Wetpixel Lembeh Workshop 2013

The final batch for now.

Alex has presented another lecture about getting colored backgrounds, so I guess we may be seeing a few of those! We are having another image review session tonight-so lots more diving, photographing and learning going on.

Here are a couple of mine. Having a great time!

Here is one of mine...

Adam

I've been shooting surface images throughout the workshop with the wonderful Sony RX100:

Adam

We are halfway through the Macro workshop, and it is great to see people producing some amazing images. The weather and critter count here has been phenomenally good. So far warm, still and dry days, and an abundance of life including blue-ringed octopus, rhinopias, pygmy seahorses and lots more!

Hergen and Tom catch up

The guides figure out how to find even more critters!

Going diving!

Coleman shrimp on fire urchin

Adam

Looks good al around , realy like the last images on the coleman schrimp , new perspective for me , well done!

mmm going to Anilao in a week , but realy have to go to Lembeh one time.

Have fun ,

Frank

Some images from today....

Another amazing day! Lembeh is the ideal place to find amazing critters!

The Lembeh Macro Workshop today boasted a talk from Alex on the creative use of strobes to enhance subject definition, followed by three or more dives dives to put it into practice:

Lembeh Resort are hyper-organized at keeping on top of our large groups's needs:

As well as going the extra mile to make us feel really at home!

Aki enjoys the view from the bow:

Adam

Julian and Ildi joined us yesterday, having hot-footed it over to the workshop after Julian picked up his award at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year in London earlier in the week.

Sadly Terence had to leave and go back to work.

Seeing as how this was the only time the whole group is together, we took a group photograph. Alex did a superb job of marshalling 33 photographers, cameras and staff from Lembeh Resort and Critters@ Lembeh into position!

Lembeh: this tiny patch of sea is gently secretive about the many treasures it contains. At first sight, the water appears murky, dark and uninviting, but this is just a clever disguise. As the tropical jungle strolls down to the shore and lends its colour to the surface, the deceptively serene topside scene belies a universe of breathtaking life beneath, for this is one of the most remarkable epicentres of marine biodiversity on earth.

Can't help waxing lyrical in this special, magical place. Here are a couple of mine.

Tried snooting today. Loved it!

We have had several image review sessions, but the lack of reliable Indonesian internet has meant that it has been a challenge to post the images.

The action keeps on coming, more great critter sightings yesterday. As I am writing, Alex is talking about how he post-processes his images. If you want to know his secrets....you will have to go on his next workshop!

Our mage reviews have produced some stunning images. What is great to see is how everyone's images have improved so much over the workshop.

The last two days will continue to be busy-image reviews, lectures and diving.

Here are some participant images:





















More later!

An excellent trip all round. The dive guides were professional, experienced and would bend over backwards to help. The service, food and accomodation was A1. I will be putting into practice all that I learnt at the workshop for some time to come. Thanks go to Alex and Adam, all the crew at Lembeh Resort, and the other UW photographers for making this a memorable and immensely enjoyable holiday.

The critters were out in force for our trip. As an example, there are eight known pygmy seahorses. We saw three, the Bargibanti, the Denise and the Pontohi. The others were calling the Pontohi pygmy seahorse the Zombie pygmy, for obvious reasons. Here are my pics of them in order-

A few from my collection, before I get down to serious Photoshoppery...

… and a few more:

Lastly, images from when most of the Workshop, including Alex and Adam, had departed:

It would be uncharitable to report on which members of the team were suffering from hangovers as we once more set out into the Lembeh Strait...

Just got back from the Wetpixel Macro Workshop at Lembeh! Going through the images and thinking of the fun we had there during those 10 wonderful days at Lembeh Resort...

Here are a couple of shots taken at the workshop.

Just got back from the Wetpixel Macro Workshop at Lembeh!

 

Hi! So many critters, so little time...

... and why am I most pleased with my wide-angle shot of three giant frogfish? I do love the subtle tones your anemone, but two bargibanti is just being greedy....

Thanks to you, and everyone else, for a truly memorable and really enjoyable Workshop!

Instead of posting a high quality, high definition picture, I will contribute with a very weird one. I had a quick glimpse of this fish when catching up with my group, and could just take a quick - and out-of-focus - shot of it before it quickly swam out of reach. Later on I posted it on a marine aquarium forum, and one of my friends there helped me identify the fish, which is a strapweed file fish (Pseudopomachanthus macrurus). So, the first picture is my shot of a 'parcial' fish, the second one is of a 'complete' one from reefguide.org.

I guess this poor guy seeked protection from a predator but left part of his body exposed and the tail was eaten by the predator, but that's pure speculation from my part. Any other explanation?

I really should have tried better pictures of this guy, or even better, made a short movie of the fish swimming around!

Hi all,

A couple more images!

Missing Lembeh.

Short-tailed pipefish (Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus).

Thorny seahorse (Hippocampus hystrix).

That is a fascinating image Walmyr!

Adam