A few from Komodo

I just got back from Indonesia, a combo land (Toraja) and sea (Komodo) trip. This was my second time to Komodo and the thing I like about the itinerary is 1) it's relatively easy to get there since most boats either start or return to Bali and 2) it's got a little bit of everything. There are lush reefs like Crystal Bommie and Castle Rock with the occasional big stuff

And there's a great manta dive in the south (we unfortunately had bad conditions so no good pics to share). Cannibal Rock is a fantastic macro site and there are other great critter opportunities as well

(with eggs!)

Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without seeing the really famous denizens of the park!

More pics at http://gallery.me.com/philsokol#100247. Thanks to Deb Fugitt and the Ondina crew for a great trip!

Phil

Beautiful gallery, Phil! You got some fabulous shots, from wide angle to fish shots to stunning macro! Ondina is a great boat and crew, and with Deb organizing things to maximize photo opportunities, I know you were presented with some great diving. But you REALLY made the most of the opportunities because you've got a LOT of really top-notch shots there. Congrats!

Really great Phil, congrats on a successful trip! We must have crossed wakes out there. Beautiful images partner. You nailed the juvi ribbon eel. Very tough to do well. The pygmy looks fantastic, I was convinced they were a figment of the tourists office imagination.

Cheers,

Steve

Beautiful Komodo gallery! What lense are you using and what setting are you on to get the images with the all black backgrounds?

Fabulous!

My crustaceo-philia singles out the zebra crab above: I think it's a wonderful image. And there's a shark in there, too...

Tim

nicely done Phil, i really like the look of that pygmy. and the reef scapes are also very enjoyable

Thanks everyone! It was my first outting with the 7D and I'm really happy with it.

Bruce: Yep, on the Ondina with Deb is a great way to go! Nice boat, great crew. The chef's gotten some additional training and the food was yummy! The only problem was poor Norberto was struck by (we think) dengue the second day of the trip and was bed-ridden for the balance of the cruise.

Steve: Sorry we missed each other in Indo. Next time, Bintangs are on me

Tim: Yep, we saw a few sharks at a couple sites. Not a lot, but encouraging.

AMW: Wide angle are all with the Tokina 10-17, macro with mostly the 60mm and some with the 100mm. For a darker background, get your subject against blue water then use a high shutter speed like 1/250 (my max). This will cut out the ambient light and give you a black background. Then all that's left is to clean up the backscatter.

Mike: Thanks! Kinda got the sexy, model pose there. Getting those pygmy's to look at you is frustrating - I have lots of pics of the the back of his head!

Phil

I just got back from Indonesia, a combo land (Toraja) and sea (Komodo) trip. This was my second time to Komodo and the thing I like about the itinerary is 1) it's relatively easy to get there since most boats either start or return to Bali and 2) it's got a little bit of everything. There are lush reefs like Crystal Bommie and Castle Rock with the occasional big stuff

 

 

 

More pics at http://gallery.me.com/philsokol#100247. Thanks to Deb Fugitt and the Ondina crew for a great trip!

 

Phil

Some really impressive images Phil. Well done. Did you make it to the south side too (i.e. Cannibal Rock)? Looks like you had excellent vis ...

Dimitri

Awesome-ness! So are you capturing video too?

Jen

Nice stuff Phil. Still sad that I had to miss that trip, though I guess one has to make sacrifices when one schedules a wedding for oneself. I'll just have to settle for Raja Ampat in November with my bride . Sorry to hear about Norb. Sounds like he was really down for the count. I'll have to check in with him and Melysa to see how he's doing.

Very nice pics! Got me anxious for my trip to Bali and Alor in Oct.

Steve, looking forward to your trip report and pics!