North Red Sea 20-27th June 2004

I'm just back from a great weeks diving in the North Red Sea (mostly in the Alternatives/Ras Mohammed area). I have been going there for a liveaboard week (during the last week of June) every year since 1998.

This was my first trip shooting only digital - I did not take my film housing! I used my Subal housed D100 with 10.5, 16, 12-24, 17-35, 28-70 and 105mm lenses. It was my first chance to try to the 12-24mm which was lent to me by UWP Magazine editor Peter Rowlands, who was also on the trip. Unfortunately, it really is a nice lens - damn it.

The reason we always go in June is that is when the snappers (and other schools) congregate at Ras Mohammed to spawn. This year the snapper school was the largest I remember - fantastic. I was using a CY UR Pro filter for a lot of available light shots which was brilliant. I was also concentrating on dusk diving photography. Finally I also spent time working on a new lighting technique I am developing called Nemo Lighting - but those pix are under wraps for now.

The raw stats are 5.75 days diving, 24 dives, 1626 minutes (27.1 hours) underwater, 2270 images downloaded from my camera.

Trip report:

http://www.amustard.com/?page=pro&ext=rs04...age=news&size=s

Temporary gallery of 32 images:

http://www.amustard.com/rs/index.htm

Please let me know what you think of the pictures.

Alex

Fantastic Alex! When are you showing us the good stuff

I especially like the schooling shots. The ugly one face on with his buddies arrayed in the background is my favorite. Great perspective.

Great shots Alex, your pictures are very inspiring.

I enjoyed reading your trip report and was inspired by the photos....the colors in your photos are so rich....can't wait to read your article on filters in UWP20

Thanks for posting

Karl

Wow Alex -

Those are all fabulous shots.. I like the lionfish floating in the column of water. I've always wanted to travel over to the red sea.. just concerned with the current political climate in that neck of the woods.

M.

Thanks for all the positive feedback. One thing that doesn't come across well in the schooling shots is that the individual snappers are big - 70cm (2ft+) in length. The shot you like Herb, was taken with the 105mm lens, BTW.

In terms of filters this trip really brought home to me how good Fluorescent filters are (the virtues of which Craig has extolled many here on WP). My feeling now are that I prefer CC filters in the top 4 metres of water and Fluor filters (such as UR Pro and FL-B, FL-D) between 6-15m. Below that depth I feel that there is just no red light left for any filters.

Alex

The lionfish was taken with the f2.8 28-70mm (my only Sigma lens). I took about 10 shots of it and only two don't have either a bit of reef or an Anthias poking into the bottom of the frame!

It was something I was trying to do throughout this trip - isolating subjects against blue water.

Alex

Fantastic pictures Alex! I particularly love the last one (the one of the dimly lit cavern), nice exposure and mood. It captures very well the conditions underwater. 8)

Ponsui.

Great gallery alex!

You got excellent angles of the snapperes.

in mid may they wern't big number of them.

I loved your gallery.

Ilan

1626 minutes (27.1 hours) underwater, 2270 images downloaded from my camera.

An image every 43 seconds! :shock: :shock:

did you find time for chimping while you were at it, or just fire with all cannons blazing

Alex,

Fantastic images, as usual. I'm interested to hear about this Nemo lighting technique. Anyway, here are a couple of images you might enjoy. You are too young to have been diving there then but this is the way Naama Bay looked back in the late 70's.

Wow Larry! What a privilege to see those pictures. Thanks so much for sharing them.

One of the reasons I love our trips is that they give me the chance to dive with the old school of the British Soc of UW Photographers - who were winning International prizes before I was born. They are full of stories of flying to Eilat and then making jeep safaris down through Sinai (and having to wait until the end of the week to have a shower). But I have never seen any of their images. They even used to have to wear weight belts on the plane to get them out there!

Warren Williams, one of the godfathers of British UW photography, made an interesting point on my trip. He was making the point that a society like BSoUP is now coming full circle. After years of the old pros passing on advice to newcomers, the advent of digital has meant that it is often the new comers to the society who are now the experts.

Alex

Ponsui, the cave shot was taken with the 12-24 and UR Pro filter - which is why the light beams aren't blue. At full res you can see the details on all the fish in the beams.

The exposure was tricky to get - I had to shoot on manual and ended up underexposing by about 2.5 stops compared with a matrix metered exposure of the scene.

Alex

Alex

It is inspiring to see a different view on something as simple as the silhouetted Anthias. A lovely shot.

Thanks

PauP

Hi Alex,

those really are some fine pictures, very inspiring.

I'm going out to the Red Sea with Oonas in Nov on the MY Juliet. We did the same trip last year and we found the guide to be very relaxed towards experienced divers with good briefings; and so they are getting our business again. From your pictures tho it looks as tho we will have to at going out in June tho.

I guess that as many of the fish are spawning then you'd have a greater chance of seeing some of the bigger fish? Maybe a shark?

I look forward to UWP 20 and that article on the filters.

PauP, I am glad someone else likes that shot of the Anthias. It was my favourite from the trip - taken on our first evening. It was a tricky one to get the exposure right, shooting right into the sun.

Alex