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BSoUP
Beginners Portfolio Competition 2005
For
the DIVER Trophy
Fourth
- Annelise Hagan
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©
Annelise Hagan |
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My
portfolio
Annelise Hagan |
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 'Preparing to Dive' (photo: Denis
Antippa)
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I
am 27 years old and started diving when I was on holiday
with my family in St. Lucia at the age of 13. My love
of diving has ultimately turned into a career; having
completed a Ph.D. in tropical coral reef ecology I
am presently the 'Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans
Foundation Research Fellow' at Cambridge University.
I
have been taking underwater photos seriously since
2002 when I bought a Nikon F90X and Nexus housing
before going to Bonaire on a Martin Edge course. Since
then I have travelled with Martin and his wife Sylvia
to Wakatobi, Indonesia, in 2004 and joined the BSoUP
Red Sea trip in June 2005. Using underwater photography
for work as well as for pleasure, I felt it was nearing
the time that I needed to 'go digital'. Although at
first this was a reluctant change (I love the clarity
and colour saturation of slides) I recently bought
a Nikon D70S and Nexus housing before joining Martin
Edge's trip to Sulawesi, Indonesia, in October 2005.
Needless to say, the numerous advantages offered by
digital, especially the instant feedback, make me
think this is one of the best decisions I have ever
made! All the photos in my beginners portfolio were
taken with my new digital camera in either Manado
or Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, in October 2005.
When
not under the water, I can be found on the water -
typically rowing or sculling on the River Cam (that's
certainly not somewhere I'd want to practise my underwater
photography skills!). |
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Photo
1: Mandarinfish on mating rise, Lembeh Strait. This
was a very difficult shot to take as the dive guide
prevented us from going too close to 'the action'
and the low ambient light make it nearly impossible
to focus on the subject. 105 mm lens, F10, 1/60, 1
Subtronic strobe. |
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Photo
2: I love split-level shots and whilst stopped at a
beach for lunch on a day trip to Bangka Island off the
north coast of Sulawesi, I took advantage of the perfect
conditions. 10.5 mm lens, F11, 1/200, natural light. |
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Photo
3: Close-up of urchin body, Lembeh Strait. Urchins such
as this were often seen moving across the sand and the
incredible natural colours; bright red and iridescent
blue spots, attracted me to it as a subject. I was interested
to find these two small fish nestled amongst the urchin
spines. 105 mm lens, F22, 1/60, 1 Subtronic strobe. |
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Photo
4: Snake eel being cleaned by shrimp, Lembeh Strait.
The black volcanic sand seabed made it easy to lie down
and observe the cleaning process. The shrimp methodically
worked its way around the eel's head and I took a number
of shots. 105 mm lens, F16, 1/60, 1 Subtronic strobe. |
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Photo
5: Using the pilot light on my strobe I could see just
how intense the red colour of this whip coral was. When
set against a blue water background it made a dramatic
shot. Bunaken National Park: 10.5 mm lens, F6.3, 1/200,
1 Subtronic strobe and 1 Inon strobe (thanks to Shannon
Conway for the loan of a 2nd strobe). |
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Photo
6: Lionfish, Manado. The beautiful colours on this
lionfish were perfect for a simple but effective fish
portrait set against a black background. 105 mm lens,
F22, 1/60, 1 Subtronic strobe.
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BSoUP
BEGINNERS PORTFOLIO COMPETITION |
