uwmp enews 23 - 2014 · the island of tides at maratua island, kalimantan, borneo in indonesia dear...

UWMP eNews issue 23 - 2014

· Top 10 Photos From DSLR Camera and Compact Camera and CSC

· Monthly Theme Photo Competition Winners and Position 4-12

· The Most number 1 - 2 - 3 LIKE on the UWMP PAGE

· Survey Results... Where are your Top 10 favourite UW Macro Dive Destinations ?

· Coffee Break with Fred and Pipat (Cat) Kosumlaksamee

· Spotlight UW Macro Photographers Winners Profiles

· Our Official Sponsors Profile

· NuDiversity Haven at Romblon, Philippines

· 3rd UWMP Group meeting 2015

· Shootout and Photo Competitions

· The island of tides at Maratua Island, Kalimantan, Borneo in Indonesia

September - October

Editorial

03Top 10 Photos From DSLR Camera and Compact Camera and CSC

Contents

Cover photo by.... Lionel Issara Ken Thongpila

Issue 23 - 2014Page 02 Copyright © facebook.uwmacrophotographers.com and www.uwmacrophotographers.com

47The Most number 1 - 2 - 3 LIKE on the UWMP PAGE

52Spotlight UW Macro Photographers Winners Profiles

48Monthly Theme Photo Competition Winners and Position 4-12

56Coffee Break with Fred and Pipat (Cat) Kosumlaksamee

69Our Official Sponsors Profile

62UWMP Survey Results... Where are your Top 10 favouriteUW Macro Dive Destinations ?

58NuDiversity Haven at Romblon, Philippines

633rd UWMP Group meeting 2015

65Shootout and Photo Competitions

60The island of tides at Maratua Island, Kalimantan, Borneo in Indonesia

Dear Members,

Welcome to the fifth edition of the eNews for 2014. We have more than 33,500 members on the Group, and nearly 22,000 Liked on the UWMP PAGE.

As usual we selected the top ten photos 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 September and October for their photos. Great summary of top 3s by Chris Kroll

Our monthly theme photo competition 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, Matteo Visconti and Yat-wai So, enjoy their fantastic portfolios.

There has been a great response from our new feature called “Coffee Break with...” where we get to learn about one of our members in a lot more detail. This issue with Pipat (Cat) Kosumlaksamee with Fred Juneau asking the questions.

We have some interesting articles: a review of diving for the “NuDiversity Haven at Romblon, Philippines by Carl-Johan Nilsson, and The island of tides at Maratua Island, Kalimantan, Borneo in Indonesia by Gianni Cicalese both articles feature beautiful photos in great detail.

Chris Spence reveals the Top 10 favourite UW Macro Dive Destinations in the survey results.

I would like to thank Lionel Issara 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.

http://facebook.uwmacrophotographers.com


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September 2014 - Top 10 DSLR Photos(in no particular order)


Tom Radio

Mimmo Roscigno Mark Fuller

Joyce Chang

Sergey VerderevskiyPaolo Isgro

Diana Paboojian

Lionel Issara Chris Spence

Marco Maccarelli






Tom Radio (USA)

Title : Venus Fly Trap

Critters name : Hooded Nudibranch (Melibe leonina)

Location taken : Des Moines, WA, U.S.A.

Personal Website : www.tomradiophoto.com

Camera : Nikon D300

Lens : Nikon 60mm Macro

Housing : Aquatica

Strobes : 2 x Ikelite DS-125

Additional information or tips about how to get this photo :

This shot was taken on a night dive with my buddy Jeremy Axworthy in Des Moines, WA (Redondo Beach). We were searching through the eel grass beds hoping to find mating Spiny Pacific Lumpsuckers, or at least a Lumpsucker on eggs. Instead we came across hordes of Hooded Nudibranchs (Melibe leonine). It took some patience to get this shot because the blades of grass were always moving back and fourth in the surge. I took a few practice shots to get the lighting right, found a good spot to shoot from, and then took one shot each time the blade of grass with the nudi on it passed by the camera. I got lucky enough to catch one with its mouth wide open!





http://www.tomradiophoto.com

http://www.tomradiophoto.com


Mimmo Roscigno (Italy)

Title : Transparency

Critters name : Common Prawn (Palemon serratus)

Location taken : Mitigliano Cave, Sorrento, Italy

Personal Website : www.mimmoroscigno.it

Camera : Nikon D800e

Lens : Nikkor 105mm Micro

Housing : Seacam

Strobes : Sea&Sea YS D-1

Dioptre : Macromate

Camera Setting : F22, 1/320 sec, ISO 100


I have photographed this shrimp (Palemon serratus) in a cave where I often go by passing several hours, it is usually very populated by several species of shrimp; I brought with me a sheet of plexiglass in black with the hope that some shrimp salendoci collaborate on so that you can highlight their transparencies and translucent nature; at one point known as a lobster is very slow in his movements and when you frame it with my powerful search light stops much, taking a series of photos with the times shutter very short, and so I go on for several minutes until then suddenly wakes up from his sleep and temporarily takes away backward with the motion characteristic of all the shrimp, but leave several good shots on my memory card.






Mark Fuller (South Africa)

Title : Boo!

Critters name : Blenny

Location taken : Eilat, Israel

Personal Website : www.mark-fuller.com

Camera : Nikon D7000

Lens : Nikkor 105mm Micro

Housing : Aquatica

Strobes : Ikelite DS125

Dioptre : Subsee +10

Additional equipment add on : Sola 1200 light



Getting as close as possible to the blenny and having lots of patience and fast reflex to capture the yawn was needed to capture this shot. Strobes were positioned inwards for a darker background.






Joyce Chang (Singapore)

Title : My Babies

Critters name : Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon Kauderni)

Location taken : Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Camera : Canon 60D

Lens : Canon 100mm L Macro

Housing : Nauticam

Strobes : INON Z240



As always, getting good shots requires plenty of patience (took me about 15 min just for this subject). I was hovering at a position waiting for the subject to come into frame before firing 2-3 continuous shots. Do use reputable and fully charged batteries for the strobes so as to cut down recharge time to power up the flash. I swear by high capacity Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries for my strobes. Stay calm and breath steadily to maintain good buoyancy and move in slowly at the right time.






Sergey Verderevskiy (Indonesia)

Title : Blue Lagoon

Critters name : Crocodilefish eye (Cymbacephalus beauforti)

Location taken : Menjangan Island Bali, Indonesia

Camera : Canon 6D


Housing : Sea&Sea

Strobes : Sea&Sea YS-D1



This photo was made in Indonesia, in the north of Bali, on Menjangan Island.

At the 10th minute of my dive I saw two Crocodilefish lying between corals. My camera had a lens of 100mm L Macro. It was a pity that I could not photograph them completely and I had to shoot only the most interesting, the eye.

Crocodilefish let me come very close (I was approaching it very slowly, trying not to breathe), several photos were made, after which the object apparently could not resist a series of flashes and swam away!

One flash was set behind the object to darken the background, the second flash was set at the side, flash power was chosen medium.






