Your best shot of 2007 (deadline: early Oct)

[bmyates 3]

 

Flying in Formation - Giant manta rays

Socorro, Mexico

Canon 1Ds Mk II with dual Inon z220 strobes

 

 

"How's this pose?" Bottlenose dolphins

Bahamas

Canon 1D Mk IIN, no strobes

Edited August 12, 2007 by bmyates

[scubarobot 0]

Here are my three

 

 

Reef shark

Turks and Caicos

Canon 5d ikelite housing Ikelite ss200 16-35 lens

Manual flash exposure ISO 320 1/160th @ f9 focal length 35mm

 

 

moray eel with cleaner shrimp

Turks and Caicos

Canon 5d ikelite housing Ikelite ss200 100mm macro

Manual flash exposure ISO 400 1/30th @ f13 focal length 100mm

 

 

A white fish

Turks and Caicos

Canon 5d ikelite housing Ikelite ss200 100mm macro

Manual flash exposure ISO 400 1/200th @ f11 focal length 100mm

Edited August 12, 2007 by scubarobot

[IMSushi 0]

OK, Why not? Me too! Me too!

Low res. picts to fit into the forum.

 

Hermissenda crassicornis

Santa Cruz Island, California

Sony DSC-P10, Inon D2000

 

 

Rockfish Portrait

San Miguel Island, California

Sony DSC-P10, Inon D2000

 

 

Oops, I need a little more space for one more picture!

 

Snubnose Sculpin

San Miguel Island, California

Sony DSC-P10, Inon D2000

 

Edited August 12, 2007 by IMSushi

[mrbubbles 0]

marys island, solomons taken with nikon/aquatica/inons 125/f4.0 10.5 lens

[cjames 1]

 

Jawfish with Eggs

Cayman

Canon 300d, 100mm macro

f/20, 1/60

 

 

 

Up to My Gills

Cayman

Canon 300d, 100mm macro

f/20, 1/60

[Christian K 0]

Fan coral

Egyptian Red Sea

Nikon D200 with Nikkor 10,5/2.8 FE

2x Inon Z240 strobes

Impressive fan corals like this one can be found on the deep walls of Elphinstone and Brother Islands.

 

Hammerhead

Egyptian Red Sea

Nikon D200 with Sigma 10-20/4-5.6

2x Inon Z240 strobes

A small group of curious hammerheads stayed with us on a couple of dives. They came shallow and close to the divers, which is unusual for this rather shy shark. But as anyone who has ever been under water with a camera knows – close is never close enough!

 

Wall

Egyptian Red Sea

Nikon D200 with Sigma 10-20/4-5.6

2x Inon Z240 strobes

The colours of the Red Sea reefs are very special and nicely set off by the clear blue water.

Edited August 13, 2007 by Christian K

[jarhed 0]

California Sea Lion

Breakwater, Monterey

Nikon D200, 16mm FE, Sea & Sea DX200 Housing, 2X YS90DX Strobes

Manual flash exposure, ISO 200, 1/125th @ f6.3

[mekoo 0]

Triplefin feeding on seafan

Tioman , Malaysia

Canon 400D, Canon 100mm Macro, Ikelite Housing, 2 x Inon Z-240, Woody's diopter

Saw this little guy open mouth feeding on seafan. Managed to get this shoot after 3 attempt.

 

 

Lionfish

Mabul , Malaysia

Fujifilm E900, Ikelite Housing, Inon Z-240, Inon D2000s

Taken during checkout dive underneath Seaventure oilrig. I waited this guy for 10 minute to get this shoot.

 

 

Huge Table coral

Redang , Malaysia

Canon 400D, Tokina 10-17mm @ 12mm, Ikelite Housing, Inon Z-240, Inon D2000s

Taken with ambient light at 7m , the visibility was good and sunny day.

[Merlinos 0]

 

Arlequin ghost pipe fish in Alor Archipelago

This lovely guy play with me during 20 minutes

Nikon D200 + 15 mm sigma

Strobes: inon Z-240 + inon z-220

 

 

 

Zebra crab in his beautiful urchin

Why thoses urchins are so beautiful???

Nikon D200 + 60 mm macro nikkor

Strobes: inon Z-240 + inon z-220

 

 

Seahorse in mediterranean sea

I waited until he looked at me directly in the eyes....

 

Nikon D200 + 60 mm macro nikkor

Strobes: inon Z-240 + inon z-220

[LekicINC 0]

Because I feel the P&S are a little under represented here, ill throw in some of mine.

