Maldives

Best Wishes

Nice pix, Carlos.

I think the lighting could be better on the frogfish - the strobes are hitting the tail and not the face. Lighting is always the hardest part when subjects are right on the dome.

I get vertigo looking at the turtle and whale shark shots. Fantastic and dramatic perspectives.

Alex

I think the lighting could be better on the frogfish - the strobes are hitting the tail and not the face. Lighting is always the hardest part when subjects are right on the dome.

Curious, that is my favourite shot. Settings are 1/8 f/16 focal 10mm two strobes 1/4 power 20 meters deep

Best regards

I guess my comment is that of a photographer/judge, and almost everyone else would not even notice. Also when commenting on Wetpixel I try and find a tone suited to the standard of the photographer. There is no point telling a good photographer that an average picture is great. But had a less experienced shooter taken the same shot, I would not point out the flaws as directly.

With the frogfish, it is not a settings issue, but flash aiming. The strobes need to be closer to the dome and pointed in more, to light the face. I like the shot, but having taken shots myself with the subject right on the dome I know how hard they are to light well. So I guess when I see a shot like that I immediately think "how did the photographer deal with the difficult issue of lighting" so my eye is overly critical of this issue.

It is the same process as judging competitions - as an active underwater photographer you know the difficulties involved in each type of image - and therefore look to see how well the photographer has dealt with them. For example, in a wide angle shot at night you would look for backscatter in the open water, with a anemonefish portrait you would check eye contact, as it is so easy for the eyes to get lost in dark body colours on some anemonefish (e.g. clarkii, bicinctus), on a picture taken flat on the reef surface you would look for foreground burnout (because the flashes are closer to the foreground than the subject). With a whaleshark you would look for sharpness (the spots always look blurred) and with a balanced light macro shot you would check for ghosting.

Anyway, I hope that explains my comment. Great shots.

Alex

Excellent work !!! . I liked all of them .

I love the frogfish shot but Dr. Mustard have a point , i think is a very subtle difference in the lighting between face and tail . I know that is almost an impossible achievement working so close to subject ,but anyhow is a positive critique . Maybe the trick is to use a smaller dome port . Which one are you using Carlos ?

That's why i love the level of Wetpixel ... you always learn from the experience of others !

The pink anemone as background is beautiful

JA

Great shots. I really like the frog fish also but comment from the Dr. shows what it takes to be truly exceptional these days.

Phenomenal shots!

All are great. My favorites are the frogfish and turtle. The turtle shot is unreal.

When I looked at the frogfish picture, I thought what made it so striking is exactly the lighting. The way it is lit makes the frogfish stand out so much from the background. I can't help but think that if the strobes were closer to the dome, it might be more "textbook perfect", but what would really be lost is more than what would be gained. The contrast and "standout" would be lessened.

But what do I know? I've taken photos UW for years, but later this month I'll have my first dives with a DSLR and 2 strobes. What I DO know is I would new-dad proud for weeks if I took that shot.

The turtle picture is poster-worthy. Incredible work!

You guys just keep raising the bar. Beautiful images.

The frogfish is my favorite. My first reaction was to disagree with Alex, but then I committed the crime of dragging the pic to Photoshop and dodging the face a little and burning in the tail a little. Grudgingly I have to agree there is a subtle better balance with the eye drawn to the face a little more.

Hey,

That frog fish photo made my jaw drop!

"I think the lighting could be better on the frogfish - the strobes are hitting the tail and not the face. Lighting is always the hardest part when subjects are right on the dome."

-------- Whilst I can see the subtle difference. I would not have picked it out without it being pointed out first. I guess thats one of the key differences between amateur vs professional.

"Also when commenting on Wetpixel I try and find a tone suited to the standard of the photographer. There is no point telling a good photographer that an average picture is great. But had a less experienced shooter taken the same shot, I would not point out the flaws as directly."

--------- well said. I agree that as the standard of a photographer raises, so should the critique of his/her work.

Haha Alex, just don't bring that same critical eye to my photos yet, I'd be left with nothing decent!

Great photos Carlos,

Cheers,

Cal

wow, absolutely beautiful. So clear and crisp. So much for me to learn. Just perfect, all of them Scott

Great shots carlos!

Thank you friends!

Fantastic work - My fav is also the frog fish, but they all have merit. Congrats on a great series.

Whaleshark and Whip coral goby are my favorites.

All are excellent though.

thanks for posting

ed

You guys just keep raising the bar.

Ain't that the truth!

Hi Carlos

Holy Cow! The Orange Frogfish, Turtle and Whale Shark are AMAZING!

WOW!!!

Cheers

Jeff