Paolo Isgro (Italy)

Title : Saw Blade Shrimp On Wipe Coral

Critters name : Saw Blade Shrimp (Tozeuma armatum)

Location taken : Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

Personal Website : flickr.com/photos/paolobl65/sets/72157646883223639/

Camera : Canon 7D

Lens : Canon 60 mm Macro

Housing : Sea&Sea

Strobes : INON Z240

Additional equipment add on : Home made Fiber optic snoot

Camera Setting : F7.1, 1/250 sec, ISO 160


The goal was to take a front bokeh image of this beautiful shrimp. So I just used a wide aperture ( F7.1 ) and I focused exactly on the eyes, then I used a snoot with a small beam (fiber optic) right above the subject to isolate it from the busy background and to create a dark atmosphere.





https://www.flickr.com/photos/paolobl65/sets/72157646883223639/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/paolobl65/sets/72157646883223639/

Issue 23 - 2014 Copyright © facebook.uwmacrophotographers.com and www.uwmacrophotographers.com

Diana Paboojian (USA)

Title : Orangethroat Pikeblenny

Critters name : Orangethroat Pikeblenny (Chaenopsis alepidota)

Location taken : Sea of Cortez

Personal Website : dianapaboojianphotography.zenfolio.com


Lens : Nikon 105mm

Housing : Nauticam




The male Orangethroat Pikeblenny courts the female by flaring its dorsal fin and flashing its orange throat while bobbing up and down very quickly. This action is easy to miss so your timing is very important. In order to capture this picture I had to be patient and stay in one location for a while. They are timid and it takes time for them to get used to you being there. I prepared for the shot by taking a test shot away from the subject so that I could check my settings, while taking into account that my shutter speed needed to be fast.






Lionel Issara (Belgium)

Title : Eel Yawning

Critters name : Garden Eel


Camera : Nikon D800

Lens : Nikon 105mm Plus Teleconvertor 1.4 Tamron

Housing : Seacam

Strobes : Seacam 150

Dioptre : Nauticam SMC



I noticed that I could approach the Eel very closely when they are alone but during that dive, it was above my expectations as the eel was not scared at all and was moving very gently at 2 mm of my port. I probably took 50 shots and three dives to get it in focus while yawning. The working distance was very shallow as I am using 105mm, Teleconvertor 1.4 and SMC Nauticam. Both strobes were perpendicular to the port at approximately 30 mm pointing the port with a slight different level between each. I will go back to get a better shot which is already in my mind.






Chris Spence (Australia)

Title : Neon Bubble

Critters name : Rose Petal Bubble (Hydatina physis)

Location taken : Tasi Tolu Dili, East Timor

Personal Website : facebook.com/ChrisSpenceImagery

Camera : Nikon D300s

Lens : Nikon 105mmVR Plus Hoya x2 Dry Diopter

Housing : Nauticam

Strobes : 2 x INON Z240



I was very excited when I saw this animal as it was the first time. I have seen many great images on the UWMP timeline in the past and I knew I needed to get a front on shot. I was surprised how quick they actually were so I watched for a while and then got myself into position and waited until he moved into focus and took 3 or 4 shots before he veered off in another direction.






Marco Maccarelli (Italy)

Title : Rhino

Critters name : Dragon Shrimp (Miropandalus hardingi)

Location taken : Anilao, Batangas, Philippines

Camera : Canon 5D Mark III

Lens : Canon 100mm L MacroHousing : Nauticam

Strobes : Sea&Sea YS 250 Pro

Dioptre : Subsee + 10



This shrimp is not particularly difficult to photograph, normally remains fairly static, so the most important thing is the proper focus on the eyes, not easy when you mount wet lens of 10 diopters or more, but you can always help yourself with a viewfinder, the choice that I recommend is 45 degrees. As you know the depth of field is always minimal in these reports magnification, so I opted for an aperture very close and I managed the light of the flash by adjusting the power to not burn the subject. Not having a solid base of support and not being able to lean on the reef below, I opted for the maximum sync speed that the camera can offer to avoid camera shake.

ISO is always the minimum for the highest quality possible for your shots.






October 2014 - Top 10 DSLR Photos(in no particular order)

Tanakit SuwanyangyaunRoberto Erta

Sherry HsuNatalia Pryanishnikova

Marty Engels Dunmore

Pietro Formis

Phil Woodhead Dongsung Seo

Reyner Onggara

Anna Shvab







This shot was made in the dive site "Kirby's Rock" of Anilao. It was a very difficult shot because the subject has been standing on the starfish for those seconds, so I have not had a chance to make many choices, but I had to shoot quickly. I liked the position he had on the blue star, because it created a uniform background and good colour contrast. I also had the good fortune to have the star and the shrimp in a raised position and then you can take the picture with eyes parallel to the camera, this has allowed us to take a good portrait.

Roberto Erta (Italy)

Title : Critter in blue

Critters name : Bumblebee Shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum)

Location taken : Anilao, Batangas, Philipines

Camera : Canon 7D

Lens: Canon 100m Macro

Housing : Nimar

Strobe : 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1

Camera Setting : F14, 1/250sec ISO 160






Sherry Hsu (Taiwan)

Title : Butterfly

Critters name : Juvenile Lionfish


Personal Website : facebook.com/SherryHsuOceanFantasy


Lens: Nikkor 105mm Micro

Housing : Nexus

Strobe : 2 x INON Z240

Dipotre : Subsee +10



Juvenile lionfish about thumb size with translucent pink spots, fins like the wings of butterfly. It was my first time to see this beautiful pink colour on juvenile lionfish. She was dancing at 28m deep in the Indonesian ocean as if with a deep sense of curiosity to explore the unknown world. I followed her for about 20 minutes trying to catch a shot from bottom up. I wanted to create a black background to make her colourful body jump out.






Natalia Pryanishnikova (Russia)

Title : Amazing and Vibrant

Critters name : Nudibranch (Cuthona sibogae)

Location taken : Padangbai, Bali, Indonesia

Personal Website : www.divewonders.com


Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

Housing : Hugyfot

Strobe : Sea&Sea YS250Pro

Dioptre : SubSee +5



I had been diving with my friend at the sandy muck dive site with a bit of surge and less than average visibility. So, all was grey and only occasional tiny creatures reminded us why we were here. This Nudibranch was the least expected encounter of all, and the shortest too. The nudibranch was crawling on the weird bunch of fishing lines and weeds, all grey and ugly. Surge was pushing and pulling tiny creature to and fro on that unsteady feeding ground. So I've had 3 or 4 shots before it went away with the water flow. By a lucky coincidence my strobes have been aligned with the debris and Nudibranch in a perfect position to create this shot.





http://www.divewonders.com/

http://www.divewonders.com/


Tanakit Suwanyangyaun (Thailand)

Title : Beam !!

Critters name : Nudibranch (Psychedelicum)


Personal Website : facebook.com/neverdrythailand

Camera : Canon 6D

Lens: Canon 100mm L macro

Housing : Nauticam


Dipotre : Aquako IV



As you know first of all to shoot this special kind of creature you need one of the best spotters, thanks to Obet to find such a small creature for me.

During this trip I have shot quite a few batwing sea slugs in many different angles. The creature itself is nice already but I want to make the tip stand out. So I have tried to use the sponge or coral or the rock in the background to make it like the batwing shine the light out of the tip.






Anna Shvab (Israel)

Title : Sun Coral

Critters name : Sun Coral (Tubastrea faulkneri)

Location taken : Eilat, Israel

Camera : Canon 650D


Housing : Sea&Sea

Strobe : Sea&Sea YS-D1



Sun coral (Tubastrea Faulkner) is an incredibly beautiful creature which belongs to a group of large-polyp stony corals. Sun corals are heterotrophic, that means they don’t use the light as an energy source. The Sun corals is active only at night, when it extend its long tentacles to catch passing zooplankton.

This photo was taken during a night dive in the Red Sea in Eilat. Sun corals are pretty common in this area, so it’s not a problem to find one. As reaction to the torch light sun coral closes its tentacles, you should try to avoid direct illumination on it. Sun corals usually grow on the reef wall, and sometimes it's difficult to photograph the corals without the unpleasant background of the reef. In this photo I could not completely avoid the background presence but I tried to include as less reef background as possible.






Marty Engels Dunmore (UK)

Title : Pink

Critters name : Rhinopias Eschmeyeri

Location taken : Ambon, Indonesia

Personal Website : facebook.com/martina.engelsdunmore

Camera : Nikon D4s

Lens: Nikkor 60mm Micro

Housing : Nauticam

Strobe : INON Z240

Additional equipment add on : INON Snoot



Buoyancy and patience is the main key to a frame like this, as to any other image. Photography is about light and shade, so play with your light options if your subject lets you.







