ONEUW One160X Strobe Review... This is a first impressions review of my personal experience with this new Italian strobe. As explained below, I bought the strobes myself through my diving buddy and fellow underwater photographer Filippo Borghi. And the purpose of this review is to share my initial experience with some new and really excellent technology. ONEUW One160X Strobe Review - The Background... It’s no secret that Italians are, by nature, passionate and enthusiastic people… So when the first message arrived from my great friend Filippo Borghi extolling the virtues of the new strobes he had been testing - quite frankly I took it all …
Articles
D500 for Underwater Photography
Nikon D500 for Underwater Photography - A Mid-Term Review... How time flies - just over two years ago I wrote a first impressions review of my newly acquired Nikon D500. And in it I waxed lyrically about what the new “king of DX (APS-C) photography” could do. Two years is a long time in digital photography and a lot has happened. Top of the list being that it seems like the glory days of DSLR’s are probably coming to an end. And the changing of the guard to mirrorless is well under way. Both Nikon and Canon responded to the Sony juggernaut late last year with the Z6/7 and EOS R full-frame mirrorless cameras. And Panasonic have just …
Diving the Ogasawara Islands
Diving the Ogasawara Islands... Often referred to as the Oriental Galapagos, the Ogasawara archipelago is located in the north-west Pacific Ocean. About 1000km south of Tokyo and is one of the most isolated and remote parts of Japan. Despite their distance from Tokyo, the 30+ Ogasawara Islands are administered from the Japanese capital. And the only way to get there is also from Tokyo... On the weekly ferry service as there are no airports on any of the islands! The isolation of the archipelago, combined with the fact that the islands have never been connected to a continent. Is said to have produced a “Galapagos effect” with flora …
The Sharks of Protea Banks
The Sharks of Protea Banks... It is often described as the African equivalent of the Gulf Stream. One of the world’s most powerful oceanic currents – moving almost 70 million tons of water a second! Its name is the Agulhas Current and it forms to the south-west of the huge island of Madagascar. When the powerful Mozambique Current merges with the equally strong East Madagascar Current. From that tumultuous beginning, the Agulhas runs straight down the 2000km long east coast of South Africa. At surface speeds of up to 8km an hour, bringing with it warm Indian Ocean water rich with nutrients. Where those waters touch offshore reef …
Chinchorro Crocodiles Encounters…
Chinchorro Crocodiles... The pursuit of unusual and compelling photo-opportunities has led me on some interesting journeys over the last few years. But few come close to the raw excitement of photographing the American Crocodiles of Mexico’s Banco Chinchorro! Chinchorro Crocodiles – American Crocodiles The American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is considered as a relatively large species. With males reaching maximum lengths of 5 to 6m when fully mature. While females are generally smaller at around 3 to 3.5m. Like all reptiles they are cold-blooded and breath air. So they are most comfortable in warm shallow waters. And the …
The Giant Japanese Salamander
The Giant Japanese Salamander is a quite unique, if rather mysterious, creature that lives in rivers across western and south-western Japan. As endemic species of Japan that is protected under federal legislation. It is formally nominated as a special natural monument because of its cultural and educational significance. The giant Japanese salamander is indeed quite large - reaching up to 1.5m in length and 25kg in weight. Which, together with its large mouth and rather strange features gives it a quite formidable presence. They possess an amazing ability to burrow down in to the rocks of the river beds. Something they do …
Oceanic Whitetip Sharks
The Oceanic Whitetip Sharks of Cat Island... It seems almost unbelievable that as recently as the mid-1960’s Carcharhinus longimanus, the Oceanic Whitetip shark, was widely considered to be one of the most abundant large animals in the world. And just over 50 years later, these sharks are on the IUCN Red List as "Vulnerable" globally. And "Critically Endangered" in the north and central western areas of the Atlantic Ocean. All because a diminutive, but incredibly resilient, former PLA general managed to seize control of the Middle Kingdom. And then implemented the economic reforms that have lifted hundreds of millions of …
Great Hammerhead Sharks of Bimini
The Great Hammerhead sharks of Bimini really are very special... There is literally nowhere else in the world where you can come face-to-face with these incredible animals so reliably. Large, increasingly rare and generally solitary animals - Great Hammerheads are really difficult to see underwater. When underwater encounters do happen they are typically fleeting at best, but not in Bimini! Where every winter a healthy population of Great Hammerheads gathers just off the coast of the island. Great Hammerhead Sharks of Bimini - Discovery The annual aggregation of Great Hammerheads was discovered by the staff of Dr Samuel …
Australian Leafy Seadragons
The Incredible Australian Leafy Seadragon - The great brown land down under, is home to many iconic and often strange-looking creatures. Both above and below the water. But few are as unique and visually spectacular as the leafy seadragon! Typically referred to locally as “leafies”, they are also known by the common name Glauert's seadragon. Leafy seadragons are endemic to the southern and western coasts of Australia. However they are particularly synonymous with South Australia, where they have been adopted as the state’s marine emblem. Found among patches of kelp and seaweed, usually in sandy areas and at depths of …