N. Sulawesi pix

I'm just back from N. Sulawesi. Below are two small web galleries (auto generated in photoshop) of some of the shots I took in my two destinations - Manado area and Lembeh.

The aims of my trip were to add some SE Asia pix to my portfolio - anyone who has seen the Gallery on my website knows it is entirely Red Sea and Caribbean! Plus to try to get some original shots from the N Sulawesi area - an area that has already been well photographed. One approach I used a lot was to shoot a long exposures 1/15th -1/2 sec to achieve balanced light macro. I also tried to introduce movement into quite a few of the images. I tried to avoid ID shots - a problem that I fell into last time I visited this area in 2001 and was faced with all these species I hadn't seen before (I think this is a common trap). So particularly with nudis I only really considered them for photos when i found them in helpful poses, where I could shoot them in non-ID positions! I also tried to capture behaviour when I got the chance.

Finally several of my best images are not in these galleries because I wish to save them for publication or competitions and don't want to preview them on the web!

All pictures are taken with my D100. Lit by 2x Subtronic Alphas. Lenses 10.5mm, 28-70mm, 60mm and 105mm (with +1 and +4 dioptres).

http://www.amustard.com/lmb/ Lembeh

http://www.amustard.com/man/ Manado

Alex

Beautiful Alex! I'm surprised that you don't consider the shot of the pygme seahorse in motion fit for competition or publication! That's a beautiful action shot and you included just enough of the fan for a background reference.

Really beautiful work, Alex.

I just went back to my shots of pygmies from Wakatobi (which are not sharp), and -- there's a HUGE difference in color saturation. Granted, I did almost no post-processing because they were just for a travel journal, but even so -- the look is very different.

What are you doing to the images, and how are you boosting saturation? (just curious)

Wow... My favorites: Shrimp on the panda, nudi on the seahorse, motion blur seahorse, 'bokeh'ed neon goby, free swimming pygmy, tunicate glass sculpture...

You can select different color temps with your subtronics, right? What colors temps were you using? Very nice touch on the oscellaris face, along wtih many others.

Beautiful images Alex, makes me want to ditch the Caribbean and move to the Pacific. Your floating Pygmy could be a Nat Geo cover.

Doug

Good shots, I especially like the pigmy in the current.

Can you post the exif data for that shot?

Beautiful stuff! I sure would like to see those selects, they must be pretty hot. I have two rules about what I post online 1. never show anything bad 2. never show your best.

Larry

I'm curious, why do you never show your best shots on-line?

Is it the thought someone will try to mimic what you have done? If so the shot would have to be extremely unique in it's composition etc. I don't even think composition as I believe most would have thought of the composition just not had the right conditions.

Just curious, I had thought it might give away something in the past but, after thinking about it I really could not see how it would really effect anything in the end.

Just curious as I had a similiar discussion with someone else one time.

Hey, post 1000! I think I need to get back to work.

Alex, there are some stunning images in there. The motion blur seahorse is by far my favorite, although the free swimming pygmy is outstanding as well. In the Manado gallery, the clownfish in the anemone is nice work lighting a common subject. The focus of the light on just the face really draws your eye to the fish.

Great stuff...

The main reason that I hold my best stuff back is that I don't want the images to get overexposed if I think they might have value as a contest entry or even potential commercial value. I know that many people who judge contests view this website and others and I quess my thinking has been that I don't want them to say " I've seen that before."

My thinking may be totally off base because you see the same images win over and over in competition but that's a subject for a whole other thread.

Larry

I agree with Larry's comments about the web. I think it is fine to put my best images on the web once I have cashed them in (either in competitions or publications or ideally both!). I am worried about my ideas being done better than I managed, before I have sold my images, more than any other reason!

Although the D100's autofocus is slow, it is accurate and good in low light. The swimming pygmy was taken without a focusing torch because I have found pygmies always turn away from torches. I was impressed by the autofocus considering I had a +4 dioptre on too. Looking through the shots I took on that dive without the torch, nearly all are fine for focus and the pygmies are facing the camera in most.

The EXIF for the pygmy shot is Nikon D100. (15/03/2004). RAW. 105mm f2.8 (with a +4 dioptre). f38 @ 1/180th sec. White balance: auto. AF-C. 2X Subtronic flashes on 1/4 power.

Alex

I 've just seen the questions about saturation and colour temps..

I shot all these images in AUTO WB. I tend to use AUTO WB for macro. Let the camera have a go and I can always change it in ACR. These images were all processed quickly in the field at the end of a day's diving so I tend not to alter them much from "as shot". I haven't started on creating the TIFs now I am home - when i might fiddle with things a bit more!

For the pygmy the colour temp in ACR was 4400 (as taken by Auto WB) and the Tint was +3. The camera Auto reckoned it at -9. I changed that! I also increased the Saturation by +5 in ACR. The images were then batched processed with a 60% fade auto contrast and a sharpen.

The rest of the colour is down to the subtronics that tend to be warmer than many UW strobes.

Alex

I agree with Larry's comments about the web. I think it is fine to put my best images on the web once I have cashed them in (either in competitions or publications or ideally both!). I am worried about my ideas being done better than I managed, before I have sold my images, more than any other reason!

 

 

Alex

I can see what you are saying. I guess i don't see the photography as my main source of income so I don't give it that large a focus. I have it as a serious hobby and certainly would be thrilled to be published and win a contest but, I did not feel that previous viewing of my shots would affect this possibility. Food for thought going forward I guess.

Amazing, simply amazing.

You've set the stakes pretty high, thinking of these being "second class".. I'll be there in May. I'll have your pictures in mind when looking through the camera ...

Helge ;-)=)

Hi Alex

you probably don't need more compliments .. as usual your pictures are great

I most appreciated the two mating pebble crabs (Leucosiidae) photographed from the side, which is rather unusual for crab shots, but it shows very well the profile of the carapace - would be much thankful for the photo (do you have a dorsal shot to identify the species ?)

cheers

A

:wink:

Hi Art,

typical of your eductaed eye to pick that one out - it is the only one (on the web) that I was unable to ID to species.

I'll try and find another angle.

Alex

Found two more angles. The first was just the flash exposure test shot before settling on the subjects. I would be funny if this shot, which I would normally delete UW, turned out to help the ID.

The second shot is possible better, compositionally, than the original on the web, but is ruined by backscatter (stirred up by the idiot taking the pictures).

These shots were taken on my first dive in Lembeh, a night dive at "Hairball". I had already taken 1800 pictures in Manado during my week there, hence the image numbers.

Alex

Alex ... nice photos ...

you know what interested me ... mostly all Macro .. is that choice or is that how it is there ? At brief glimpse I thought .. that doesnt look like a Amustard gallery .. theres no WA .. so i figured that there must be a reason.

nice stuff though ... i like how your macro is changing .. and god damn it also becoming arty ... as well as life capturing .. if you know what i mean

Hey Giles,

N Sulawesi is traditionally a macro destination. Partly because there is such a diversity of macro subjects are partly because the visibility can be limiting. Bunaken area and Northern Islands have better viz for wide angle, but Manado coast and lembeh strait are often less than 10m Viz and often even lower.

One of the reasons I chose to go there was I was aware that my portfolio needed bolstering on the macro front. So the shots are mainly macro by both choice and circumstance.

Alex

See you in a couple of days.

Alex

it's genus Leucosia, and the species appears to be very close to L. anatum

unfortunately, Leucosia is quite a big genus ... hope you are happy with Leucosia cf. anatum

cheers

A :wink: