A few pics from Bonaire

[saudio]

I rarely post here but here are a couple shots from Bonaire from last week.


The visibility was bad all week so I took only close up and Macro shots with a couple exceptions.


Stayed at capt Dons for the first time in years. Overall impression was positive, there were some blemishes but the management of the resort and the dive operation were open for suggestions and anxious to please. I'd give it another go with some assurances of fixes. If you have questions about the resort ask here and I'll reply.


Hope you enjoy.






http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/arrowcrab_9724.jpg
Arrow Crab. Weird dude.




http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/basslet_9771.jpg




http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/crab_9686.jpg
Hairy Clinging Crab on a wreck on a night dive in front of the resort




http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/flower_0158.jpg
Not sure, some kind of anemone


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/school_0048.jpg
Schooling Grunts on a twilight dive under Salt pier


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/album02/goby_0359.jpg
Red Lipped Blenny


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/gobyeyes_9794.jpg
Secretary Blenny, this one is very tiny. Notice the reflection of my two strobes in his eyes. This was the 100mm plus the SubSee 10X diopter


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/juvidamsel_0030.jpg
Juvenile Spotted Damselfish. Yellow with spots, hiding with a bunch of others in a Yellow Sponge with spots. Hmmm...




http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/juvitrunk_9925.jpg
Juvenile Spotted Trunkfish




http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/oddurchin_9704.jpg
Chocolate Chip sea urchin


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/album02/goby_0416.jpg
I think this is a Peppermint Goby




http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/pederson_9749.jpg
Pederson Cleaner Shrimp





http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/spottedeel_0068.jpg
Another shot from Salt Pier, a spotted eel hiding in a discarded pipe. If you look close you can see a red cleaner shrimp in the lower right of the pipe waiting for his turn for supper


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/spottedshrimp_0425.jpg

Spotted Cleaner Shrimp


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/squirreleye_9915.jpg
I like this shot because it shows the structure of the eye.


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/tubeanemone_9897.jpg
Tube Anemone, night dive. I added color saturation in PS to this for added impact.


http://www.azurerealm.com/albums/Bonaire-2012/flamingo_9985.jpg
You know.

All pics with Canon 7D, Nauticam housing, Z240 strobes.

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Crap, how do you edit the subject line? I hit the edit button but I can't seem to change my stupid misspelling.

[xspect]

Awesome pics, thanks for sharing

[saudio]

Thanks, mods! and xpect.

[yodelhawk]

nice job!

[BUDMANOK]

nice pics

[dhaas]

Nice super macro shots Saudio!

David Haas
www.haasiamges.com

[deeper thoughts]

great pix, I wonder why the viz is poor now

[Larry C]

Lovely pics. Thanks for sharing.

[herbdb]

We leave Friday night for Capt Don's. I have new stacking macro lens, can't wait to try them. Very nice pics. Did you enter anything in the weekly photo contest?

[saudio]

great pix, I wonder why the viz is poor now


thank you. I don't know what was going on but all week it was ranging from 60 down to 30 or 40 feet. I even had a lot of backscatter in the macro shots. We also had about three dives with significant current, including one shore dive at Capt Dons with very serious current, maybe as much as 2 knots. It was kind of funny because i was down there with my brother and his son and I was just telling them, right before the dive, how you never have current in Bonaire. :-) Maybe the two things were related.

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We leave Friday night for Capt Don's. I have new stacking macro lens, can't wait to try them. Very nice pics. Did you enter anything in the weekly photo contest?

Have you used stacked macro lenses before? If not, I can give you a few hints. Yes, I entered a shot in the contest. There were only four entries so I lucked out.

[deeper thoughts]

thank you. I don't know what was going on but all week it was ranging from 60 down to 30 or 40 feet. I even had a lot of backscatter in the macro shots. We also had about three dives with significant current, including one shore dive at Capt Dons with very serious current, maybe as much as 2 knots. It was kind of funny because i was down there with my brother and his son and I was just telling them, right before the dive, how you never have current in Bonaire. :-) Maybe the two things were related.

---------- Post Merged at 08:43 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:42 AM ----------



Have you used stacked macro lenses before? If not, I can give you a few hints. Yes, I entered a shot in the contest. There were only four entries so I lucked out.

Hints would be nice
Thnx

[saudio]

Well, the most important thing is to focus by moving the camera before trying to engage the auto-focus. If you can't see the subject in partial focus before you half-press the shutter then your auto focus is just going to hunt. Also, because of the razor thin depth of field you get with diopters, you may have more success getting in-focus shots by using a higher aperture setting. And I don't know why this is, but through the viewfinder the DOF appears even thinner than you can imagine. Once you have focus lock, take the shot and look at the shot at the screen. Sometimes its shocking how good a focus the image has compared to what you see in the viewfinder.

Actually finding the subject in the viewfinder is challenging. The best thing you can do is find a stationary object on your first dive and use it as a test subject. Then you'll be ready for that two headed pygmy seahorse ;-)

One last thing, if you are using a screw on diopter, be real sure the threads have caught before letting go of it. Especially if you are wall diving. Not an issue in Bonaire, but those things sink fast.

[herbdb]

Thanks for the tips, I was hoping to be able to experiment in the local quarry, but have not had the chance. I have not used a macro lens before. I'll take your advise and find a place to lay in the sand near a piece of coral and practice.

I won a weekly contest in March, maybe I'll luck out again.

[saudio]

Thanks for the tips, I was hoping to be able to experiment in the local quarry, but have not had the chance. I have not used a macro lens before. I'll take your advise and find a place to lay in the sand near a piece of coral and practice.

I won a weekly contest in March, maybe I'll luck out again.

Already going back? Lucky you! The prize for that contest is pretty sweet, good luck!

[calicant]

Nice pics. Are you the same saudio who has a list of trip reports at awoosh? If so you write really good trip reports with excellent photographs. I felt like I was reading a glossy magazine article each time.

[emoreira]

The visibility was bad all week so I took only close up and Macro shots with a couple exceptions.




I don't know what was going on but all week it was ranging from 60 down to 30 or 40 feet.


I must redefine the "bad visibility" concept.

[saudio]

I must redefine the "bad visibility" concept.

"bad" is a relative term :-).

30 foot vis does not lend itself to wide angle photography with strobes. It's also quite a bit lower than it usually is there.

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I'm curious, do viewers have a "click to enlarge" bar on these images? When I first posted them I could see that but it's gone now.

---------- Post Merged at 08:22 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 12:21 PM ----------


Nice pics. Are you the same saudio who has a list of trip reports at awoosh? If so you write really good trip reports with excellent photographs. I felt like I was reading a glossy magazine article each time.

Yes, that's me. And thanks very much. Judy G has a great site. Right now the main address takes you to her blog, so you have to click on "archives" now to get to the trip reports and photos.

Nice to see somebody reads those things. Since there is no mechanism for feedback I never know.