PHOTOGRAPHER

Keri Wilk

LOCATION

Dominica

ABOUT THE SHOT

I oriented myself directly behind the whale, shooting with a Canon 1DX in a Nauticam housing at f/9, 1/500 sec and ISO 500; a Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens; and ambient light. In Lightroom, I boosted the luminance of the blue and aqua channels to make the whale stand out.

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www.keriwilk.com

PHOTOGRAPHER

Dragos Dumitrescu

LOCATION

Dauin, Philippines

ABOUT THE SHOT

Seahorses — everybody loves them! I always try to capture the shy mood of the creature, but I also try to avoid the strobe shining in its eyes; seahorses are extremely sensitive to light. Using a Canon G12 set at f/8, 1/200 sec and ISO 100, and a single Inon S-2000 strobe, I finally got the shot I wanted a few months ago in Dauin, Philippines. Because this is a thorny seahorse, my main goal was to get the yellow edge a bit pointy to enhance the charm of this critter. I started by applying contrast to the original photo before adding a plug-in filter called Fractalius. Charming shape of the shy one, isn't it?

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Atmosphere Resort

PHOTOGRAPHER

Cesare Naldi

LOCATION

Cenote El Pit, Quintana Roo, Mexico

ABOUT THE SHOT

The sulfurous cloud, together with sunken trees and branches, creates a unique and mysterious atmosphere in which the subject seems to be diving into another dimension. To capture the image, I used a Nikon D300 camera and 12-24mm lens in a Sea&Sea housing, with two strobes. Fortunately, light travels better in fresh water, and I was able to light the entire scene with my strobes.

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Cave Training Mexico

PHOTOGRAPHER

Shane Gross

ABOUT THE SHOT

Lying on my belly at the stern of the boat, I dipped half of my camera into the water, and this magnificent great hammerhead came up toward the surface. To get the shot, I used a Nikon D90 in an Aquatica housing set at f/10, 1/160 sec and ISO 100, a Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, and two Sea&Sea YS-110a strobes. I exposed for the sunset, and placed one strobe under the water and the other above to illuminate the shark’s dorsal fin.

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Bimini Big Game Club Resort

PHOTOGRAPHER

Jeffrey Chua de Guzman

LOCATION

Anilao, Batangas, Philippines

The mototi octopus is a close cousin of the blue-ringed octopus and shares the same deadly cocktail of toxins. Unlike its cousin, the mototi has only two iridescent blue rings — one on either side of its body.

ABOUT THE SHOT

To get this shot, I used a Nikon D800E and a 105mm VR macro lens in a Nauticam housing set at f/20, 1/320 sec, ISO 100, a pair of Sea&Sea YS-250 strobes and an i-torch Carbonic II focus light.

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Halo Anilao Dive Resort

PHOTOGRAPHER

Alex Mustard

LOCATION

Red Sea, Sinai, Egypt

ABOUT THE SHOT

A school of Bohar snapper can be the size of a bus. Here, I wanted to capture the personality of an indi- vidual against the backdrop of the aggregation. I used a Nikon D100 and Nikon 105mm lens in a Subal housing set at f/13, 1/45 sec, ISO 200, Subtronic strobes and a lighting technique that I named un- derwater telephoto, where the fashes are positioned out in front of the camera to reduce their light path.

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Red Sea Aggressor

PHOTOGRAPHER

Alex Tyrrell

LOCATION

Sabang Bay, Philippines

ABOUT THE SHOT

The nocturnal reticulate stargazer buries itself in the sand, with only its face protruding, waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim overhead. To get the shot, I used a Nikon D200 in a Subal housing, 60mm Nikkor lens at f/22, 1/250 sec, ISO 100, and an Inon Z240 strobe with snoot to illuminate the stargazer’s camouflaged face, making it stand out from the surrounding sand.

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Atlantis Dive Resort

PHOTOGRAPHER

Henry Jager

LOCATION

Kasai Wall, Moalboal, Cebu Island, Philippines

In the Philippines, leaf scorpionfish are often seen sheltered on the reef — but not this one, which gracefully stood on a table coral. I’ve spent numerous dives trying to capture this moment.

ABOUT THE SHOT

I placed a Sola Video 1200 LED light behind the fish, and used an Olympus E-5 camera in BS Kinetics Lut housing, 50mm macro lens and 1.4x teleconverter. ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/5.6

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Kasai Village Dive & Spa Resort

PHOTOGRAPHER

Davide Lopresti

LOCATION

Liguria, Italy

For one last image from Scuba Diving’s 2014 “Through Your Lens” photo contest, we chose Davide Lopresti’s unusual perspective on a starfish. (Just trying to figure out what we were looking at kept the selection committee intrigued with this Honorable Mention winner.) Says Lopresti: “the peculiarity of this photo of Astropecten aranciacus — quite common in the Mediterranean — lies in the lighting. Using a retra snoot allowed me to create this particular illumination, making the image almost abstract, and emphasizing only a detail of the starfish.”

