I saw Jenny's photo a few days ago and my eyes lingered on it. The caption for "Wish..." reads "Thanks for living in this wonderful world..." and I can't agree more.
If anything could summarize my love of the ocean and diving it would be this one photo. This alien creature flies through the water not like a fish, but a bird, a reminder that the ocean is like nowhere else on Earth.
This is why I dive.
Divester may be retiring but the Divester Flickr Pool will live on. Don't be shy.
Jack Connick has started writing a monthly column for Northwest Dive News. Discusiing underwater photography, Jack plans to concentrate on cold-water dive photography, but I'm sure tropical divers will learn lots, too. Fortunately, he plans to re-print the articles on his blog, so check in often if you don't subscribe.
In his first article, Jack discusses the importance of experience and not engaging in unnecessary task-loading. He also goes over important questions to ask yourself before making the often-expensive leap into underwater shooting. What do you want to do with your photos? Where are you going to be shooting? How much can you really afford to spend? These are some of the questions Jack walks you through.
For this installment of This Is Why We Dive, we're going to check out one of Dave "Seatrekker" Morgan's shots.
This image of a Rhinopias is striking for several reasons. First, the color is bold and unusual. Second, I love that Dave has managed to capture the creature in action -- check out that gaping mouth! Third, the fish has two little parasites on it, both near its left eye. (Can you see them?) Fourth, I appreciate that Dave took the time to provide a little description on the picture's Flick page.
Recently, I had the chance to read The Art of Diving. Written by Nick Hanna and photographed by Alex Mustard, The Art of Diving is absolutely mesmerizing. I took it to the beach. I read it in bed. I examined it over coffee. I was totally enthralled.
Never before has a book about scuba diving been so beautiful, so literate, and so spot on. I can come up with at least 10 reasons why this book belongs on every diver's shelf.
In addition to revealing its new Stylus 770 SW, today Olympus announced its new 7.1-megapixel Olympus SP-550 UZ. UZ stands for "Ultra Zoom," and in this case, they ain't lying. The UZ features a 18X optical zoom lens (28-504mm equivalent in 35mm photography), which gives users the ability to shoot telephoto, wide-angle and macro all in one. The camera also features a 2.5-Inch LCD; Dual Image Stabilization to ensure blur-free images; High-Speed Sequential Shooting; and Full Manual and Automatic Control. The camera is compatible with the Olympus-made PT-037 underwater housing, depth-rated to 130 feet.
The SP-550 UZ will be available in March 2007 for $500. If you're looking for more details, check out Imaging-Resource's hands-on preview of the nifty little camera.
There are a smattering of clubs across the globe that bring underwater shooters together, but there hasn't been a good one in New York. Until now. Now, there's one in Manhattan.
The New York Underwater Photo Society (NYUPS) aims to bring together underwater photographers and videographers from the tri-state area to share and learn about the world of underwater imagery. Each month, NYUPS will host workshops and speakers (think: underwater photographers, filmmakers, marine biologists, explorers, and adventurers). In 2008, NYUPS plans to host photo expeditions to some of the world's most biodiverse hot spots, and it'll even launch an international underwater photo and video competition/festival. Sounds like a busy club! You know why I'm sure it'll succeed? Because of the people involved, which include Jason Heller, Larry Cohen, Robin Dyleski, Pasquale Pascullo, and Wendy Heller.
The Society's first meeting is in April. Check the website for details concerning time and place.
Today, Olympus announced the new Stylus 770 SW, a 7.1-megapixel, 0.8-inch wide camera that you can as deep as 33 feet -- without a housing. Want to dive deeper than 33 feet? Grab a (soon-to-be-released) PT-035 underwater housing and descend to 130 feet. The 770 SW also boasts a 2.5-inch LCD, four custom underwater scene modes, and a built-in manometer. No, a manometer doesn't measure how "manly" you are. Rather, it measures and records water and air pressure when each image is taken, and stores the information within each picture's digital file, so you can easily recall exactly how deep you were when you saw that pair of nudibranchs.
Available in sporty red and blue, expect to pay $380 for a 770 SW in March. For more specs, check out the always excellent DPReview.
What can I say? I'm a sucker for the bright colors of a nudibranch. And when there's a pair of them in the same shot...I get weak.
Breic captured this great shot of two Spanish shawl nudibranchs at Palos Verdes. I love the bright colors of the nudis' shawls, and I love the drama of them looking like they're on fire. Beautiful shot. I wonder if the one on the left is chasing the one on the right. Imagine that race.
Do you have pictures that make you weak? Please share them with us at Divester's Flickr pool.
Want to go diving in June but don't know where to go? If you're an underwater shooter, you might want to head to Bonaire. The crew at Reef Photo has organized a trip to the island, and they're bringing their brains along with them (which is quite the opposite of what I do when I go diving). Reef's staff will be available for one-on-one hands-on help with camera gear and techniques during the week. Moreover, award-winning shooter Rand McMeins will also be on the trip, providing inspiration and advice.