I had the idea to shoot these thin fishes with a backlight flash equipped with a snoot, to enhance transparency and achieve the effect of crystal figures.

My girlfriend "Mari" was holding the snoot facing in front of me and following the movement of the fishes while I was shooting.

I had to take a lot of shots before getting a good one, but I’m happy with the result, especially because in that dive the water wasn't clear and lighting the subject this way avoids me to have a lot less backscatter.

Pietro Formis (Italy)

Title : Ghosts

Critters name : Robust Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus)

Location taken : Puerto Galera, Philipines

Personal Website : www.pietroformis.com

Camera : Canon 50D

Lens: Canon 100m Macro

Housing : Nexus


Additional equipment add on : Snoot








When I first found this Doto it was well hidden in the Hydroid, I had to wait nearly 10 minutes for it to crawl its way to a better position.

Even though the subject is quite dark I still used the strobes on half power and almost pointing into the port using the white of the Hydroid to form a backdrop.

Phil Woodhead (Australia)

Title : Donuts

Critters name : Nudibranch (Doto sp.) Black colour variation

Location taken : Milne Bay Province, Kwato, PNG

Personal Website : [email protected]

Camera : Nikon D610

Lens: Nikkor 105mm macro

Housing : Nexus

Strobe : 2 x INON D2000

Dioptre : SubSee +5






mailto:[email protected]



Dongsung Seo (Republic of Korea)

Title : Emperor on Nudi

Critters name : Emperor shrimp and Nudibranch


Personal Website : facebook.com/dongsung.seo



Housing : Aquatica

Strobe : Ikelite DS161



The most important thing is to find a nudibranch and imperial shrimp in a symbiosis relationship. Once you find it, wait until the imperial shrimp moves into place between the rhinophores. Wait with the exposure setting on the subject and quickly capture the moment. Keep diving until you get the desired photo.







Taking a picture of Doto with its Rhinophores up is a bit of a challenge, at first glance all Doto stay still and do not move anywhere. When the Doto starts moving, that is when the rhinophores will rise. In order to get a shot like this, you will need to pay close attention where it is going to go, and stand by on its path in order to get the face shot. Strobe position will be from the top and from the front of the Doto in order to isolate the branches. Touching the Nudibranch is a BIG no because once you touch them, the rhinophores will sink to its body and stay still. Hope this tip helps! Happy Shooting.

Reyner Onggara (Indonesia)

Title : Raging Bull

Critters name : Nudibranch (Doto Sp)

Location taken : Melasti, Bali, Indonesia

Camera : Nikon D4

Lens: NIKKOR 105mm Macro

Housing : Seacam

Strobe : INON Z240


Additional equipment add on : Focus Light Sola 2000







September 2014 - Top 10 Compact Camera and Compact System Camera (CSC) Photos (in no particular order)

Peter Schmutz

Daniel Geary Ben Sarindah

Ipah UiD

CF ChokOlga Huletskaya

Sakis Lazarides

Andre Philip Ajiex DharmaRobert Roy






Peter Schmutz (Philippines)

Title : Nemo at home

Critters name : Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)

Location taken : Oslob, Cebu, Philippines

Camera : Olympus E-PL1

Lens : Olympus 14-42 mm

Housing : Olympus


Camera Setting : F8, 1/80sec, ISO 200


As this picture was taken in December 2011 I don't know the details anymore. We were in Oslob to take pictures of the whale sharks which are there almost like in a zoo. The second dive was a little away from the whale shark place so I changed from the wide angle 9-18 mm to 14-42 mm for more flexibility.

I think for some kind of pictures quantity brings quality: the very agile clown fish are such an example. I made certainly hundreds of pictures of clown fish, most of them are eliminated right after the dive. But once in a while there is a lucky shot: focus right, light right, composition right. Some correction can then improve the picture such as cropping according to the rules of "golden ratio" etc. as well as cleaning from backscatter. I think this picture lives from its simplicity.






Daniel Geary (Philippines)

Title : Mantis shrimp eggs

Critters name : Flamboyant Cuttlefish Egg

Location taken : Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines

Personal Website : facebook.com/MeanGuignPhotography

Camera : SeaLife DC1400

Housing : SeaLife

Strobes : Sea Dragon Flash

Camera Setting : F9.6, 1/60sec, ISO 100


We found this little Flamboyant Cuttlefish still inside of its egg, attached to some piece of cloth anchored in the ground. It was probably 1 cm wide. It was already able to change colour, flashing complete purple I was too close. For this shot, I made sure to find an angle where I could have the sky as the background instead of sand/cloth so that the translucence of the egg would really show and accentuate the baby cuttlefish.






Ben Sarindah (Indonesia)

Title : Bodyguard

Critters name : Lemon goby & Flamboyant cuttlefish eggs


Camera and Lens : Olympus EPL-3 and Zuiko 14-42mm

Housing : Olympus

Strobes : Sea&sea YS-D1 and Homemade Snoot

Dioptre : SubSee+10



Lemon goby is one of the very cute critters, seen from the colour is very attractive. In Lembeh Strait we can find lemon goby some times they stay in the bottle or under the shell.

I was very lucky because when I found in the coconut shell there is two different critters in side. I am very happy too because they are both very special to photograph. Goby and flamboyant cuttlefish eggs with new baby inside the eggs.

I tried to use snoot to get a nice effect and a dark background, spent about 20 minutes to get the good result. I suggest to you when shooting with snoot have to be patient because lemon goby always move around in the shell and hiding under the eggs. Also have to wait and wait till the goby come up on the eggs.

I got this shot without diving with a dive guide. I mean no one help me to do the set up so I am quite lucky with this shot.

I used a single strobe and I turned off the other strobe using subsee +10 would be quite close to the object sometimes make them scared so have to do it very gentle and patient.






Ipah UiD (Malaysia)

Title : Boing Boing Xeno Crab

Critters name : Xeno Crab (Xenocarcinus tuberculatus)


Personal Website : www.ipahuidphotography.com

Camera : Canon G15

Housing : Canon

Strobes : Internal Flash


Additional equipment add on : Sola 500 Photo light



During this dive the visibility was quite bad so I opted to play around with black background and I managed to capture this ! An easy critter to find but what made a big difference was the composition. It was sitting right at the end of the whip coral making it easy to photograph a black background and hence the boing boing xeno crab.






CF Chok (Malaysia)

Title : Message in a Bottle

Critters name : Yellow Goby


Camera : Canon G11

Housing : Canon

Strobes : Sea&Sea YS-27 DX



Found this bottle at 14 meters and noticed a lone Yellow Goby living in it. Position camera and fire some test shots. After homing in on best settings (as above) maintain position on the mouth of the bottle to wait for subject to emerge. Checked air & depth and to set a time frame to shoot subject. Decided to spent no more then 10 minutes for the wait. Rewarded by this shot when subject decided to emerge after about 7 minutes into the waiting.






Olga Huletskaya (Belarus)

Title : Snowflake

Critters name : Nudibranch (Phyllodesmium iriomotense)


Camera : Canon G11

Housing : Canon




This picture was taken at a depth of about 26 meters, using Canon G11 camera with built-in flash, underwater housing with a scattering plate and no additional equipment. As with any photo, it is very important to take into account the light, including illumination and background, the important contrast between the subject and the background. In addition to changing the combination of exposure settings, I am experimenting with the metering mode. I always photograph in RAW, it gives more flexibility in post processing. Now, I changed the camera to a newer model Canon G16. I think that the additional equipment (such as an external flash) significantly help to improve the quality of images.






