Our first Macro trip in years and I reaffirmed I just see the world in wide angle, lol. Few ok shots but nothing I really love. We stayed at the Solitude Acacia Resort and really liked it. Food was good, room nice, guide was excellent and so much less expensive than your typical live aboard. Can definitely recommend it. RANT TIME. We are a muck stick or one finger on dead rock photographers. No lying on the sand or wedging into the reef for a shot. Watching guides turning over creatures to expose shrimp, crabs, etc was sad. Seeing them physically putting hands on coral fans to maneuver pygmie seahorses was heartbreaking. Even worse was clearly guest, fellow photogs, promoting the behavior as they covered themselves in crinoids, sand and bits of reef to get a "better shot". Ugh. Having to witness that every dive will temper my desire to repeat this destination. (Yes, I to bump the reef, sand, and wall on occasion)

Edited May 10May 10 by aquabluedreams

Hey @aquabluedreams

You've got some nice shots there!

It's so annoying isn't it to see guides picking up creatures and/or move them so that people can get better shots. I only wish that it could be discouraged ....

Well done on these and thanks for sharing your rant! I hope your next destination will be kinder to the critters :)

Love the pompano. Guides do what they think will get them tips. If at the beginning of a trip you talk to the guides and say "every time you manipulate a subject your tip will go DOWN" you won't see bad behavior much. Years ago there was a Michael Aw (I think) photo of an octopus in a sunball. For years afterwards, divers showed the pic to the guide and said "I want that". Guides regularly took occtopus up to the surface for the shot.

As long as you tell your guide before the dive what behavior you expect, I think you will get what you want, as long as the guide is for a small group.

Bill

Really nice!

For decades now we have let guides know we appreciate them bringing us to special spots but we accept that there are certain shots of certain creatures we will just not get. Again, understand our traveling to these spots, our presence in this environment is detrimental. It's just my/our meager attempt to minimize our impact.

Edited May 16May 16 by aquabluedreams

16 hours ago, bvanant said:

Love the pompano. Guides do what they think will get them tips. If at the beginning of a trip you talk to the guides and say "every time you manipulate a subject your tip will go DOWN" you won't see bad behavior much. Years ago there was a Michael Aw (I think) photo of an octopus in a sunball. For years afterwards, divers showed the pic to the guide and said "I want that". Guides regularly took occtopus up to the surface for the shot.

As long as you tell your guide before the dive what behavior you expect, I think you will get what you want, as long as the guide is for a small group.

Bill

I remember that - and flipping mimic octopii into the air so divers could get a shot of them in blue water used to be a thing, as well.

20 years of running a dive center and I can confidently say that photographers are disproportionately (and by a huge margin) likely to ignore responsible diving practices in the interest of getting a shot and the subsequent social media egowank. Terrestrial wildlife photographers arent any better - probably worse, actually.

Edited May 16May 16 by vkalia

I love "egowank" will have to steal it from you.

Bill