Fabulous Bonaire Macro

[Tom Nic]

I don't post much in this forum, and I usually don't post outside links, but this thread on Bonaire Talk has some of the most amazing macro shots I've ever seen.

Keep scrolling down, they get better and better. Lots to load, but worth the wait.

[Tangfish]

Wow, those are some AMAZING shots indeed, Tom. Thanks for posting the links.

[John Rawlings]

Wow! Fantastic photos!

[LCF]

Thank you for the link, Tom! And for anybody looking at the thread, scroll down past each set of comments -- there are lots more pictures, and the ones at the very end are some of the best.

[Grateful Diver]

Those are some pretty amazing images. My only somewhat negative impression is that the excessive use of Photoshop gives them more the quality of paintings than pictures. Perhaps that is the photographer's intent, and frankly I think for some it is a pleasing effect. For most, it's distracting in somewhat the same way as would be a pretty woman wearing too much makeup.

I guess it's a matter of taste ... but I think the majority of those images would be more visually spectacular with less digital enhancement ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[whatevah]

Thanks Tom. The macro shots are very nice indeed, but the needlefish reflection shots and the wide angle turtle and ray shots are what really stand out to me. Wow - what it must've been like to actually experience those scenes as they were unfolding.

[Tom Nic]

Wow - what it must've been like to actually experience those scenes as they were unfolding.

Yup - that's Bonaire! Been there 4 times , done over 120 dives there, and as a photographer and critter lover it simply never gets old. There is so much territory to cover, and you can dive so much that just when the reef starts looking a little familiar something completely unexpected comes up to blow your mind.

For most, it's distracting in somewhat the same way as would be a pretty woman wearing too much makeup.

Bob - I had a similar thought to yours at first. But then, you can only put so much lipstick on a, ahem... pig. These aren't "pigs"! :-) I was captured by the detail and clarity of the images - you simply cannot photoshop the detail in those shots. Having done lots of dives in Bonaire I was discovering critters I've never seen, as well as discovering familiar ones in ways I've never seen them.

Simply delightful... and glad that others enjoyed them as well!

[spatman]

amazing photos. thanks for posting the link, tom.

[lizard0924]

Thanks for the link, Tom. BT is someplace I haven't been for a long time, but it was worth it today. Those were amazing photos.

As an aside, though.....in my status as a total newb in the world of underwater photography, I am always confused as to how much of any given photo is raw material vs. Photoshop enhancement. It gets a little discouraging sometimes to see all sorts of fabulous UW shots and then look at what I end up with after a dive. Hard to figure out where to start to improve my shots.

[Tom Nic]

As an aside, though.....in my status as a total newb in the world of underwater photography, I am always confused as to how much of any given photo is raw material vs. Photoshop enhancement. It gets a little discouraging sometimes to see all sorts of fabulous UW shots and then look at what I end up with after a dive. Hard to figure out where to start to improve my shots.

It's hard to comment specifically without seeing what you are shooting and how your shots are turning out.

Enhancement can improve the look of a picture, but it cannot take a crappy shot and make it amazing - at least not the way I use it.

Typically I adjust contrast or brightness, and occasionally do a bit with the levels - that is all. There are others more skilled with the software that can do a lot more - I am not one of those.

But basically you need a decent image to start with if photoshop is going to do much. You can't bring a picture in focus that is out of focus, for instance. If exposure is really wrong you can only help things to a point...

Next time you do a dive with someone who you think takes better pics than you talk to them about what they shoot and how and what they do with their pics after a dive. I still only use a point and shoot with internal flash and no strobe. It limits my range of shooting, but I don't have a choice in the matter at the moment.

There are lots of good photogs on this board, and you'll find some of them able to spend more money on equipment. That is a good thing - but I maintain that a $3,000 camera rig will not make you a $3,000 photographer. Skill must be developed. Some of the best photogs I've seen max out their skill with the equipment they are using then upgrade equipment and and their skill together. The best route depends on your budget and your personality.

Keep shooting! The more the better. You'll learn what makes for a good shot more and more, and find yourself adjusting your angles, getting closer, passing up shots because you know they won't turn out, etc etc.

[Norris]

Jaw dropping photos!!!! Thanks for posting, those are just amazing!

[SeattleYates]

Although I had the same thought as Bob - too much post-processing - there are a heck of a lot of stunning images there, and it is obvious that the original shots (pre-Photoshop) really were exceptional. You gotta give credit where credit is due...and there's a lot of credit due for dozens of those shots!