Sakis Lazarides (Norway)

Title : Moment of Birth

Critters name : Apogon imberbis

Location taken : Limassol, Cyprus

Camera : Canon G16

Housing : Ikelite

Strobes : Ikelite DS 161

Dioptre : Subsee+10



The photo was taken during a night dive at a depth of about 5 metres.

I noticed the Apogon imberbis carrying the eggs in its mouth and decided to follow it.

I was lying over a sandy bottom with the camera only a few centimetres from the fish and was able to take a series of photos. I spent more than 20 minutes photographing this fish.






Andre Philip (Germany)

Title : Yaaaawning Frog

Critters name : Frogfish (Antennarius maculatus)

Location taken : Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines

Personal Website : facebook.com/andre.philip

Camera : Panasonic Lumix TZ5

Housing : Panasonic




This frog fish I photographed at Pescador Island, a small island off Moalboal (Cebu). I had met him earlier. But this time I wanted to photograph him while yawning. I found him again, sitting under an overhang. Unfortunately he looked at the wall. So I had to get my camera in the small place between him and the reef wall. In that moment I was glad just to have my little point & shoot camera here, because my better, but also bigger camera was broken. I think I've waited 15 minutes and photographed him until I caught him yawning and taken this shot!






Ajiex Dharma (Indonesia)

Title : Baby Face

Critters name : Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti)


Camera : Canon S120

Housing : Canon

Strobes : INON Z240

Dioptre : Subsee +10 and Go-So +20 (stacked)



Pigmy seahorses always give me a challenge to shoot, she/he likes to move from side to the other side. On this shot I spent 45 minutes, I have to wait and wait and watch the movement while my camera is ready when I see the great moment then I keep shooting till I got this shot. So on this situation patience needed!






Robert Roy (Canada)

Title : Are you sticking your tongue out at me?

Critters name : Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus orbis)

Location taken : Queen Charlotte Strait, near Telegraph Cove, British Columbia, Canada

Personal Website : robertroy.smugmug.com

Camera : Canon EOS M

Lens : Canon 60 mm Macro

Housing : Nauticam

Strobes : Sea&Sea YS-01 and YS-02


Additional equipment add on : Sola 800 focus light



Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers are quite hard to find, since they are quite small (usually only about 1 cm) and are usually very well camouflaged. With their ventral sucker-disc, they cling to a piece of kelp, or a rock or a shell, and blend in to the substrate.

Since it is easy to lose such a small subject, I quickly switched my focus light to red “stealth” mode, hoping that I would not disturb the subject very much. I took a few shots using my 60 mm macro lens, then decided to try and get a few shots with my wet-diopter, the Nauticam SMC. It is somewhat difficult to use the SMC with the 60 mm, as the working distance is very short, with a narrow range in which it will focus, so it requires a lot of patience, stealth, and a steady hand. However, the SMC does work great for very small subjects such as this, about 1 cm size or less. It also conveniently flips out of the way when not in use, so I find it worthwhile to carry it. I was lucky enough to get a few good shots, including this one. Once I was sure I had at least one good shot, I left this little cutie and slowly ascended to end my dive.

I always shoot in full manual mode. For macro, I usually keep my shutter at max synch speed of 1/200. In cold waters, I usually shoot at ISO 200 and my strobes at half-power, simply to save the battery on my strobes. In tropical waters, I will usually switch to ISO 100 and turn up my strobes a bit higher.

The key to getting a shot like this is to be very comfortable in the water with your dry-suit, buoyancy, etc, so that you are able to keep a watchful eye out for such an elusive subject.





October 2014 - Top 10 Compact Camera and Compact System Camera (CSC) Photos (in no particular order)


Suyitno Tumanggar

I Made Widana

Sue Myburgh Claudia Peyer

Michelle Khoo

Dennis ChenNurul Yazid

Marjon Phur Chuan Seng Tay

Rafi Amar






I Made Widana (Indonesia)

Title : Green eyes

Critters name : Dancing shrimp

Location taken : Padangbai, Bali, Indonesia

Camera : Canon S120

Housing : Canon

Strobes : Sea&Sea YS 90

Dioptre : Subsee +10 and go so +4



During taking this picture you must slowly come close to the object. Or you can put your fingers close to the coral. This shrimp likes to clean your fingers. Then make the focus on the head of the shrimp, after focusing zoom the camera to the maximum.

Make your setting to jpeg not raw because raw can use the digital zoom.






Sue Myburgh (Australia)

Title : In the Pink

Critters name : Soft Coral Shrimp (Dasycaris Ceratops)


Camera : Olympus EPL 3

Lens : M.Zuiko 60mm Macro

Housing : Olympus

Strobes : 2 x Sea&Sea YS 01




I went to Lembeh after the 2nd UWMP meeting in Tulamben Bali where I had learnt to play more with my camera settings and strobe power. When I saw this shrimp I knew it would be a good time to practice. I turned my strobes down to very low power and dialled the F stop to F13. As I have been taught in the past I got “down low and then lower still” so low that I had to make a small well in the sand to get the right angle and then checked that I would have negative space behind the shrimp. I only shot a couple of pictures as I was low on air so am pleased how the picture turned out though I would have liked to have been able to move to the left a little but this would have meant bending the soft coral which I would not do as no photograph is worth damaging the fragile environment under the ocean.






Claudia Peyer (Switzerland)

Title : Living On Top Of The World

Critters name : Candy Crab (Hoplophrys oatesii)

Location taken : East Kalimatan, Indonesia

Personal Website : www.fotomeer.ch

Camera : Olympus OMD-EM1

Lens : Olympus 60mm Macro

Housing : Nauticam

Strobes : INON Z240




The candy crab is not easy to find. This lady was very kind and showed up at the top of a soft coral. With a close look, even the eggs in the belly are visible. Pictures of these crabs are very nice when there is no coral visible in the background. With aperture and quick shutter speed the background will be dark and the crab is very good to see.






Michelle Khoo (Singapore)

Title : Extraordinary

Critters name : Nudibranch (Cratena cf. Lineata A)


Camera : Canon G15

Housing : Recsea


Dioptre : Subsee +10 and INON UCL165

Additional equipment add on : Seahorn snoot



My yearly dive affair: Bali, Tulamben has been one of my favourite dive destinations; always filled with interesting imagery and great memories in each different trip. Here, I found special species of nudibranchs and other critters.

This image was taken with a snoot. I had experienced its unique set of challenges, but yet the result can be beautiful and rewarding. Shoot effect is subtle and creates a beautiful portrait using a narrow beam of light depending where I want to use it.

This photography is simply the art of creatively capturing light.

Tip: The assistance of a willing buddy to hold the strobe and snoot, and even then involved trial and error to get the desired shot. This will be a good help.






Dennis Chen (Malaysia)

Title : Elysia Ornate looking out

Critters name : Nudibranch (Elysia Ornate)


Personal Website : facebook.com/dennis.chen.182

Camera : Olympus EM-5

Lens : Olympus 12-50mm

Housing : Nauticam

Strobes : Sea&Sea YS-D1 and YS110

Dioptre : Aquako IV



Spotted this Nudibranch during my morning dive on my 3rd day diving in Anilao. Nudibranch was already standing at the edge of the rock and the rock was approximately 8-10 inches above seabed.To capture the best composition, the basic UW photography 101 is "Shoot an upwards angle, don't centre the subject, try to fill your frame with the subject"This is where my camera was placed at the lowest position with the lens angled up towards the subject. Needless to say with that angle, I need to squeeze my eyes to view the camera screen.






Nurul Yazid (Malaysia)

Title : Here’s my good side!

Critters name : Juvenile Pinnate Batfish

Location taken : Pom Pom Island, Malaysia

Camera : Olympus EM-1


Housing : Nauticam


Additional equipment add on : Fisheye Fix Neo 2000Focus Light



These beautiful creatures are known to flutter around a lot making it hard to focus and making matters worse, they like to take shelter under rocks and in between crevices.

