Troporobo

Thanks Chris. That’s another viable workflow that I think could work for me

Tell us more about the Fiji example. Because the one time I did the Beqa Lagoon shark dive, admittedly a long time ago, it was a feeding frenzy free-for-all. And personally I would much prefer that sharks do not learn that motor + splash = food when I’m usually the one making the splash!

Yes, that’s how I understand it too. Gino only mentioned moving the RAW files after a shorter trip, hence the question. I like the idea of a new catalog on the travel machine. Is it easy enough to switch between new and old catalog while traveling?

Thanks a lot for the advice guys, much appreciated! I think Dave’s workflow makes sense for my case. I worry about relying on only an external SSD for my catalog(s) as being internationally mobile increases the risk of loss. Though the same is true of the MacBook. I’ll need a fail safe hardware backup somewhere as internet access is crap in many of my destinations. Does that mean you did not have access to your home catalog while traveling? What happens to edits you did while traveling?

I use a desktop iMac for editing, and use only one catalog. For work reasons, I’m about to transition to a MacBook Pro for several years of overseas residence and regular long-term travel. I’ll get back to my desktop perhaps twice a year. Both computers will be backed up to external drives daily. What’s the best strategy to take my catalog, photos, and editing workflow on the road, but ensure it can all be re-integrated on the desktop at the end of this adventure? I’m aware there are many resources out there for LR strategies, but this group deals with travel all the time and I feel at home here. Plus, my travels will take me to many great dive destinations so my main photographic venue will remain beneath the waves 😎. TIA

Hey Brett - I hope you have a great time in the Solomons! I lived there many years ago and dived everything that was within no-deco limits. I’d guess that the wrecks close to shore around Bonegi would be severely deteriorated by now as they’re so shallow, but others like the John Penn and the submarine near Tambea are much deeper and should still be good. If you can get out to the western province there are some aircraft in protected lagoons, and the Toa Maru in a deep bay near Gizo was and still should be superb. And if you do get out there, Grand Central Station is a must, it’s a pass through the outer reef that generates big currents and thus attracts tons of big pelagics including sharks and rays. Now I’m starting to miss it all. Hopefully there are good operators to steer you right, when I was there it was hit and miss. Best of luck! Robert

Cool, thanks!

Hello neighbor! I’m just north of you, on one of the islands. Great shot of the GPO, where was it?

Thanks a lot Chris, this is really informative! I’m a macro shooter on m4/3 but missed the boat for CFWA and have recently been thinking about getting into it. What’s the total setup - lens plus adapter plus port plus extension? Does that port have both a focus gear and a zoom gear? Other than zoom and thus main subject image size, are there other advantages of this setup over the 8mm FE behind the 4.33 inch dome?

I do remember the film era! I had a Sea&Sea Motormarine with its lousy attached flash. And to add a difficulty factor, I was living in the Solomon Islands and had to send my exposed rolls by post to Australia for processing, which meant I didn’t see my images for about 4-6 weeks after a dive. It made for slow learning . . .

I would not be an underwater photographer today if I hadn’t found Wetpixel back in 2006. I started in the film era but drifted away. Wetpixel rekindled my interest and got me into the digital era. Thanks Eric!

That brings back fond memories! I dove at the Casino years ago and found the combination of kelp forest and bright orange garibaldis absolutely magical.

Congratulations Alex! I really like the idea of highlighting and critiquing inspirational images, please keep those coming! I also enjoyed the previous channel’s interview format so hope you guys will do those with other photographers and industry pros.

Suzan, those images are spectacular! I love the first one (moray?) as it’s not a composition I’ve seen before. I’m thinking seriously about getting into blackwater. Where were you diving?

Great find, nicely imaged!

Perhaps the most common for UW photographers: GAS: gear acquisition syndrome

I’ve had this lens for years, first on an EM-5 mk I and now on an EM-1 mk II. I use it behind a Nauticam 6” dome port. First to answer your question. The reported purple fringing is similar to chromatic aberration and happens on land when there is bright incident light coming from a sharp angle, for example, shooting closely toward the sun. I’ve not seen it happen underwater, even when trying for a sunball shooting up toward the surface. I suppose it could occur if your strobes were lighting the edge of the dome but that would ruin the shot anyway. I wouldn’t worry about this issue under water. Second, while its a fine lens overall, it’s not pro quality underwater, at least not behind the dome I have. It’s fine in the center but the corners are quite soft. It is fine for sharks in open water though, since the corners are likely to not matter. It may be my dome is suboptimal. I’d try looking for reviews for the dome you want to use.

@dhaas I love the three sharks on the sand! Here's another from me:

Cool idea! If you’re issuing a request / challenge, here’s my favorite

Hi and welcome! Tell me about diving around Oahu please. My daughter has recently moved there (near Waialua, north shore) so I now expect to be a regular visitor. Thinking about just parking my gear at her house . . .

That’s a great image! I never managed to make time for diving when I was a regular visitor to Sydney and really regret it now. Hopefully someday. . .

Oh, my, that question has me triggered - in a good way! I was a regular visitor to Japan on business trips and frequently stayed an extra day just to explore and eat and shop. I especially liked MAP as the selection is huge and they were usually friendly and helpful, which is not the case at some other secondhand stores. It can be a really fun treasure hunt! Some tips I learned were to have photos of the gear I wanted on my phone as English speaking staff are rare, to bring my own gear (body, lens, batteries) to test their gear, and bring your passport for the tax rebate. Also, most won’t haggle on price, though it doesn’t hurt to ask once politely, and your experience won’t be much fun if you are aggressive. Finally, note that a lot of stuff on the web sites of secondhand stores is not available in the store itself but only for online sale and shipping to an address in Japan, which can still be a good deal if you’ve got a local friend. The best advice you’ll find (though not specifically for underwater gear) is at Japan Camera Hunter. There’s a lot here so make a cuppa and get comfortable. JCH Shopping guide - west JCH shopping guide - east There are of course stores for new gear and you’ll still get the tax rebate, which may make sense depending on your home market, though I always found them more expensive than my market in the USA. Stores like BIC and Yodobashi have limited UW gear but are easy to find and navigate, the dive shop MIC21 has more, and Answer has a comprehensive selection. I once stumbled across the Inon flagship store which was like a museum, but don’t remember anymore where it was. MIC21 underwater gear Answer underwater gear Happy hunting!

This is really fantastic news! The Southern Resident Killer Whales frequent the waters around us in Washington but have declined so much that some experts question the population’s viability. They’ve been pretty active near me for the past several weeks and it’s always a thrill to spot them. I hope this decision leads to their robust recovery. As a corollary, I also hope the chinook population recovers around here enough to make the tribal fisheries sustainable and expand the sport season that has been so restricted as a result of commercial overfishing. So hurray for the advocates and the courts!

That’s a very cool critter for sure! You made a nice image too. Lighting those guys well makes all the difference, without the deep shadows this one would be invisible. Nicely done. I recall one site in Anilao that we frequented that housed a batch of different antennarius. They were grey / dark red / slate blue and very “crusty” and matched the reef almost as well as this guy. Even when one of us was pointing right at it, it would sometimes take movement from the fish before the “ah ha” moment. Fun stuff, especially when they do that huge open-jawed yawn!

Very nice work again! great macro sequences and the lighting is perfect. Thanks for sharing