 

 

White Leaf Scorpionfish Taenianotus triacanthus

 

The fish remained completley still, even as I get closer, depending on its camoflouge for protection. This allowed me to get fairly close and play with different angles and settings. These were the two I liked the most.

 

 

Bali, Indonesia

Olympus c-5060

Iso 80 1/160 @ f/8.0

Strobe: 1 x Sealife 960d

 

 

Neon Triplefin (Helcogramma striata)

 

Bali, Indonesia

Olympus c-5060

Iso 80 1/160 @ f/8.0

Inon 165 close up lense

Strobe: 1 x Sealife 960d

 

I found the Neon Triplefins to be beautiful, but overlooked fish around the Tulamben area. I found it a nice common fish that was perfect for preparing my strobe and camera settings at the beginning of the dive. Though it did tend to move around a lot, it returned to this same spot over and over again. I prefocused, in order to cut down on shutter lag from my point and shoot system, remained still as to not stir up the fine black Tulamben sand and then snapped when he came back to the spot.

[tank 0]

 

Caption: Beauty in the beast.

Location: Guadalupe Island

Gear: Canon 400D, EF-S 18-55mm, Ikelite Housing, 2 Inon z220 strobes

Description: We attracted the sharks by wrangling fish carcases on the surface. The great whites would come right up to the surface to try grab a bite of the dead fish.

 

 

Caption: Smile

Location: Guadalupe Island

Gear: Canon 400D, EF-S 18-55mm, Ikelite Housing, 2 Inon z220 strobes

Description: This comical looking great white shark was looking into the cages that we were standing in. Not sure what he was thinking of.

 

 

Caption: A great white natural montage.

Location: Guadalupe Island

Gear: Canon 400D, EF-S 18-55mm, Ikelite Housing, 2 Inon z220 strobes

Description: The great whites are attracted by the scent of dead fish. This image shows two different perspectives of this awesome predator in one image.

[pakman 0]

Jellyfish Lake, Palau

Canon 400D, Tokina 10-17mm @17mm, Athena Dome

 

Xeno crab and shrimp

Cabilao Island, Philippines

Canon 400D, Canon 100mm macro, S&S Housing, Inon Z-240's

 

Square Crab

Cabilao Island, Philippines

Canon 400D, Canon 100mm Macro, S&S Housing, Inon Z-240's, Woody's diopter

 

If I may, can I replace that last crab shot with this Hammerhead?

 

Dirty Rock, Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Canon 400D, Sigma 180-50mm EX DC @18mm, S&S Housing, Inon Z-240's

While Alcyone had the marquee scene of massive schools of hammerheads overhead, Dirty Rock was one of my favorites as it offers some nice hideouts in the rocks allowing the hammerheads to come in real close...

 

[ce4jesus 1]

Garibaldi

Catalina Island, Casino Point

SP-350 FL-20 strobe

Cruisin along on a shore dive and ran into this guy at about 25ft. Loved the pose

 

3 Eyes

Cozumel

Sp-350, FL-20 strobe

This was at Palancar Gardens, My sister was certifying so I had time to cruise the reef. Found these3 guys just huddled next to a coral.

 

Sea Bass

Catalina Island, Casino Point

SP-350 FL20

These guys were everywhere on my dive and weren't camera shy

Edited September 4, 2007 by ce4jesus

[ripli 0]

Here are mines.

 

Cenote dos ojos. Playa del Carmen.

Olympus 5060. Inon WA Lense. 2xDS50.

1/10. f2,8. ISO 200

Snorquellers swimming at the cenote.

 

Coleman Shrimp. Komodo. Indonesia

Olympus 5060. 1xDS50.

1/350. f8. ISO 80

Looking how beautifull a fire urquin was i met this brave friend.

 

Small frogfish. Tulamben. Bali. Indonesia

Olympus 5060. 1xDS50.

1/350. f8. ISO 80

Diving the wreck Liberty something very small catch my attention, something yellow over the oxidized metals...

Edited September 4, 2007 by ripli

[justin-branam 0]

 

1. Pygmy Portrait

2. Raja Ampat, Indonesia

3. Canon 350d, canon 100mm 2.8 macro, ikelite housing, dual ds-125 strobes

4. seafan with fire coral just to the left of the scene made it a difficult shot to get

 

 

 

1. Clownfish in Anemone

2. Raja Ampat, Indonesia

3. Canon 350d, canon 18-55 lens, ikelite housing, dual ds-125 strobes

4. clownfish in its anemone. had to wait for around 5 minutes before i was able to get this shot

 

 

1. Eye of the Croc

2. Raja Ampat, Indonesia

3. Canon 350d, canon 100mm 2.8 macro, ikelite housing, dual ds-125 strobes

4. Extreme Close-up of the eye of a crocodile fish. the picture was fairly easy to frame, but the lighting had to be adjusted many many times before getting that perfect reflection in the eye.