I’ve struggled many times before but this time, I told myself to be patient and take my time. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to just focus and probably took 50 shots before I got the right one. As it’s always wedged around rocks and all coral gaps, it is very easy to end up with messy shots (crowded background) so setting the right aperture to blur out the background helps make the subject stand out without seeing all the mess at the back.






Suyitno Tumanggar (Indonesia)

Title : Spiny beautiful

Critters name : Harlequin Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)


Camera : Canon G16

Housing : Canon




Balance and Relaxing to approach and make him interested in posing in front of the camera lens.






Marjon Phur (Australia)

Title : Get off my nose!

Critters name : Pygmy Leatherjacket and Whip Coral Shrimp


Camera : Olympus EPL 5


Housing : Olympus


Additional equipment add on : INON focus light



Although both these critters are quite common it’s very unusual to see them both together. How the Shrimp got to be on the Pygmy Leatherjacket is a mystery however I’m guessing he jumped on when the fish rubbed against the host. Quickly realising his mistake I was only able to take 3 quick pictures before he jumped off again! Fortunately for me the settings I used are my “start the dive” settings and for this picture they seemed just right.






Chuan Seng Tay (Singapore)

Title : Mama Whip Coral Shrimp

Critters name : Whip Coral Shrimp (Dasycaris Zanzibar)

Location taken : Manado Bay Indonesia

Personal Website : facebook.com/chuanseng.tay.5

Camera : Olympus OMD M5

Lens : Olympus 60mm Macro

Housing : Olympus

Strobes : INON D2000




I had earlier took a few shots of this beautiful mama shrimp on landscape mode; same settings with the strobe position at 45 degrees on the subject. Strobe was on manual mode at 1/2 power with diffuser. The results were good and this made me try, for the first time, this shot on portrait mode. The adjustment I had to make was to move the strobe closer to the camera with further strobe power trimmings. I also tried various f-stop trimming but still find f22 gives the best result.This photo was slightly edited with Apple i-photo software.






Rafi Amar (Israel)

Title : Face to Face

Critters name : Ladybug Anphipods

Location taken : Komodo Island, Indonesia

Personal Website : www.rafiamar.com

Camera : Sony RX100m2

Housing : Recsea

Strobes : 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1




When the guide said before the fifth dive, there's a chance to find them I moved my hand dismissively, and I said obviously did not find them and then towards the end of the dive he points to some small coral and motions for me.

At first look I had not imagined they were so small and I started taking pictures but without success they constantly jump but did not despair... I followed one creature until I learned the movement and then I managed to take a few good shots.





http://www.rafiamar.com

http://www.rafiamar.com

UWMP Page Statistics September & October 2014


1 Kieran Reeves 867 LIKEs

3 Andre Philip 559 LIKEs

2 Elly Jeurissen 643 LIKEs

Article by Chris Kroll

The Underwater Macro Photographers Facebook Page is a showcase of our member ’s best and most interest ing photographs.

Each day our dynamic and hardworking Page Admin Team carefully selects images that have been posted to our Facebook Group and features 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.

343 new members joined our Page during the month of September 2014, followed by ano the r 486 in Oc tober ! Our to ta l membership count (at the time of writing) is 21,867.

Underwater Macro Photographers are proud to have a strong following of members from countries all over the world.

Thanks to Facebook statistics we can see a f ew i n te res t i ng i ns i gh t s abou t ou r membership base:

- The country home to the most UWMP members is the USA with 3,031.- Bangkok, Thailand is the city with the most UWMP members; 544.- 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.

Top 3 most liked images from the month of September

Top 3 most liked images from the month of October

1 Daniel Geary 706 LIKEs

3 Chris Spence 620 LIKEs

2 Steve Smith641 LIKEs





2014 September Theme “Cleaning Station” Winners

2 Walter Bassi

3 Ahmet Yay

1 Matteo Visconti

3 Sue Myburgh






2014 September Theme “Cleaning Station” Positions 4-12

6 pointsPosition 4-6

(tie score)



6 Ozan Atabilen4 Gianni Cicalese

5 Chris Spence

9 Raoul Caprez7 Giacomo Poretti 8 Thierry Lagrave

12 Flavio Vailati10 Andre Snoopy Montenegro 11 Chaiwat Niwetmarin






2014 October Theme “Creepy Crawly” Winners

1 Yatwai So

2 Don Choo 3 Yury Ivanov






2014 October Theme “Creepy Crawly” Positions 4-12


4 points Position 7-9


7 Brad Pryde

6 Christian Gloor4 Diana Paboojian5 Dennis Corpuz

8 YamMo Tanakit 9 Suzan Meldonian

11 Walter Bassi

10 Raoul Caprez

12 Matteo Visconti






Spotlight UW Macro Photographer2014 September Theme “Cleaning Station” Winner

Favourite macro diving trip (Holiday): Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

Favourite macro subjects: Harlequin Shrimp

Matteo Visconti(Italy)


-: Equipment for Macro photograph :-

Camera : Canon 5D MKII

Lens : Canon 100mm L Macro and MP-E65

Housing : Isotta

Strobe : 2 x Sea&Sea YS110a

Dioptre: Subsee +10

Additional equipment add on: Retra snoot

Born in the city of fashion, Milan, when I was 12 years old I couldn’t wait until the summer season to go on holiday in south Italy with my parents. Armed with mask and fins I’ve spent hours and hours in the cold Tirrenean sea, water temperature 15°C.

My father’s decided to tie me a buoy with written “sub” because I always used to swim very far. My first camera has been a disposable film camera until I turned 16. After almost 10 years, lost between disco and parties in the night life, when I turned 25 I heard again the call of the sea and in the red sea in March 2000 I took my OWD. In 2006 I bought my first underwater camera a canon g7 with canon housing. I’ve fallen in love with macro pictures so in 2009 I bought my first reflex a canon 500D with canon lens 100macro in Sea&Sea housing but just in 2010 I learned to shoot in manual. 2 years later (2012) the big step at full frame, canon 5D MK II and until today, with more than 300 dives all around the world, I’m appreciating the quality of the full frame sensor with the quality of canon lens. Dive by dive I’m improving my skills using snoot, playing with the lights and the strobes, changing point of view, subjects and background. I love to take pictures of our beautiful creatures that inhabit our ocean and share it to promote their conservation.

The Winning photo - Spotted Moray Eel1/125sec, F/32, ISO 500

Harlequin Shrimp - 1/80sec, F/29, ISO 320

www.matteovisconti.com






Mat

teo’s

Port

foli

o

Nudibranch (Sakuraeolis Kirembosa) - 1/80sec, F/20, ISO 320Tiger Shrimp - 1/80sec, F/32, ISO 320Nudibranch With Eggs - 1/80sec, F/32, ISO 400

Goby With Eggs - 1/80sec, F/13, ISO 100Baby Porcelain Crab - 1/100sec, F/32, ISO 320

Coral Cod - 1/100sec, F/29, ISO 160

Nudibranch Ceratoma - 1/200sec, F/16, ISO 100

Nudibranch (Phyllodesmium Iriomotense) - 1/80sec, F/29, ISO 500Hairy Shrimp With Eggs - 1/100sec, F/16, ISO 100





Spotlight UW Macro Photographer2014 October Theme “Creepy Crawly” Winners

Favourite macro diving trip (Holiday): Anilao, Philippines

Favourite macro subjects: Jelly fish

Yat-wai So(Hong Kong)


-: Equipment for Macro photograph :-

Camera : Canon 5D Mk III


Housing : Sea&Sea

Strobe : 2 INON Z240

Dioptre: Subsee +5 and Nauticam SMC

Additional equipment add on: Sola Photo 800

I was born and lived in Hong Kong and started diving from 2011. I started underwater shooting from 2012 and switched to DSLR 1 year later. All of my fascinations in relation to diving was instigated by BBC Blue Planet documentary program.

