Photo Essay

Photo essays from top underwater photographers and dive travel destinations, including behind-the-scenes insight, photo tips and best camera settings.

The Sea and Sea YS-D3 Lightning strobe produced beautiful wide angle and macro photos during our recent photoworkshop in the Sea of Cortez
By Nirupam Nigam

Shooting with the Sea & Sea YS-D3 Strobe in the Sea of Cortez

Shooting with the Sea & Sea YS-D3 Strobe in the Sea of Cortez
Nirupam Nigam
The Sea and Sea YS-D3 Lightning strobe produced beautiful wide angle and macro photos during our recent photoworkshop in the Sea of Cortez

One of my favorite things about leading the Underwater Photography Guide's photoworkshops is bringing along new toys to try out and show our guests. During our July 2020 Sea of Cortez photoworkshop aboard the Rocio Del Mar, I had the pleasure of bringing a pair of new Sea & Sea YS-D3 Lightning strobes with me to use in my underwater photography.

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An underwater photographer takes macro with a compact camera to the limits
By Kathrin Landgraf-Kluge

Pushing the Limits of Macro with a Compact Camera

Kathrin Landgraf-Kluge
An underwater photographer takes macro with a compact camera to the limits

I started diving 20 years ago while on holiday in the Dominican Republic, and fell in love with it immediately. Then, I tried my first muck diving, and found I love that too. It was like playing in the mud and reminded me of my childhood! But my big passion for underwater macro photography only started two years ago with a holiday in Lembeh Strait.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Kathrin Landgraf-Kluge grew up in a village in East Germany. She was fascinated by nature and wildlife from her early childhood onwards. Not surprisingly, keeping with her fascination she went on to study biology. She fell in love with diving when she was 20 years old, and has not let go since then. She loves travelling, especially in Indonesia. Her big love for underwater macro photography started there about 2 years ago. Since then she has done her best to share her passion for the tiny and super tiny underwater critters with the world. Follow her on Instagram @kathrin_underwater if you would like to see more.

 

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Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Wild and wonderful macro critters from Anilao, Philippines during December, 2018's workshop
By UWPG News

Beautiful Underwater Photos from Anilao

UWPG News
Wild and wonderful macro critters from Anilao, Philippines during December, 2018's workshop

Every December, Bluewater Photo and Travel returns to the macro photography paradise of Anilao, Philippines for their annual winter underwater photography workshop. The December, 2018 photo workshop was led by Craig Dietrich, Helen Brierley, Crystal Blue Resort’s Mike Bartick and Bluewater CEO, Scott Gietler.

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Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Shooting super-macro subjects with the Olympus TG-5 as a supplement to a dSLR rig.

DSLR and TG-5: A New Level of Underwater Photography

Shooting super-macro subjects with the Olympus TG-5 as a supplement to a dSLR rig.

The first photographs were taken in the early 1800s and astounded the public. Soon thereafter, in 1856, a camera was lowered into the gloomy waters of the Bay of Dorsett and remotely activated. Underwater photography was born. The art and science of underwater photography quickly captured the hearts and minds of explorers. In 1899, the first portrait of a hard hat diver was taken and thereafter technology accelerated exponentially such that by 1950, Beauchat had successfully marketed a commercial housing for a commercial camera – the first on the market.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After graduating from Duke University for undergraduate studies, Charles E. Rawlings attended Duke University School of Medicine where he became a distinguished neurosurgeon. After practicing neurosurgery for over ten years, Dr. Rawlings decided to add another career path and attended Wake Forest University School of Law, where he was named a Juris Doctor in 2002. Dr. Rawlings currently owns and operates The Rawlings Law Firm of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Moreover, he has over 56 publications in various journals and dive publications covering a multitude of subjects.  

Although Dr. Rawlings has ventured into the academic areas of both medicine and law, his true passions stem from underwater photography and travel.  For over 30 years, Charles has traveled the globe fulfilling his desire to capture life under the sea in its natural habitat.  With a focus upon living shells, Charles has taken part in over 50 photographic displays and a myriad of worldwide expeditions.  If malachological expeditions in Union Island, Roatan, Manus Islands, Mozambique, North West Sulawesi, and Palawan weren't enough, add in scuba diving, underwater and regular photography expeditions in areas such as the Cayman Islands, Yucatan, Netherland Antilles, Kona Coast of Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, the Red Sea, Belize, Honduras, and other remote parts of the planet. 

Charles Rawlings' exquisite and seemingly impossible photography has graced the cover of American Conchologist 14 times, as well as being on the back cover twice.  Photography that mystifies the mind, tempts the senses, and exemplifies nature's beauty is what can be found behind the lens of Dr. Charles Rawlings.