[seagrant 4]

My 3 happen to all have "rainbows"

 

Manatee Mom & Child

Crystal River, Florida

Subal ND20/8"dome/d200/Nikon 16mm/Sea & Sea 110

Water color in the back where three springs meet always changes - fortunately this was one of the "bluest" water days back there and I captured an idyllic mom/child resting w/rainbow light, HEAVEN!!!

 

 

Very Young Manatee Showing Off What He Just Learned

Crystal River, Florida

Subal ND20/8"dome/d200/Nikon 16mm/2X Sea & Sea 110

Since I have observed so many manatee I know that many young manatee just love to show off what they have just learned from mom. As you can see "Junior" here has just learned that if he flips only his left flipper really fast he will turn around. It was so hard to get a head on shot of him because he kept turning and turning - but I finally got the shot.

 

 

Winter the [spunky!] Dolphin

Florida - SE Stranding Network Facility @ Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Subal ND20/8"dome/d200/Nikon 16mm/ambient light/no strobes

This is my absolute fav photograph of 2007 (and the hardest to capture by far)! I was chosen to photograph Winter underwater and document her prosthetic tail mainly because Winter knows me and is comfortable with me around. Access is very limited and ambient light is always changing like crazy but I got this shot with Winter checking out the dome and rainbow light illuminating her sweet face. Note the scar on her jaw is also from her crab trap entanglement at 2 months old - she tried to bite through the line. She is doing so well now and it is just an amazing story.

 

Carol

Note I've found it odd that I thought I'd be taking 85% macro when I first got the DSLR one year ago; but it has turned out now to be 85% wide angle - ya never know and best to be prepared for sure!

Edited September 6, 2007 by seagrant

[SlipperyDick 2]

I hope this isn't being sent in too late.....here are some of my favourites from Komodo/Bali this March

 

 

 

1. Here's Lookin' at You

2. Komodo, Indonesia

3. D100/105mm/L&M Titan housing/Ikelite 100 and 50

4. This comatose blenny was being bombarded by "night mosquitos" attracted to my modeling lights. I had to wait a few minutes between each set of photos to let the bugs clear out.

 

 

 

1. Bubble-Ring Abstract

2. Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

3. D100/105mm/L&M Titan housing/No strobes

4. Try setting your camera down, laying on your back, holding your breath, blowing 4 perfect bubble-rings at different positions, getting your camera back and taking a photo WITHOUT letting any bubbles come out of your mouth/reg.....not an easy shot to get solo. Just thought this was an interesting abstract.

 

 

 

1. Nudibranch

2. Komodo, Indonesia

3. D100/105mm/L&M Titan housing/2 Ikelite 50's

4. It was the last diving day of the trip, and we thought that we had nearly exhausted the different species of nudibranchs Indonesia had to offer over the past 6 weeks, but were pleasantly surprised when we found another 12 unique species on a single dive...this was one of them. I dug a small depression in the sand adjacent to it to allow the horizontal shot necessary to achieve the black background.

 

 

 

Keri Wilk

ReefNet Inc.

www.reefnet.ca

[ce4jesus 1]

Wow Carol!!!! I think I recognize that ugly mug in photo number 2!!

[seagrant 4]

Wow Carol!!!! I think I recognize that ugly mug in photo number 2!!

 

Oh, maybe but I don't think so.... (plus don't let his mom hear you say that!!! Egads!!!) I think he is supremely good looking!!!

 

There were lots and lots of moms and young ones that went and did the springs "circuit". This pair was a few weeks after you were there and even though they do frequent the same spots often they also move around a lot to show their youngsters around. But who knows, I did see some of the same mom/calf pairs from time to time at the same spots.

 

Keri Wilk

ReefNet Inc.

www.reefnet.ca

 

Keri is one talented photographer!

 

Love the bubbles, Best, Carol

[loftus 41]

Great shots everyone;

Carol, Winter is love at first sight. And those manatees in that crystal water....when will I ever see that!

Edited September 6, 2007 by loftus

[seagrant 4]

Great shots everyone;

 

Carol, Winter is love at first sight.

 

And those manatees in that crystal water....when will I ever see that!

