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
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
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
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
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
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
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. […]
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
by Alex Ribeiro
Amed, Bali, Indonesia THE STORY Elysia ornata is a kind of sea slug, though it’s not a nudibranch. They’re not very numerous in Amed (or anywhere, that I’m aware of). I saw this one on a night dive. Since it has a black contour, I thought it would be better seen on a colourful background than to isolate it. THE TECHNIQUE So I used both flashes on a 45º angle to the front, illuminating the slug with the rear edge […]
Categories: Underwater • Tags: ELYSIA ORNATA
by Alex Ribeiro
Nihiwatu, Sumba, Indonesia THE STORY A lazy intimate moment by the pool, after the daily activities, just before dinner. You’re still watching Occy’s left, the wave you’ve probaly been riding before – a familiar concept to most of the resorts guests. That’s what I wanted to capture: this nostalgic “I want to come back” feeling. THE TECHNIQUE Even on late afternoon, shooting against the sun requires HDR and good flare and ghosts control. Here I managed to keep it right […]
Categories: Real Estate • Tags: MARANGGA - POOL VIEW
by Alex Ribeiro
Nihiwatu, Sumba, Indonesia THE STORY The idea is to give a potential guest an idea on what to expect from staying in this villa: the exterior dining area, the two pools, the balcony and the stunning view. All in the same frame, in a way that makes sense. THE TECHNIQUE So, I waited for sunset, on a day with almost no wind. Went to the upper floor, steped out of the balcony, and leaned as much as possible to the […]
Categories: Real Estate • Tags: PUNCAK - EXTERIOR VIEW WITH GARDENS AT SUNSET
by Alex Ribeiro
Nihiwatu, Sumba, Indonesia THE STORY Enough of sunsets. I wanted to capture daylight, blue skyes, blue ocean, warm water – the time of day you recommend your children to stay out of the Sun, but they don’t obey… Or if you’re not too nitpicking, when you stay in the shade, on the mattress, having a drink and whatching them play in the pool. THE TECHNIQUE I also did it for the challenge, Under such a harsh light, would it be […]
Categories: Real Estate • Tags: MARANGGA - POOL AREA
by Alex Ribeiro
Changgu, Bali, Indonesia THE STORY An exotic villa in Changgu, Bali, that was on sale and whose owners asked me for a promotion portfolio. The building is big, as seen, and the garden, though still large, didn’t allow a clear front view at enough distance to keep the camera properly levelled. Pool had only one light inside, and there were no others in the garden, apart from the ones in the fence, behind me. This is a sort of “conceptual” […]
Categories: Real Estate • Tags: PYRAMIDS
