Your Favourite Photo of 2009

Without doubt the opportunity to dive and photograph HMS Royal Oak.

This is just one of 90 images that I was happy with over the four days of diving, and perhaps the most poignant.

A humbling place to visit, and a privilege to document.

My first and ONLY dive trip of the year came last month on the Big Island of Hawaii. I had done night dives with mantas before, but I have never seen so many at one time. We had upwards of 25 mantas on site!! While not the most technically perfect shot - this was my favorite for this trip. The symmetry of these two avoiding each other reminds me of the controlled chaos of this dive.

Although this image tells a very tragic story it was my favorite of the year. It wasn't my favorite for the content, I knew taking this picture and showing it to others could help raise awareness for coastal destruction of mangroves. I was lucky enough to have this image selected as the grand prize winner in the SeaWeb/Marine Photo Bank Conservation Photography contest - where it got additional exposure.

shot was taken in Bimini, Bahamas - just around the corner from the BBFS. Canon 20D in Aquatica, 2x Ike DS 125s 1/125th at f/16, ISO 100

cheers!

- MDP

2009 was a fun year. I made the leap to digital. Here is my special favorite. I have spent 14 years looking for a snowflake moray eel on the island of Saipan, Norther Mariana Islands and this year was the one. Canon G-10 with WPC-28 housing, S&S Y-110a strobe. Manual mode, F-8 @ 1/160 sec, ISO-80

Although this image tells a very tragic story it was my favorite of the year. It wasn't my favorite for the content, I knew taking this picture and showing it to others could help raise awareness for coastal destruction of mangroves. I was lucky enough to have this image selected as the grand prize winner in the SeaWeb/Marine Photo Bank Conservation Photography contest - where it got additional exposure.

shot was taken in Bimini, Bahamas - just around the corner from the BBFS.

Congrats, education and conservation are essential.

Although this image tells a very tragic story it was my favorite of the year. It wasn't my favorite for the content, I knew taking this picture and showing it to others could help raise awareness for coastal destruction of mangroves. I was lucky enough to have this image selected as the grand prize winner in the SeaWeb/Marine Photo Bank Conservation Photography contest - where it got additional exposure.

Very good shot that brings the message home....

This is my favorite because that is my wife with her little G-9. A year ago she was almost burned out with diving - got her a camera - and now can't keep her out of the water. Love it. TomC

Happy new year

damn Carlos!!! sweet

Fin whale?!

Lots of great images everyone, always the best thread of the year

As so many have said, SIMPLY LOVE this post! What a feast for the eyes.

As quite a few before me, I am posting a photo which I wish was just slightly beter, but I still like it and it reminds me of a great day's diving. On this dive alone a doubled the number of nudibranch species i have seen to date:) This one is called a Corel Nudibranch and I will go back to get the photo just like I want it or enjoy trying:)

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Well I have 2

This won the Mayor of Eilat prize/Album cover for the Epson red sea shoot out. Night dive, D80, 60mm x2 Ds 125 Ikelite strobes with color filters.

Back lit with red filter D80 , 105vr 1ds 125 Ikelite strobe.

Was a great year for me, and really think I improved as a underwater photographer.

Great shots all!

Happy new year to all

Mark

Hi all Wetpixel members!

For me, 2009 was one of the most fantastic years of underwaterphotography. In February, my dream of a decade came true when I tested my homebuild slr-stereo-underwatercamera. Finally I'm able to put the undewater-nature and the wrecks of all kind in 3D

The pictures I share with you (Sorry for breaking the one-picture rule, but I really want to show you both WA and macro and that it can be done in both blue and murky waters!!) are for socalled CROSSEYE-VIEW. It might take some practice for most of you.... but the instructions are as followed: Look at the right picture with you left eye, and look at the left picture with your right eye... if you succeed you'll feel that the pictures popping out of the screen.

Some months ago, I wrote a small arcticle about the project in the DIY-section.... if you like to read it, the link is: http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30336

The last picture shows the use of my newbuild 3D display, made from 2 LCD digital photoframes (10") and a stereoscopic mirror. With polarized glasses it is possible to see the 3D-images in topquality with no loss of colors and light.... If you have seen the last movie of James Cameron, "Avatar" you should have an idea what it looks like..... the biggest difference is, that my pictures are from the real world!

Happy New Year and all the best whishes for all of you in 2010!

Kim Meineche!

Wreck of a small stone-transporter. Croatia

S/S Nicomedia from the Uboat massacre in 1915. Baltic sea

Small hermit crab in Lillebælt, central part of Denmark

My newly build 3D-display in use. (Image by Peter Randløv)

Kim that is some crazy stuff. I love it.

I like the attitude of this little guy peering out into the universe. I watched him bobble across the fan and then he got to this BIG BIG gap!! He's a pygmy denise, so only about a cm tall.

My first trip to Guadalupe

Didn't dive enough this year hope it will improve next year.

Here are mine:

A spotted eagle ray - special because it was the first critter I saw descending onto the Bianca C:

A guillemot which buzzed us on a safety stop at St Abbs - it was like a torpedo:

This is my favourite one : taken with the 15mm FE in Silfra. I even didnt finish going through all the shots from this year, but I looked this one up. I just love the way the clouds shimmer through...

Gerard

This is my best shot of the year not quite upto the standard of the others that people have already posted! I only made it into the water once in 2009 and this was the pick of the bunch! Shot in Marsa Alam in June with a G9 and Inon z240.

Thanks,

Mark

Two Black Tip sharks - taken about a week ago in Aliwal Shoal in South Africa. This guy kept coming right up to me. I had to give him a gentle nudge with my strobe before he left me alone

Taken with my compact Canon IXUS100is, INON Fisheye, INON S2000 strobe