ABOUT THE SHOT

Nikon D600 in Nimar housing, Nikon 105mm macro, and a flash Inon Z-240, on which he mounted the retra snoot

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Divenjoy

PHOTOGRAPHER

Franco Banfi

LOCATION

White Sea, Karelia, Northern Russia

I visit Russia’s White sea several times in winter for its impeccable ice diving. Every time is a new adventure. When I captured this shot, the temperature was close to 32 degrees F, warmer than the typically below-freezing climate. The ice on the entry hole for the dive was melting, creating a granita-icelike layer that blocked the view to the outside — in this case, leaving only the fins of my partner visible!

ABOUT THE SHOT

I used a Canon EOs 5D MARK III camera with a Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens in a subal CD5 MIII housing and two INON 240 strobes at full power. To focus the shot under the dark ice, I used a sola Photo 1200 from Light & Motion. ISO 200, 1/125 sec, f/11

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Waterproof Expeditions

PHOTOGRAPHER

David Fleetham

LOCATION

Manila Ocean Park Aquarium, Philippines

Tiny white-spotted bamboo sharks — Chiloscyllium plagiosum — inside their egg casings. The 6-inch pups hatch after 14 weeks. As adults, these carpet sharks are 3 feet long.

ABOUT THE SHOT

I shot this with a Canon 50D and Canon’s EF-S17-85mm Image Stabilized zoom lens at 1/5 sec at f/5.6 and ISO 400. I took numerous shots because of the slow shutter speed and the fact that I had to hand-hold the camera. A tripod would have made things easier but was not possible in the crowded aquarium.

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Manila Ocean Park Aquarium

PHOTOGRAPHER

Christian Skauge

LOCATION

Bari Reef, Kralendijk, Bonaire

Arrow crabs are very curious, and will often come looking right into the lens if you give them a minute. This particular crab was perched between two stovepipe sponges, allowing me a unique frontal view as it moved in closer to investigate my presence.

ABOUT THE SHOT

I used a Nikon D300s in a Nauticam housing, Nikon 105mm lens and two Inon Z-240 strobes. ISO 200, 1/125 sec, f/29.

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Bonaire Dive & Adventure

PHOTOGRAPHER

FRANCO BANFI

LOCATION

White Sea, Karelia, Northern Russia

I had seen a Clione limacina, or sea angel, a few times 
in the high arctic and Antarctic, but I hadn’t gotten a decent picture of one — until this time.

ABOUT THE SHOT

I used a Canon 5D MKII in a Subal housing, Canon 100mm macro f/2.8, and a pair of Seacam strobes, ISO 200, 1/200 sec, f/16.

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Waterproof Expeditions

PHOTOGRAPHER

Bence Mate

LOCATION

Lake Kerkini, Greece

The huge dalmatian pelicans of Lake Kerkini are fascinating for their size and spectacular breeding colors: bright-orange bill pouches set against silvery-white plumage. What I most wanted was an underwater view of the great bills at work, so I built a large, floating deepwater pool, designed a complicated water-filtering system and then devised a way to photograph the birds remotely. Eventually, attracted by bait, the pelicans started to hunt in the clear pool.

ABOUT THE SHOT

I used a Nikon D300s plus Tokina 10-17mm f/ 3.5-4.5 lens, 1/320 sec at f/20, ISO 400, Subal housing, two SB-800 flashes, two Ikelite flashes and a floating remote-control system.

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Lake Kerkini, Greece

PHOTOGRAPHER

Keri Wilk

LOCATION

Car Wash Cenote, Quintana Roo, Mexico

In one corner of the Car Wash cenote, I saw an opportunity to include several elements in a single image: lily pads, crystal-clear blue water, the rocky cenote edge, tree roots, and a nearly perfect reflection off of the water's surface. Positioning myself with all elements converging in the viewfinder, I captured this simple yet intriguing image.

ABOUT THE SHOT

I used a Nikon D800 in a Nauticam housing, Sigma 16-35mm lens, Zen 230mm dome port, and no strobes; ISO 400, 1/125th, f/9. Using a rectilinear wide-angle lens allowed the straight lines of the lily pads to be captured without distortion.

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Dive Aventuras