 

As to the former, yes and doesn't she know it! How did I come to sing "My Funny Valentine" all day long to her - Valentine's Day '06 - she was still recovering and it was just something that just sort of "happened"? She loves "singing".

 

As to the latter - well........

 

Thanks and yes great photos everyone!!!

 

Best, Carol

[zook 0]

Wow people, fantastic shots out there!!!

 

Here's my three:

 

1, Thought

A small cave opening at 5m with a small room inside. Shot at Pag island, Croatia.

Nikon D200/Ikelite/10-17/DS125s - 1/30, f8

 

2, Murena

White murena peeking out of his home at Marsa Shagra, Egypt.

Nikon D200/Ikelite/105/DS125s - 1/125, f22

 

3, Reef scene, nothing special, I just like the flow of glassfish and...anyway Hurghada, Egypt

Nikon D200/Ikelite/10-20/DS125s - 1/60, f16

 

Zook

[chuckaloopa 0]

This is the first time that i have shown any of my pictures, except for on my own web and blog sites, so it is with a gulp that I put them up. I shoot with a NIKON D200, aquatica housing, viewfinder and Ikelike DS125 strobes. The system flooded last night, so it is bittersweet that I put these up! Takes us a bit to order things into the islands. These were all taken in the British Virgin Islands.

This Batfish, was taken with a 105mm lens, and I had just dropped into the mud under the boat on Guana Island while the charter guests were having dinner.

The jacks were taken with a 12-24 wide angle on the wreck of the RMS Rhone

Turtle was also taken with the 105mm lens off Salt Island in the BVI

[antacid 1]

am i too late?

something from a humble P&S user on borrowed equipment...

 

#1

Diving in the sun

Location: Barracuda Point, Sipadan, East Malaysia

EXIF: Aperture priority @ f/8, 1/500, iso100

Equipment: Canon A640, Ikelite housing, Inon UWL100 WA lens, Inon D2000s strobes x2

Description: We were heading to the shallows for our safety stop when I saw a shadow over me. I rolled over and saw this diver in a great position. Fired off 1 shot, and the moment was gone, replaced by this image.

 

#2

Precariously perched

Location: Seaventures Rig, Sipadan, East Malaysia

EXIF: Aperture priority @ f/8, 1/500, iso100

Equipment: Canon A640, Ikelite housing, Inon D2000s strobes x2

Description: A fairly common Chromodoris magnifica in an interesting position spotted with only 1 minute of NDL time left. The last of 3 shots taken, which were fairly challenging, since I was operating the set-up with only my right hand. The left hand was held up high to avoid going into deco! Not the smartest thing to do...

 

#3

Sun patrol

Location: The Drop-Off, Sipadan, East Malaysia

EXIF: Aperture priority @ f/3.2, 1/1000, iso100

Equipment: Canon A640, Ikelite housing, Inon UWL100 WA lens

Description: I knew I wanted this shot the moment I entered the water and saw the beautiful rays in the water. It was just a matter of waiting patiently for the right subject at the right time. Ignoring the many turtles and sharks below me, I kept looking upwards hoping for the moment. 32 minutes into the dive, a small white-tipped reef shark cruised overhead. Rolling over, I brought the camera up and took this shot before the shark swan out of the frame.

Edited September 11, 2007 by antacid

[AUTiger 0]

I couldn't tell when the deadline turned out to be, so here are a couple of my favorites.

 

 

Caption: I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Demille.

Location: Shiprock, Catalina, California

Gear: Nikon D80, Ikelite Housing, Nikon 60mm lens, Woody diopter, Ikelite DS125 strobe

Description: I knew this nudi was in a great position out on a small branch, but I could only hope that the photo was in focus. The skin texture and the transition from purple two orange were just exceptional.

 

 

Caption: Yep, I'm another Garibaldi, but a real nice one.

Location: Casino Point, Catalina, California

Gear: Nikon D80, Ikelite Housing, Nikon 60mm lens, Ikelite DS125 strobe

Description: My new dSLR setup was brand new. There's nothing better than a Garibaldi for a patient model. They're bold, curious, and brightly colored.

 

 

Caption: Who says the fish in California are boring?

Location: Casino Point, Catalina, California

Gear: Nikon D80, Ikelite Housing, Nikon 60mm lens, Ikelite DS125 strobe

Description: I was experimenting with bluring the background, so I took the photo at a hard angle to the surface, throwing everything in the back out of focus. I didn't realize that the little piece of kelp was perfectly positioned and focused until afterwards.

 

Thanks for looking

David