Underwater macro photography has exploded in recent years and there are those who have taken the niche to the point of obsession. Over the past decade or so, magnification levels seem to have steadily risen, as close-up lenses have increasingly become a common tool in the subsea shooter’s gear bag. Inevitably, macro nerds just keep stacking those lenses like there’s no tomorrow!
Those who don’t understand ask, “How far will this go?” The way we see it: setting boundaries is not conducive to true artistic expression. While it’s true that at a certain scale, you can’t really see what you’re going to get, the master will always approach her craft with a vision – a dream of capturing a photo of a mind-numbingly stunning animal that is no bigger than a grain of sand.
Imagine the challenge of taking a great photo of something you can barely see with your naked eye. How do you light something that small? How do you find the right angles and come away with an image that you can be proud of?
All your questions are answered in the pages that follow…
Matt Weiss, Editor (Americas)
Diego A. Garcia, Editor (Asia-Pacific and Australia)
Dietmar Fuchs, Editor (Europe & Africa)
CONTENTS
Photo Briefs
FROM THE FIELD
HAMMER HOME By Dr Tom Burns
On the sand with hammerhead sharks, day and night
SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT
BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS
QUICK MAPS
MACRO WORLD
Features
PHOTOTREKS EUROPE
LEMBEH OF NORWAY By Christian Skauge
Muck diving in chilly Gulen, on the Norwegian west coast, can be just as dazzling as the world’s greatest critter dives
PHOTOTREKS FLORIDA
UNDER THE BRIDGE By Lazaro Ruda
A menagerie of miniatures in an unexpected backyard destination
Portfolios
GALLERY
TINY WORLDS By Various Contributors
Super close-up images of critters from Asia, Europe and North America
COMPETITION
OUR WORLD UNDERWATER 2013
Presenting the winners of one of the world’s largest underwater photography competitions
IN FOLIO
INTERVIEW WITH A PRO Indra Swari W.
A passion for the ocean’s beauty that isn’t so easily spotted
Techniques
NOVICE
COMPACTS FOR CRITTERS By William Tan & Dexiang Chen
Convert your compact camera into a marvellous macro machine
INTERMEDIATE
SUPER MACRO TOOLKIT By Keri Wilk
Diving headfirst into the optics of super macro underwater photography to transform the miniscule
GOING PRO
SHOOTING WITH THE BUGEYE By Amir Stern
We call it the bugeye, but its real name is almost as long as the lens itself
