johannes_felten

Excellent. Lovely colours and interesting subject matter. Good composition. Where is the rest of that series?

Too much in the centre. What's the matter with you?

Good composition and the vertical frame is exactly right. The colours themselves are not so appealing to me, and I would perhaps try this in a B/W version in order to emphasize structure.

First of all I would like to thank all of you for your comments. I always enjoy reading the

more productive ones, of course. I try to be self critical about my own work and always ask

myself whether a photo carries some interest or not. Do I myself think this is my best

underwater shot? No, I don't. However, the subject matter is unique for an underwater

scene and the fact that some people see it as an ecological statement and others just

simply as a pile of toilets appears to create part of the interest.

As to the technical side of this shot, I have dived at this location four times during the past

few years and conditions have been different each time. The first time currents were so

strong that by the time I reached the toilets I had no more air left and couldn't take the

shot. The second time, a year later, I took this shot (I'm sorry there weren't any whale

sharks cruising above the toilets to make the shot more interesting for you, Doug). The

year after that visibility was really bad so there was no point in taking a shot at all. This

year there was no current, I had enough air, and the visibility was good, but I saw that I

wasn't able to improve on my existing shot. In fact, looking at the scene this time, I was

even surprised that the photo from that other time came out the way it did.

James, I would appreciate it if you would send me your version when you get it. Thanks.

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This seagull was having a closer look, undoubtedly wondering if I was using the correct f

stop...

Dead, eh? Well, he looked pretty much alive when he was just 50cm away from my face! I was in a protective cage during all my underwater shark shots. It's not really advisable to do this otherwise. However, if you want to get rid of your mother-in-law, sending her out for a short swim may be a viable option.

You wait until the shark comes in close enough, hope that he will turn just a little so everything fits in nicely into the vertical frame, and press the button.

The standard protection for underwater white shark viewing is a cage (and preferably a dry suit because the water is very cold). Even though a shark may, apparently, not be looking at you, he is very well aware of your presence, your movements and, check this out - he even knows if YOU are aware of HIS presence! Contrary to the "JAWS" fiction concept, sharks are not out to "get you" and we are not on their menu. 99% of shark attacks are really inquisitive bites just to determine if we are "tasty" and, apparently, we are not. The problem is that the Great White Shark has a bite force of a few tons! No other animal equals that. So, even when he lets you go, after an initial "nibble", the wound is usually serious, if not fatal. The photos, here, in which the sharks are more "enthusiastic" were taken at moments when the sharks leap forward to grab the bait, which is being pulled away from them as the shark closes in. The bait entices the sharks to come closer to the boat, but they are not being fed with it. Because this is done in close proximity to where sharks feed on seals naturally, they mistake the bait for a wounded seal and try to go for it, while I try to go for the sharks.

Absolutely perfect composition. It was very nice of you not to have cut off the tip of the mountain at the top right corner. The composition works well both in structure as well as in the colours.

The lighting and the composition are perfect. There are good colour contrasts, and the fact that the flower is withered perhaps makes the photo more interesting.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

Yes, of course its real. Other than a little colour desaturation there was no manipulation done at all here.

Good interaction between the two actresses. Nice colour contrasts.

Very captivating and very special. The lady has a lot of expression. Well done.

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Perfect composition and lovely colours. Clownfish always make an interesting subject because of their inherent colour patterns, and their defiant attitude towards divers. Good lighting.

Interesting composition and nice colour contrasts.

I would have preferred Icarus to be less centered in the frame and also with a more diagonal position. The buildings in the background are a little distracting. As a silhouette to me this looks fine. I'm not necessarily looking for details on the figure itself here, and with fill flash this would probably not have achieved such a dramatic effect.

The "glow" must be a result of the soft filter and not through any manipulation.

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This couple was sitting it out in the shade, waiting for the midday heat to pass.