BatCavePhotography
FollowChristmas tree worms sprout from a piece of yellow brain coral near Utila, Honduras.
Christmas tree worms sprout from a piece of yellow brain coral near Utila, Honduras.
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Hero Award
Contest Finalist in Textures Around Us Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Underwater Textures Photo Contest
Winner in Floor of the oceans Photo Challenge
Winner in Coral Wonderland Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the second largest barrier reef in the world, just off the Bay Island of Utila, Honduras. On the south side of the island, just near the mid point, is a shallow dive site known as "Pretty Bush," which offers some great opportunities for macro photography.Time
I took this photo in the early afternoon, during our third dive of the day. We had moored on the south side of Utila and were exploring the shallow reefs just off shore.Lighting
At 15 meters (45') the natural light was just starting to play out enough that it gave the coral some really interesting shadows that highlighted the texture of the brain coral beautifully.Equipment
This dive was done with a Canon Powershot G15 in a Fantasea underwater housing and a snap on red color corrective lens. This shot, as almost all of my underwater pictures, was done hand held .Inspiration
I love exploring the underwater world, and sharing it with people who have never experienced it, so when I came across this scene of textures and colors I knew it was something I had to capture. I remember hovering in place for several minutes while the Christmas Tree worms became used to me being there and opened back up.Editing
I try and keep my post processing to a minimum usually, but I did boost the contrast a bit and run a high pass filter over this image to sharpen up the folds in the coral and the tines on the Christmas Tree worms.In my camera bag
For my underwater shooting I have a Canon G16 in a Fantasea housing, off camera strobes for shooting below 10 meters, and of course a GoPro strapped to my wrist just in case.Feedback
Shooting underwater is all about buoyancy control, the better your buoyancy is the easier you'll find your photography to be. I try to stay a bit negatively buoyant when I'm shooting underwater, so when I've located a clear patch in the sand to position for a shot I can frame up, blow out all my air, and snap the picture.