After I started to learn underwater photography, I found that there were tons of materials and techniques I had to learn such as strobe positioning, camera setting, post processing of photo, focusing technique etc. Nevertheless, the most important technique of shooting good pictures was bringing up the concept of aesthetic. This sounds philosophical and abstract, but I could tell you that this could simply be done by watching other photographers’ underwater photos. First you could try to follow others masterpiece composition when taking photos, it could improve your sense and shooting technique gradually. Finally, you would build up your own set of composition for specific critters in mind.

Mantis Shrimp with eggs1/250sec ISO400 F20

flickr.com/photos/40229527@N02

The Winning photo - Skeleton ShrimpF29 1/250sec ISO200






Seahorse - 1/250sec ISO200 F25 Squid - 1/250sec ISO250 F20

Yat-wai’s Portfolio

Jellyfish - 1/250sec ISO200 F22

Clown Anemone fish - 1/250sec ISO200 F20

Juvenile Harlequin Shrimp - 1/250sec ISO100 F25 Nudibranch lantern - 1/250sec ISO200 F25

Whip coral shrimp - 1/250sec ISO100 F22

Coleman shrimp - 1/250sec ISO100 F5.6Fire Urchin - 1/160sec ISO 200 F18





Coffee Break with Fred and Pipat (Cat) Kosumlaksamee


1. Who is Pipat Kosumlaksamee?

Sawaddee Krab... Pipat Kosumluaksamee is my first and last name. Most people call me by my nickname, CAT. I was born in the land of smiles, Bangkok Thailand. Scuba Diving is the hobby that I love the most and of course, the underwater photography has become part of my life. For a living, I own a business for mobile phone accessories.

2. How did you get interested into the underwater world and scuba diving?

I started diving about 20 years ago as I love watching documentaries on nature, wildlife especially marine animals. Before I started scuba diving, I did a snorkelling trip around the Similan Islands and I was amazed by the coral reefs. The beauty of underwater seascape and marine life impressed me a lot so I decided to take my first scuba diving course shortly after.

3. Tell us a little about when you got into underwater photography.

I started underwater photography about 12 years ago with both still shots and video. However, at the time I felt that I couldn't get to the level I wanted to achieve shooting both photos and videos, so I decided to focus my efforts on still photography. During these years, I have had the opportunity to do many diving and photography trips, I learned from different websites studying images from well-known underwater photographers. I perfected my skills and gradually entered into different underwater photo contests.

Clark's Anemonefish - 1/80, F/10, ISO200

By Frederic Juneau

4. Did you win awards from those contests?

Yes, I won awards in TDEX, ADEX, scuba diving magazines such as Thailand Scuba Diver, Fins, Nature Explorer and Sea Paradise Diving Books. Awards include ADEX 2007 1st runner up, TDEX 2010 1st prize, TDEX 2012 2nd runner up, and DIGITALAY Anemonefish Photo Contest 2012 2nd prize.

5. Tell us about you involvement with the Thai diving community.

I once owned and operated a small dive shop in Bangkok called Sea Paradise. Although I could not continue operating the shop due to my other business commitments, I still enjoy organising occasional diving trips for friends and others divers in my Facebook community. The Thai underwater photographers community has many enthusiasts and also a few professionals. They enjoy macro photography with nudibranches being a favourite subject. Thai divers enjoy underwater images and most have their own camera, compact cameras being very popular amongst them.

6. The underwater world conservation is also important to you. How do you contribute to this great cause?

The richness and beauty of the underwater world on manydive sites nowadays have been greatly affected by illegal fishing and unaware fishing (dynamite fishing, trawling, etc.), global warming resulting in higher water temperatures, waste water from onshore industry, unmanaged tourism and even the booming of the home aquarium business.

I wanted to actively participate in conservation efforts so I joined a diver community called “SOS – Save Our Sea” (www.saveoursea.net).





http://www.saveoursea.net

http://www.saveoursea.net


Flamboyant Cuttlefish - 1/80, F/18, ISO 200

Trinchesia (Cuthona) yamasui 1/100, F/32, ISO200

7. What is Save Our Sea?

SOS is a diver community. Having similar conservation objectives, the community founders annually arrange trips to Thailand's East and West Oceans to pick up garbage, retrieve fishing nets which were left stranded on pinnacles or covering reefs causing death traps to the marine life which comes close by. Wi th coord ina t ion be tween the SOS Community and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of Thailand, community members sometimes release seahorses, clown anemone fish, giant clams, harlequin shrimps at different locations in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

SOS trips are funded by members who sign up to join trips posted on SOS Community WebBoard, they are not funded/sponsored by private organisations. Members participate to give back to the Thai society and the environment. SOS organises about 8 trips every year, and most members became good friends after getting to know each other on those trips.

Even though SOS activities can only cover a small area, and the fishing nets will keep coming back, members are very excited and proud to be part of this effort. Even a small scale contribution helps.

8. Do you have other personal projects coming up?

Currently, I’m working with a group of friends writing and publishing books about diving and recommended restaurants in Japan. We have published a few books already featuring different popular dive destinations. These books are offered in s e l e c t d i v e s h o p s , a n d sometimes available at TDEX. Between 1000 to 3000 copies have been printed for each issue.

Nudibranch (Trinchesia yamasui) - 1/100, F/32, ISO200

Purple Dartfish - 1/125, F/4.5, ISO100

Longnose filefish - 1/160, F/8, ISO100

Jawfish - 1/160, F/20, ISO100





NuDiversity Haven at Romblon, Philippines

Romblon is a province and cluster of small volcanic islands south of Batangas/Anilao and north of Boracay. It lies in the Verde Passage, like Anilao, one of the most biodiverse places in the world.

How to get there: International or domestic flight directly to Kalibo (KLO), Domestic flight to Caticlan (MPH). 2GO ferry from Manila or via Batangas and Odiongan. Montenegro Lines or Navios Lines ferries from Batangas Port. Resort offers transfer between ports/airports

Diving Details: Diversity of both critters and dive sites is astounding. Locals don't seem to fish a lot around coast and there's well maintained sanctuaries. Plenty of muck, hard and soft coral walls/slopes, a site with penetrable deep cracks (like open roof caves) and a vertical Blue Hole 6m wide, 25m deep. Shallow Housereef with lots of critters. Especially supermacro is world class so don't forget wetlenses. Nudilovers will not be disappointed. Most dive sites have beaches for non divers and snorkelling. Did 3-4 dives a day with one night dive. Resort is close to most sites so small and medium size Bancas are used.

by Carl-Johan Nilsson

Macro Marine Life Highlights: Rumengani Pygmy Pipehorse aka Lembeh Seadragon, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Hairy Gobies, Pygmy Seahorses (bargibanti, denise, pontohi & severnsi), Bobtail Squid, Wunderpus, Blueringed Octopus, Frogfishes (Giant, Painted, Warty, Hairy & Randalls), Pipefishes (Ornate Ghost, Robust & Striped), Crocodile & Banded Snake Eel, Bobbitt Worm, many Flatworms.

Shrimps: Bumblebee, Tiger, Saron, 4 Phycocaris sp. (hairy, green, two lined, algae), red and green Dragon (M hard ingi ) , Emperor, Donald Duck, Sawblade, Skeleton, Mantis w eggs

Crabs: Candy, Halimeda, Box, Zebra, Porcelin, Hairy & Olivars Squat Lobsters.

Nudibranch (Cyerce nigra) - F29 1/320 ISO100

So far about 350 different species of Nudis, Sapsucking & Batwing Slugs have been photographed by guides and guests.

What you LIKED about this trip: Lack of crowds, we were 2 people on one guide/boat and always alone on sites. Unlimited dive time. Discussions and ID of critters with guides. Possibility to find really rare critters. Calmness and nature of island.

