ALEX RIBEIRO

Choosing a macro lens – DSLR shooters

October 17, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

So you have a DSLr camera and an “all rounder” kit lens. You get a housing for it and start shooting underwater. After some dives, you feel comfortable with your rig and want to improve your macro results by buying a true macro lens. That’s when you start wondering: which focal distance makes more sense, for a macro lens? 40mm, 60mm, 85mm or 100/105mm ? I’m a Nikon user and been shooting underwater with D7100, D7200 and lately with D810. I personally […]

Categories: Others, Underwater • Tags: cropped sensor, Diopter, Dslr, elabcreative, Elabcreativeteam, full frame, Indonesia, Indopacific, macro, macro lens, nauticam, Nauticam smc-1, Nauticam SMC-2, Nauticambali, nikon, nikonindonesia, supermacro, underwater macro photography

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AOI UCL-09 Wetlens (and how it compares to Nauticam SMC-1)

September 18, 2018 by Alex Ribeiro

It has uncompromised optical quality, excellent corner sharpness, hardly any fringing or chromatic aberrations on the center, and just slight fringing on the corners, easy to correct on post processing. At this point of perfection…

Categories: Others

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Saga Snoot Quick Review

June 17, 2018 by Alex Ribeiro

Snooting is mostly removing distracting / unwanted elements, highlighting the theme and subject of an image, so it’s easier to read. As a bonus, in many circumstances, it renders crisper lively colours, as the light isn’t reflected from the background into the subject, but goes straight into it. Underwater, snoots are also a great took for reducing backscatter allowing to shoot in circumstances where normal strobe light would render the images unusable.

Categories: Others • Tags: CPAS, macro, Megadive, product review, Saga dive, snoot, strobe, subtronic, underwater macro photography, underwater photography

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Saga snoot – unpacking

May 21, 2018 by Alex Ribeiro

So excited to get a new pair of Saga snoots, to couple with my Subtronic Strobes.

Categories: Underwater • Tags: macro, Saga dive, snoot, strobe, subtronic, underwater macro photography, underwater photography

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Nauticam SMC-2 – First impressions

September 21, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

I started using SMC-1 roughly two years ago, on a cropped sensor DSLr camera (Nikon D7100 and 7200, afterwards). Once upgrading to full frame (Nikon D810), I missed that extra range, which allowed me to frame these 2 / 3 mm critters, without need for cropping.
However, after making a quick test on land, and a few dives with it, I realise it wasn’t exactly what I expected.

Categories: Underwater • Tags: Diopter, elabcreative, Elabcreativeteam, extreme magnification, nauticam, Nauticam SMC-2, Nauticambali, Nikon D810, product review, smc-2, supermacro, underwater macro photography, underwater photography, wet lens

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Perception and creativity

April 19, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

However a real pro photographer, has overcome that “technique mastering” phase, and uses technique to express something more – a story, but specially an emotion behind the story.

Categories: Others • Tags: architecture, conceptual, marina bay, marina bay sands, night photography, Real Estate, singapore

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Skeleton Shrimp at Underwater Macro Photographers

March 3, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

It was a privilege to share a condensed version of my article on shooting skeleton shrimps on Underwater Macro photographers e-mag. Check it out, on: http://www.uwmacrophotographers.com/eNews/eNews_Issue30.pdf

Categories: Others, Travel, Underwater • Tags: Skeleton Shrimp, Underwater Macro Photographers

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SeaLife DC 2000 Review

March 3, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

Last week I received SeaLife DC 2000 from Sea Life Indonesia, along with its underwater housing, Sea Dragon Universal Flash, Single Tray, Super Macro Lens, DC Fisheye Wide angle lens (and dock), plus an Ergonomic Grip, a Flex Arm and a cold shoe mount. I’ve been testing it throughout the Northeastern coast of Bali, including Amed, Tulamben and Kubu. At this point I feel like doing a personal review on what I believe the equipment is all about, what […]

Categories: Others, Sports, Travel, Underwater

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Clingfish

February 23, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

Long-snout Clingfish or Urchin Clingfish (Diademichthys lineatus), female. (Anilao, Philippines) Females have a longer and finer snout than males. This sexual dimorphism induce a difference between male and female diet, so the adult female, having a longer snout, eats more often small bivalves and shrimp’s eggs than the adult male, which eat more frequently tube feet.

Categories: Underwater • Tags: Long-snout Clingfish, Urchin Clingfish

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Platax teira (Longfin batfish)

February 23, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

Platax teira (Longfin batfish) found inside an old fishing trap on Secret Bay, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia. Ironically, what was used to kill fish, turned into their own home. It was somehow tricky to stick the camera and strobes inside. As I was shooting with a 105 mm lens, the best I could do was to capture some details. As the fish couldn’t possible move too much, I had the time to frame it to find a good balance in between […]

Categories: Underwater • Tags: (Longfin batfish), Platax teira

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Sleep with your eyes “open”

February 16, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

Fish have no eyelids, so they sleep with their eyes “open”. This Black-Saddled Toby (Canthigaster valentini) from Amed, Bali, Indonesia, found himself a shelter on a brown sponge to stay for the night. You will find plenty of fish on the same condition on your night dives. They will allow you to stay closer and shoot, and most won’t be too upset with your focusing light and strobes. Take your chance but be respectful. Resist any impulse of touching, moving […]