Reef will be carting A/V equipment to the island to facilitate the sharing of the day's images every evening. Warning to the competitive: this is not a competition, but allows divers to share what they experienced throughout the day. Heads-up for the competitive: they are sponsoring a "best shot" contest at the end of the week. If you're interested, the package runs $1025 and includes:
Recently, LetsGoDigital traveled to Maldives to test the Olympus E-330 DSLR, the first SLR camera with Live View LCD, in conjunction with Olympus' PT-E02 underwater case. (Um, hello AOL? Are you reading this? They went to the Maldives!)
According to the reviewer, users can access all the buttons on the E-330 through the polycarbonate housing fairly easily. However, if shooting in manual mode, the aperture must also be adjusted, meaning two buttons have to be operated at once. Overall, the reviewer was very happy with the rig, though she was disappointed with Olympus' FL36 flash. Claiming it was "too short to use with a wide-angle lens," she noted that for wide-angle photography, you really need to use two flashes attached to longer brackets. Like it so far? Check out the photo gallery to see some sample images.
If you've never been on a dive trip dedicated to finding and diving with sharks, here's your chance: Wetpixel is running two charters to the Bahamas in July, 2007. The first trip (July 10-21) is for the purpose of finding and shooting oceanic white-tips. Successful in 2006, there's no reason to think that they won't find them this year -- as well as (possibly) tiger sharks, reef sharks, dolphins, and more. Amazingly, on board the boat will be Eric Cheng, Tony Wu, and Alex Mustard. Be nice, and they may give you some photo pointers.
The second trip (July 23-31) is a "classic" tigers-and-dolphins trip, combining a traditional shark expedition with dolphin experiences and the chance to see lemon sharks, reef sharks, and *maybe* even hammerheads and bulls! For the lowdown on what these trips are like, check out EricCheng'spasttripreports. I know 2 people registered for this particular trip, and they're super-excited about it.
Participants will travel with Jim Abernethy, aboard the M/V Shear Water, a small liveaboard leaving from West Palm Beach, Florida. Space is limited, so book soon. For more information about the trips, or for registration information, head over to Wetpixel.
Because fish are just so darned friendly, aren't they? Photogaleria captured this image of a fish saying hello... eating... singing... burping... coming for a kiss... er... well, I'm not entirely sure what the fish is doing, but that's one of the reasons I like the shot so much. I also like the purple-ish hue of its skin, the detail around its jowls (do fish have jowls?), and that the fish is looking right at me. That's creepy... no matter where I move my head, it looks like the eyes are following me.
If you have any pictures of fish coming for a kiss, please add them to Divester's Flickr pool, because we love affectionate fish.
To see all the lace-y little creatures at the bottom of the sea. Dave "Seatreker" Morgan captured this bright, crisp shot of a Rhinopias in Lembeh Strait. I love the incredible detail in the fish's fins. I'm pretty impressed with his dramatic "crown," too. It amazes me that something so delicate and so beautiful can live in something called "muck."
We're always looking for photos that tell the world, "This Is Why We Dive." If you have any photos that fit the bill, please add them to our Flickr group. Thanks.
Recently, SeaLife announced their new 6.1 megapixel digital camera, the DC600. Featuring a 2.5" LCD; 12 land modes; a "Color Booster" Sea Mode; a Shark Mode with "virtually no shutter lag"; and a 12X zoom, the tiny camera -- which uses a rechargeable lithium battery and an SD memory card -- takes some pretty good pictures.
The camera's rubberized, shock-resistant housing is depth-rated to 200 feet. Expect to pay somewhere between $500 for the basic rig (just the camera and housing) and $1300 for the Maxx set (which includes two external flashes, a wide angle lens, and a carrying case).
Speaking of cold water diving, Jack Connick has started a new Flickr group called Cold Water Diving. Meant to discuss and post photos taken in temperate to cold water conditions, the group also aims to share tips on dealing with dry suits and shooting photos in chilly water situations.
Generally, Jack defines cold water diving as below 65º F. Brrr...for me that seems very chilly. However, for Vidar.a -- whose photo is spotlighted in this post -- he'd probably think 65º is downright tropical. Is that snow in the background? And you're diving?! Boy oh boy, Florida has made my blood thin.
Anyway, if you want to see for yourself that cooler water diving can be just as beautiful as tropical diving, head over to Cold Water Diving and check out some of those cool photos.
Jack Connick
Recently, I had the chance to read 
In addition to revealing its new 
There are a smattering of clubs across the globe that bring underwater shooters together, but there hasn't been a good one in New York. Until now. Now, there's one in Manhattan. 
Today, Olympus 
Want to go diving in June but don't know where to go? If you're an underwater shooter, you might want to head to Bonaire. The crew at 
Recently, LetsGoDigital traveled to Maldives to 
If you've never been on a dive trip dedicated to finding and diving with sharks, here's your chance: Wetpixel is running two charters to the Bahamas in July, 2007. The first trip (July 10-21) is for the purpose of finding and shooting oceanic white-tips. 
Recently, SeaLife announced their new 6.1 megapixel digital camera, the 
Speaking of 