What you DID NOT LIKE about this trip: Montenegro and Navios ferries from Batangas are old, slow, not very clean but cheap. Choice is bunk beds in aircon room or outside, no own cabins.

Extra details: Romblon Town is laid back with local market, some restaurants, eateries and street barbecue. Stalls that sells marble items. Couple of banks, one ATM for Visa & Mastercard. Internet is slow but some restaurants have free wifi. No dive or photo shops but the resort has got all kinds of dive gear. San Andres Fort and old Church is worth a visit.

Rented a motorbike most of the time, almost no traffic at all and pretty good roads. Other things to see are roadside shops east of town where they hand sculpture marble, secluded beaches where one can do nude snorkelling :) and a hill not far from the resort for hiking, picnic, 360 view and sunset romance.

Thaumastocaris cf streptopus - F16 1/250 ISO 100






Resort Rating: 3 (Average)Dive Operator Rating: 5 (Excellent)Dive Guide Rating: 5 (Excellent)Macro Diving Activity Rating: 5 (Excellent)Marine Life Rating: 5 (Excellent)Visibility: 4 (Good)

Overall Rating: 5 (Excellent)

Note: Consider Romblon at same level as Anilao but without crowds.

Resort Name: The Three P Holiday & Dive Resortwww.the-three-p.com

Dive Operator Name:Ducks Diving Romblon - www.ducks-diving.com

Contact: [email protected]+63 929 440 7135 and +63 939 633 3869

Phycocaris sp - F20 1/320 ISO100

NuDiversity Haven at Romblon, Philippines

Nudibranch (Trapania sp) - F22 1/320 ISO100

Nudibranch (Cyerce bourbonica) - F16 1/320 100

Phycocaris sp - F25 1/320 ISO100Goby - F11 1/320 ISO100

Mantis - F13 1/320 ISO100


http://www.the-three-p.com

http://www.the-three-p.com

http://www.ducks-diving.com

http://www.ducks-diving.com







The island of tides at Maratua Island, Kalimantan, Borneo in Indonesia

This past August I went to Maratua in the Derawan archipelago, on the east side of the Indonesian Borneo. Maratua is the archipelago’s largest and farthest island. It is not easy to get there; the nearest airport is Berau. It takes about three hours and a half to reach the island from the port of this small river town through a long crossing with a speedboat. I stayed at the Maratua Paradise Resort, the biggest of the three resorts on the island. The Dive centre has proven to be excellent with the valuable assistance of our Indonesian guide Amir, always up to the task.

The island is the largest of the archipelago, it extends for several kilometres in a long U-shape; it has an interior lagoon divided by the open sea with a narrow pass. The surface of the island is covered by lush tropical vegetation, and it hosts five densely populated villages (about 3000 inhabitants). The island can be visited on foot, it has a rich coral reef facing west, good visibility, however,

ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250

by Gianni Cicalese

www:giannicicalese.it

AAlso several species of critters, nudibranchs and the continued presence of lion fish of considerable size, completed by a fantastic and comfortable muck dive, a must for us photographers. The whole picture is completed by the short distance from both the island of Kakaban and the island of Sangalaki. The first is famous for its saline lake, populated by 4 species of not stinging Jellyfish, and overhanging walls full of colourful dive sites populated by both permanent pelagic and several Macro dive spots.

The island of Sangalaky is located about an hour by boat from Maratua. It’s very small, covered with lush vegetation, and completely surrounded by a white sand beach, which is one of the main sites of deposition for the turtles. The seabed around the island is low, less than 10 meters, sandy and dotted with coral islands, swept by strong currents. The visibility is not optimal for the presence of plankton and for the suspension that can rise from the sandy bottom. A pair of cleaning stations has made the island famous as they give the opportunity to meet mantas Manta Parade, Manta Avenue, Manta Run; they are the most famous diving spots. These spots are interesting also for the large number of nudibranchs and for the abundance of anemones, populated by families of clown fish, porcelain crabs and shrimp.

being subject to frequent tidal currents, it often has moderately strong currents, with excellent dive sites both macro and wide angle. The island's most important d ive s i tes are: Turt le Traff ic , astonishing for the incredible number of imbricate and green turtles that can be seen, carried by a light current a few feet deep, and Channel, on the east side: a spot dive that depending on the tides has very strong currents and all kinds of Pelagic, Barracuda, Jackfish, Tuna, Sharks Fin black, and Grey. The jetty is a great dive site, especially at night. In only 4 feet of water you can easily spot Mandarin fish, colonies of sea anemones with clown fish and several species of symbiotic shrimp, many cleaning stations, attended by moray eel very big and shoals of plantax.


ISO 100 - F25 - 1/250





Resort Rating: 5 (Excellent)Dive Operator Rating: 5 (Excellent)Dive Guide Rating: 5 (Excellent)Macro Diving Activity Rating: 4 (Good)Marine Life Rating: 4 (Good)Visibility: 4 (Good)

Overall Rating: 5 (Excellent)

Resort and Dive Operator Name: Maratua Paradise Resortasiadivingvacation.com/resort/maratua-paradise-resort


The island of tides at Maratua Island, Kalimantan, Borneo in Indonesia

ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250 ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250

ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250 ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250

ISO 100 - F25 - 1/250

ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250

ISO 100 - F29 - 1/250 ISO 100 - F25 - 1/250 ISO 100 - F25 - 1/250





Article and graphic charts by Chris Spence

UWMP Survey Results Where are your Top 10 favourite UW Macro Dive Destinations ?


Dear Members, well we are near the end of the year. We have just celebrated our 3rd birthday and are continuing to grow from strength to strength. It is this growth that has been recognised by many UW Macro destinations and resorts, and as such they have asked us to survey you all to find out:

Where are your Top 10 favourite UWMacro Dive Destinations?

We have asked this question previously as one of our monthly surveys. But this time this question has been running for a number of months so we can give a definitive answer. Thank you to all our members who took the time to give us your opinions.

As with the previous survey, it is not surprising in the least that the Top 10 was dominated by Indonesia and the Philippines taking 9 positions in the list. Our members again voted Lembeh as the Favourite Macro Dive Location with Anilao coming a close 2nd followed by Tulamben.

Lembeh

Dive Sites: There are a large number of dive sites in Lembeh Strait here is a list of a few. For more details please visit any of the resort links listed below.

Police pier, Nudi Falls, Jahir, Nudi Retreat, Lettuce Surpriz U or Kuda Laut, Teluk Kembahu TK, Hairball One Two and Three, Aw Shucks, Pantai (or Pante) Parigi, Serena Basar.

Wreck diving in Lembeh: Tanduk Rusa wreck, Mawali wreck, Kapal Indah, Bimoli wreck

Coral gardens and current around Lembeh: Batu Kapal, Batu Kapal south, Californian dreaming and Pulau Putus

Websites: NAD Lembeh: www.nad-lembeh.com/

Divers Lodge Lembeh: www.diverslodgelembeh.com/

Kasawari Lembeh: www.kasawari-lembeh.com/

Anilao

Dive Sites: Ligpo Island, Nasugbu, Cathedral Rock, Koala, Mainit Point, Beatrice Rock, Layag-Layag, Mapating Rock, Maricaban Island, Bonito Island.