 

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

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Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


An amazing experience playing with a pod of spotted dolphins in Bimini
By Simone Lipscomb

Dolphin Play in Bimini

Simone Lipscomb
An amazing experience playing with a pod of spotted dolphins in Bimini

Since I was a kid, the water and dolphins have been an important aspect of my life. I begged my parents to allow me to order the Jacques Cousteau book that would change my young life. Decades after befriending that book and watching every episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, I had photographed humpback whales underwater, manatees and beautiful reef scenes, but one of my favorite cetaceans had still eluded me.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Simone Lipscomb is a writer and artist who uses her skills as an underwater and nature photographer to raise awareness of our ocean planet. Her intention is to help humans reconnect with nature to gain understanding and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life. Visit her website to view photographs, read blog posts or to purchase books. www.simonelipscomb.com  

 

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Join our March 2016 Raja Trip or Dec 2016 Raja Trip, both at amazing prices!
By Kevin Lee

Raja Ampat Dive Report

Scuba Diving in Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Kevin Lee
Join our March 2016 Raja Trip or Dec 2016 Raja Trip, both at amazing prices!

Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, is a vast archipelago of over 17,500 islands. Toward the eastern side, on Papua New Guinea, is a region called Raja Ampat, meaning "Four Kings". Here, among hundreds of islands, warm waters offer some of the world's most spectacular scuba diving. Being so remote, reaching Raja Ampat is no easy task, as it requires three or more flights.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Lee is a valued contributor of the Underwater Photography Guide. He resides in Fullerton, California and is an enthusiastic traveler, diver and nudiphile. Kevin's images have been featured in magazines, newspapers, academic literature and numerous dive related publications. For more of his excellent photography and dive travel stories visit his website at http://www.diverkevin.com/

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


From the big stuff to the small, the Sea of Cortez has a bit of something for everyone.
By Aaron Halstead and Nirupam Nigam

Top 10 Reasons to Dive the Sea of Cortez

Aaron Halstead and Nirupam Nigam
From the big stuff to the small, the Sea of Cortez has a bit of something for everyone.

Intro to Sea of Cortez

With the nickname “The Aquarium of the World”, it’s not surprising that the Sea of Cortez boasts over 900 species of fish, including numerous endemic species found nowhere else on the planet. Dive into schools of jacks, tuna and mobula rays, hunt the reefs searching for macro subjects like well camouflaged frogfish, seahorses, or a variety of personable blennies and colorful nudibranchs.  

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SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Exploring the volcanoes of North Sulawesi
By Paul & Lisa Hogger

Diving with Volcanoes

Paul & Lisa Hogger
Exploring the volcanoes of North Sulawesi

Volcanoes

Whether active, dormant, or extinct, volcanoes are a fascinating and occasionally volatile feature of nature. One country stands out as having the most active volcanoes on the planet, and coincidently some of the best diving – Indonesia.  Indonesia’s far northern archipelago gives divers opportunities to dive in close proximity to volcanos.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul and Lisa are an Australian couple originating from Australia’s East Coast. Of their 20 years of marriage they have lived on their private yachts Purranha and Lorelei for 14 years and have been full time sailing/cruising for 9 of those years. Their latest expedition began in 2011 onboard Lorelei with the main purpose to dive many of the world’s best dive locations. To date they have explored 22 countries in the South Pacific, North Pacific and Asia – covering a distance of over 24 000 nautical miles.

They are independent divers and can proudly say that over 95% of their underwater images were taken whilst diving by themselves from their purpose built dive tender on board Lorelei. They are PADI pros and have over 8000 dives between them. Due to the harsh conditions of sailing life, they choose Nikon, Ikelite and Aquatica photographic equipment.

More information and images of their travels can be found on their blog:

www.yachtlorelei.blogspot.com

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Starting off 2018 with amazing underwater photography in the Galapagos
By Dan McGanty, Helen Brierley, and Contributors

An Immersion into Evolution: Galapagos Photo Essay

Dan McGanty, Helen Brierley, and Contributors
Starting off 2018 with amazing underwater photography in the Galapagos

The Galapagos – A Painting of Evolution and the Circle of Life…

A trip to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador is on the bucket list of virtually every nature enthusiast, for good reason. The Galapagos are an immersion into evolution with an abundance of creatures – many endemic – each riding the train of natural selection. They are a geological wonder with a shallow, seismic hot spot under the Nazca tectonic plate spitting out islands at a rapid rate – at least on a geological timescale.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With a life-long passion for anything water-related, Helen and Dan take every opportunity to race sailboats in Southern California and scuba dive anywhere in the world.  Both Helen and Dan learned to scuba dive in the early 80’s, Helen in the UK and Dan in New York, and they currently call Los Angeles home.  Helen also serves as Board Chair for Reef Check, the global marine conservation foundation.

ALSO BY DAN MCGANTY AND HELEN BRIERLEY

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Amazing underwater photography from Anilao, Philippines taken in December 2017

Anilao Workshop Photo Essay December 2017

Amazing underwater photography from Anilao, Philippines taken in December 2017

The Diving

Bluewater Photo returns to Crystal Blue Resort in Anilao every December for the annual winter photo workshop. This year, Bluewater Photo's Vijay Raman and Matthew Sullivan joined Crystal Blue Resort’s Mike Bartick and ~30 guests for a week of intensive underwater (mostly macro) photography: 4 dives per day, a daily image review, and a daily presentation on some sort of underwater photography discipline.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Sullivan is an underwater and conservation photographer based out of Los Angeles, CA. For more of his pictures follow him on Instagram.

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


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