Discovered in the Oceans!" link and Wendy's comment:
If you look at the captions you'll notice they were done by various scientists as part of the CoML (census of marine life) initiative and they wouldn't have been done in open ocean drifts at all; THey were probably collected by plankton nets, light traps, or if you're really lucky, a Niskin bottle and brought to the surface before being photographed. The last pic of the holothurian in particular has that distinct petri-dish look to it (note the sand and the air-bubble). All you have to do is shoot with a close-up bellows on a repro-stand, or through a dissecting microscope and e.g. use an OOF black background.... and keep the critters submerged in a bit of seawater naturally. This is a very routine technique on research ships around the world. The main trick is to have the (strobe, or fibre-optics directed continuous) light sources enough off axis that you avoid reflections. Most invertebrates are far more tolerant to pressure changes than, say, deep sea fish, or divers and can thus handle being handled that way. Nice pics just the same.