Websites: Acacia Resort: www.acaciadive.com

Crystal Blue Resort: crystalblueanilaodivingresort.com

Aiyanar Beach & Dive Resort: aiyanar.com

Tulamben

Dive Sites: USAT Liberty, The Slope, Coral Garden, The Drop Off, Segara, Seraya Secret, Melasti, Batuniti, Kubu

Websites: Liberty Dive Resort: www.libertydiveresort.com

Matahari Tulamben Resort Dive and Spa: www.divetulamben.com

Villa Markisa: www.villa-markisa.com





http://www.nad-lembeh.com/

http://www.nad-lembeh.com/

http://www.diverslodgelembeh.com/

http://www.diverslodgelembeh.com/

http://www.kasawari-lembeh.com/

http://www.kasawari-lembeh.com/

http://www.libertydiveresort.com


http://www.divetulamben.com

http://www.divetulamben.com

http://www.villa-markisa.com

http://www.villa-markisa.com

Anilao is one of the favourite Macro Diving Destinations 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]


3rd UWMP Group meeting 2015on 25-30 May 2015 for 6 days 5 nights

at Crystal Blue Resort in Anilao, Philippines

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http://www.divecbr.com









3rd UWMP Group meetingAnilao Critter Highlight

Photos from our members

Jerome KimSkeleton Shrimp

F22, 1/200 sec, ISO 100

Iyad SuleymanMarble shrimp

F11, 1/60 sec, ISO 100

Mike BartickPeacock Mantis ShrimpF14, 1/100 sec, ISO 250

Yuping ChenUrchin Siphonfish

F16, 1/160 sec, ISO 160

Alexis S. Principe Nudibranch (Ceratosoma alleni)

F10, 1/250sec, ISO 100

Qing Lin Nudibranch

F22, 1/200 sec, ISO 100

Matteo Visconti Ribbon Eel

F32, 1/100 sec, ISO 100

Ah CheeNudibranchs (Thecacera sp.)

F22, 1/200sec, ISO 200

Carl-Johan NilssonHairy Goby

F18, 1/320 sec, ISO 100

Dennis CorpuzHumpback Soft Coral Shrimp

F7.1, 1/250 sec, ISO 100

Jerome KimJuvenile Hairy frogfish

F22, 1/200 sec, ISO 100

Enrico Somogyi Nudibranch(Phyllodesmium rudmani)

F8, 1/320 sec, ISO 80

Enrico Somogyi Crinoid Shrimp

F20, 1/160 sec, ISO200

Dennis M. CorpuzFlamboyant cuttlefish

F3.5, 1/60 sec, ISO 80






One of our aims is encouraging members to join Photo Competition or Shootout at the their local diving club or country or internationally. We think it is good practice to test our own skill with others and using our Monthly Theme Photo competition to understand what it will be like out there. We will associate with organisers that we believe will be free from politics, a reasonable entry fee for submitting photos or do good things back for the Underwater Photography Community or our UWMP group.

We will post details of competitions or shootouts and in exchange the organisers need to provide details about what they are looking for from the photographs and details of the results in each category.

We hope our group members will understand a little bit more about the competition requirements before entering competitions or joining any shootouts. We also hope our members can win some prizes and get their names mentioned in the results.

Here are some up coming events that all members can join and details will be on the coming pages. Ken Thongpila

“Ocean Art Photo Competition 2014” is one of the largest underwater competitions and also one of the major events of the year too. This event needs a lot more uw photography skills to win and also luck too. It is already open to every one to submit photos and the deadline is November 19, 2014

“2nd Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival 2014” is the largest shootout event in Philippines, organised by Philippines Department of Tourism. This event will have lots of UWMP members participating and it is still not too late to organise your trip to Anilao. The event will be held from November 27-30, 2014

“Asia Pacific UW Photo Challenge (UWPC)” is the largest underwater photo challenge in Asia Pacific, hosted by the Diving and Resort Travel Expo (DRT Show) and EZDIVE magazine. UWPC is open to entrants of all skill levels and the deadline is April 3, 2015

Shootout and Photo Competitions





2nd Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival 2014

The competition will be held from 27 - 30 November 2014. Over $30,000 worth of prizes


Categories• Macro/Super Macro Photography • Marine Behaviour • Nudibranch Portrait • Crustacean 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 at Aiyanar Beach and Dive Resort from 7:00 p.m on November 30, 2014

The Philippines Department of Tourism present....





2014 Ocean Art Photo Competition Previous winners from our group members

2nd Place Portrait Category - Mark FullerA portrait of a beautiful thorny seahorse, backlit to get a different result

Nikon D7000 105mm Macro Lens - 1/125sec, F13, ISO 100

Over $70,000 worth of prizesincluding over 20 liveaboard and scuba diving resort packages

Here are the matching categories for our UWMP members to submit :-For DSLR

• Macro • SuperMacro• Marine Life Behaviour • Portrait• Cold/ Temperate • Nudibranchs• Novice dSLR

For Compact Camera

• Marine Life Behaviour • Macro

The deadline is November 19, 2014

For more information please visit :www.uwphotographyguide.com/photo-contest-rules


http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/photo-contest-rules

http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/photo-contest-rules





2014 Asia Pacific UW Photo Challenge Previous winners from our group members

The Best Show and Reunion Category - Marco Chang

Title: 2 Frogfish

This is only the reflection of the frogfish swimming close to the surface

Nikon D600 - 1/250sec, F22, ISO 100

Asia Pacific UW Photo Challenge (UWPC) aims at finding excellent underwater photographers, and understanding their works thoroughly. We hope to promote the art of underwater photography and scuba diving in the Asia Pacific Region, and to promote the protection of the marine environment and guide a green and healthy lifestyle through the challenge. Here are the matching categories for our UWMP members to submit :-

• Macro/Close Up • Digital Manipulation

The deadline is April 3, 2015

Welcome to participate the Asia Pacific UW Photo Challenge! Upload and submit your photos online at: www.uwphotochallenge.com


Over $US30,000 worth of prizes including Cash

http://www.uwphotochallenge.com

http://www.uwphotochallenge.com






20 x Entry Fee worth $25 each to members who won

the UWMP photo competition each month and top 12 position overall winners

www.divingandresorttravelexpo.com

Sponsored by.......





http://www.divingandresorttravelexpo.com

http://www.divingandresorttravelexpo.com

US$100 Gift Certificate

From Bluewater Photowww.bluewaterphotostore.com


Monthly Theme Photo Competition Prize Sponsored by...

http://www.bluewaterphotostore.com






10 nights in a single room with ensuite bathroom8 dive days with 2 boat dives per dayAfternoon shore diving on our house reef

www.lissenungisland.com

End of the year first prize sponsored by....

3 meals per day (breakfast, lunch & dinner)Return Kavieng airport transferTanks, weights, dive guide & snacks onboard

10 Nights Diving Package


http://www.lissenungisland.com

http://www.lissenungisland.com





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

End of the year second prize sponsored by....

6 Days 5 nights & 12 Dives Package

Aquatica Dive ResortEast Timor

Website: www.aquaticadiveresort.com


http://www.aquaticadiveresort.com

http://www.aquaticadiveresort.com





End of the year third prize sponsored by....

Deluxe Cottage Room

6 Days 5 nights & 10 Dives Package8 Shore Dives & 2 Night Dives

Liberty Dive ResortTulamben, Baliwww.libertydiveresort.com








www.sagadive.com


3rd UWMP MeetingIn Anilao, Philippines

Sponsored by... SAGA

Giving us their famous Diopter Lenses....

Saga +5 , +10 and +15including a 67mm adapter ring to stack

2 lenses togetherto any member who wants

to try them at this event

Please visit the website for more... Saga underwater photography accessories and different brands








3rd UWMP MeetingIn Anilao, Philippines

Sponsored by... Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao

Giving us in the Goody Bag....

Resort T-shirt and Anilao Stickand Award night....

Mask, Gift Certificate / Nitrox Pax

www.divecbr.com







Thank your very much for your kind support for this group and I hope you like this eNews and are enjoying learning with us.

For the next few issues we are looking for...

Macro diving trip article or report Tips and Tricks for UW Macro Photography

Any topic to help our members take better photos Any interesting Photo Competitions and Shootouts

If you have any comments or feedback or want to be part of our eNews, please feel free to email me at

[email protected]



uwmp enews 23 - 2014 · the island of tides at maratua island, kalimantan, borneo in indonesia dear...

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