1st Place Wide Angle
Nicholas More
“Blur of Sweetlips”
Nicholas won a 9 night dive package and a 10% discount for a companion with Critters@Lembeh and Lembeh Resort!
The Story: This photograph was taken in November 2019 on the last morning of a live-aboard trip to Raja Ampat, Indonesia. We were diving Saundereck Jetty when I came across this school of Yellow Ribbon Sweetlips at approximately 25m, over a patch of hard corals. What I found really beautiful about the scene, was the cloud of Convict Blennies swarming all over the reef. Ribbon Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus polytaenia), are nocturnal hunters but during the day they form dense schools on the reefs of Raja Ampat, sheltering from the strong current. Capturing this classic schooling behaviour was at the top of my photographic hit-list. To allow the sweetlips to be centre of attention, I used a slow shutter speed and accelerated panning to blur the background. This effect also helps to reinforce the unity of the school moving as a group, in the same direction. Panning shots require very little post-processing as most back-scatter is rendered blurred in the frame. This picture has had only global adjustments including clarity, contrast, highlight adjustments and added vibrance, as well as a slight crop.
Location: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Equipment Used: Nikon D500, Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye Lens, Zen Dome Port, Nauticam Housing, Dual Inon Z330 Strobes
Camera Settings: 1/8 sec, F16, ISO 200
