Lembeh

My wife and I spent 18 days in Lembeh in Feb. Here is the link to my photos. It was my first experience with a DSLR, and I think my photos improved a bit over the course of the trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucasprice/se...57613677122351/

Let me know what you think.

Great stuff Lucas! Got that mantis with the eggs quite nicely and i like the little orange pygmy looking at you.

We found a new hairy frog...

Let me know what you think.

Some really nice shots in there and great job for the first time out with a dSLR.

Fantastic!

I recognise some of those fish (the Ambon scorpionfish with the leafy "eyebrows", certainly); but I missed the striated (hairy) frogfish that I had really wanted to see...

... which side of the strait were you staying?

I had a terrible struggle to shoot mandarin fish at the Lembeh Resort in February, but I managed it in the end. I found a few other critters, though:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29557

Tim

... which side of the strait were you staying?

The Good Side! hehehe

Great Photos Lucas, i see on facebook that you're getting some good action in the PI now too...

Thanks everyone,

Tim: We were staying at NAD Lembeh (on Lembeh), where Mike and Simon were great hosts, but the frogfish you refer to was on the Sulawesi side. I had a tough time with the Mandarin fish also. Actually, I went out twice and the first time I got tons of good shots without a problem, including five mating shots. The second time there was a slight current and it was just enough to throw me off on trying to find mating through my viewfinder and I basically got nothing.

Simon: We had a great time there, and we are back at it after a break from diving. I broke a rib after we left lembeh falling down a few stairs on Bunaken, and that necessitated taking it easy for a few weeks. Since getting back to diving we have been to Komodo, Donsol, and now we are in Dumaguete. We don't know where we are going next, but we have time for one more destination in the pi before heading back to the states for a wedding.

Anilao! You have to do Anilao!

Sorry to hear about the Rib Glad to hear you're still diving.

Bug Maggie about diving in Anilao, i think she's back from Europe now - Although she's been at work for a week so might be on holiday again!

Lots of great shots indeed. I love the Pygmy Seahorse (the yellow one), wish I had such a nice one. They tend to look away when you point the camera at them. The Hairy Frogfish eating his catch sequence is also phantastic!

But I also found some of your shots a bit flat, as if shot without flash. What flash are you using, and how do you control exposure? Are you sure your flash is working as expected, all the time?

The picture of the Moorish Idol with the cleaner wrasse is fantastic!

(I can barely get a close-up, clear image of a moorish idol by itself...)

Not a bad shot of the comet fish....looks like there is a cleaner wrasse on it as well.

Beautiful images.

Thanks everyone who looked or commented for the encouragement. I particularly appreciate feedback, both positive and constructive. I am diving everyday for the next three weeks, so I will have plenty of chances to experiment with feedback. I also have a komodo set that i am putting on flickr. i haven't linked to it yet because it isn't quite finished, but it is up there and open to the public as a work in progress if anyone wants to take a look.

Wus, I use 2x ikelite 160s. I primarily use the f-stop to control exposure when shooting macro. Sometimes adjust strobe power also. the flat colors might be me learning how to shoot a dslr for the first time. i was at times unhappy with the color on bigger animals where my 105mm lens on a dx camera makes me back away a good distance. I think since lembeh i have learned a bit about getting better exposure from further away. Can you give me a couple of examples of pictures that you are talking about? Not sure whether it is something i have since corrected or do i need to retrain my eye.

Amw, thanks for the compliments. just one of those instances where i got lucky finding it in my viewfinder instantly and got a shot off before he had a chance to scurry away. the comet fish does have a cleaner wrasse on it, but i am not super happy with that shot. hopefully i will get more opportunities.

I am diving everyday for the next three weeks...

Good luck!

Please post your next images!

Tim