Categories: Underwater • Tags: Black-Saddled Toby

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Shooting Skeleton Shrimps

January 23, 2017 by Alex Ribeiro

SHOOTING SKELETON SHRIMPS Skeletons have a very short lifespan. In Amed, you need a few days with really calm sea, and you’ll have them holding to their hydroids – usually a thin kind of Leptothecata. They can be seen starting at -12m, where the wave and tidal influence is not noticeable, but most stay at -27m, on a flat, sandy bottom. They live in communities, frantically fighting, procreating and moving for around one week, and then they’ll be dead and gone. […]

Categories: Others • Tags: Shooting, Shrimps, Skeleton

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Black water diving

December 27, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Jemeluk Bay, Bali, Indonesia, Nikon D810, Nikon 105 Micro VR, 2.8, Sea and Sea MDX D810, 2 x Subtronic Nova, 1/250, f.20, ISO 100 Black Water Diving has been recently into fashion. As the number of skilled underwater macro photographers is increasing, it is harder and harder to get an eye-catching image that stands out from the crowd. Most of the exotic critters, even on remote destinations, have loads of photos uploaded on the internet on a daily basis. Black […]

Categories: Others

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Small fish on a tunicate

December 27, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Anilao, Philippines. Nikon D810, Nikon 105 Micro VR, 2.8, Nauticam SMC Sea and Sea MDX D810, 2 x Subtronic Nova, 1/320, f.22, ISO 64 Double exposure can be a very creative tool on UW photography or, in this case, a way to deceive the viewer into believing in an impossible scenery. There is no way a fish could be swimming inside a tunicate, though its big eyes seem to be curiously looking from a hiding place. This idea started as […]

Categories: Others • Tags: Small fish on a tunicate

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Ribbon eel, (Rhinomuraena quaesita), juvenile

December 27, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Anilao, Philippines. Nikon D810, Nikon 105 Micro VR, 2.8, Nauticam SMC Sea and Sea MDX D810, 2 x Subtronic Nova, 1/320, f.18, ISO 100 It’s a fairly common species in all Indo-Pacific, and can produce eye-catching images, if shot right. To get this kind of results, you need to set it all up in advance. This is how I do it with my set up: Once I spot the eel dancing, head out of its hole, I move away a […]

Categories: Others • Tags: (Rhinomuraena quaesita), juvenile., Ribbon eel

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SPOTTED BOXFISH

December 8, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Amed, Bali, Indonesia THE STORY Spotted Boxfish (Ostracion meleagris), juvenile, possible a female, with a parasite. It’s a bit like children portraits. They don’t stand still and are easily distracted. Try to get them with both eyes looking at you, to get a more “human” expression. Compare it to the juvenile cowfish on this same gallery: thought this one is older, the shape is completely different. THE TECHNIQUE They’re fairly easy ones to get right. It’s mainly not scaring them […]

Categories: Underwater • Tags: SPOTTED BOXFISH

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BLUESTRIPED FANGBLENNY

December 8, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Amed, Bali, Indonesia THE STORY They’re quite common, funny, colourful, and rarely leave their wholes. If you don’t scare them too much, they’ll allow a couple of shots before hiding away. THE TECHNIQUE A 60 mm lens may not be the best option, even on a cropped sensor since you have to be too close. This one didn’t care too much, so I managed to get the shot. The green background is due to the shape of the rock it […]

Categories: Underwater • Tags: BLUESTRIPED FANGBLENNY

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NEMO ON A PURPLE ANEMONE

December 8, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Amed, Bali, Indonesia THE STORY The best way to get likes on the social media with underwater shots is through Nemos. Everybody loves them and they’re easy to shoot. My recommendations are: Beware of the false nemos (the black and white ones), specially if you don’t have gloves – they bite! As they are everywyere in Indo-Pacific, choose them for the anemone they live on – you want a colourful contrasty one – and for the location: not so much […]

Categories: Underwater • Tags: NEMO ON A PURPLE ANEMONE

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SQUID CLOSE UP

December 8, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Amed, Bali, Indonesia THE STORY Sometimes they show up, sometimes they don’t. There’s nothing you can do on this regard except being ready when they do. It was maybe the first time I had a problem shooting something from being too close! I believe, for some reason, it was attracted to my focusing light. THE TECHNIQUE I was with the Inons, which didn’t left me too margin for maneuvre, so I just tried to focus on the eye and shoot, […]

Categories: Underwater • Tags: SQUID CLOSE UP

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PAINTED FROGFISH

December 8, 2016 by Alex Ribeiro

Amed, Bali, Indonesia THE STORY Painted Frogfish (Antennarius Pictus), hunting. You can see its lure distinctively, on top of its head. They’re very common in Amed, in yellow, red and white, and this black spotted, and go from a few mm in size until fist size. As they don’t move too much, they’re good models, cute from being so ugly, though they’re good on camouflage. THE TECHNIQUE Lower or turn down your focusing light as you approach, since they don’t […]

Categories: Underwater • Tags: PAINTED FROGFISH

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