Tony Wu&#039;s Underwater Photography Blog

Archive for 2009

Looking Back on 2009

Sun, Dec 27th, 2009 | Musings No Comments

Last year around this time, I penned a brief retrospective on a few highlights from 2008. One year doesn’t make a tradition, but before I head to the Izu Peninsula to take a year-end break (read: chill out and pig out), here’s a list of personal milestones and memorable moments from the past 12 months that stand out in my mind:

Favourite Photo: I’ve been fortunate and have had an absolutely amazing year photographically, so it’s tough to pick just one image. Some images I’ve taken have required months or even years of ~~obsessing over junk~~ fine-tuning equipment to develop just the right technique. A few examples include: King Kong crab; glowing nudibranch; more nudibranch images; yet another nudibranch; anemone shrimp photos; cuttlefish images; plus many more that I haven’t posted.

Then there are the photos of cute things: blennies; little filefish with pink lips; pineconefish; lumpsucker; young friends…

Entertaining things: Free Willy; fish that looks like a floating turd; whale poo; sea lion playing with filefish…

and much more.

But I guess my favourite image this year has to be this photograph of a female sperm whale with a piece of giant squid in its mouth:

sperm whale with giant squid

I took this image in Ogasawara, Japan, with fellow underwater photographers/ videographers Douglas Seifert, Eric Cheng and Julia Sumerling.

It’s not every day you get to witness, much less photograph, something like this (In fact, this photo and the other photos/ video we took might be the first visual documentation).

The little whale in the photo is a calf, and it’s possible that the adult female was teaching the baby to dive and hunt for squid.

On that same trip, we found giant squid parts too, notably a 3.5-metre segment from a feeding arm, which Douglas was kind enough to measure (it was far too smelly for anyone else to want to touch).

Most Memorable Dive: Bigfin reef squid mating. En masse squid mating is something I’ve wanted to see for a while. I’ve known about the annual aggregation and mass mating/ spawning of bigfin reef squid in Izu, Japan for some time…but it wasn’t until this year that I was able to get to the right place at the right time with the right equipment. Finally having a chance to witness this event up-close was simply awesome…though I haven’t been able to eat calamari since.

Most Memorable Critter Encounter: Lizardfish eating pufferfish. Take a look at the photos, and it’ll be obvious why this encounter was memorable.

Most Meaningful Project: Continuation of my calf count in Tonga. As of today, I have 30 confirmed calf IDs for the 2009 humpback whale season in Vava’u. There are still a few more IDs pending, with images and/ or video contributed by other people. I’ve been on the road so much that I haven’t had time to look through the materials I’ve received. To confirm a new calf, I need to look through thousands of images in order to be as certain as possible that I’m not double-counting.

(To the people who’ve sent me photos with pending IDs…thank you, and sorry for the delay!)

To complement the visual documentation and verbal descriptions of calf IDs, I’ve incorporated GPS coordinates this year, in order to establish a visual reference for where calf sightings are taking place. I’m making use of Google Maps to share this information with anyone who’s interested.

Favourite New Photo Gear: Without question, my Canon 5D Mark II cameras. Besides the excellent image quality from this camera, the 1080p video capability has opened up an entirely new way for me to document and tell stories. On my recent trip to the Eastern Fields, for example, I spent more time shooting video than taking photos. Of course, I have a lot to learn, but this camera has changed my approach to photojournalism and story-telling forever.

Here’s a short sample clip from the Eastern Fields. It’s unedited, ungraded, un-manipulated, un-everything (just a quick-and-dirty conversion to FLV format)…in large part because my laptop can’t handle working with 1080p footage (which, of course, means more hardware and software purchases on the horizon)…but take a look, and you’ll see how promising DSLR video is.

Favourite New Gadget: My Drobo units. If you don’t know what a Drobo is, I highly recommend taking a look at the site. In short, Drobo units provide you with a layer of protection for your data by automatically creating redundancy…it’s like RAID 5 for dummies (hence, perfect for me). The Drobo system is plug-and-play technology, so you don’t need to be an IT wizard.

Most Useful Online Service: Dropbox. I signed up for Dropbox some time ago, but only recently started taking advantage of the online backup (free up to 2GB) and file-sharing capabilities. Dropbox is even more useful if you have an iPhone. The Dropbox iPhone app makes it easy to access/ update/ use files while you’re on-the-go.

And if you’re really ambitious, you can combine Dropbox and 1Password (my favourite software selection from last year), along with their respective iPhone apps, to ensure that you have access to all your passwords on every computer you use, plus on your iPhone.

Favourite Food Experience: Dinner at Kushihana (串花) in Nishi-azabu, as much for the evening’s entertainment as for the excellent food and drink (actually, drinks…many drinks…and many more after that).

Favourite Movie: Star Trek. Yes, I’m a sci-fi geek. But even my non-sci-fi-friends liked this movie.

Favourite Book: I read a lot this year, thanks in large part to being able to carry around eBooks on my iPhone (it’s impossible to lug physical books around these days). My favourite book was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The writing is beautiful, characters rich, and story heart-wrenching.

Happiest and Saddest Moment: The happiest moments throughout the year were all the occasions I had to meet terrific people from around the world…far too many people to name…but here are a few examples of the fun and games: Khun Pachara of Hotwave Wetsuits; Andy, who had the ~~misfortune~~ good fortune of diving with me in Lembeh; the terrific guys and gals at Kasawari Lembeh Resort; the DEEP Indonesia team; Atsumaru-san; my friends in Tonga; Julia (and yes, I suppose even Douglas); Phil…and many, many, many more. Thank you all for making 2009 an incredible year!!!

On the flip side, perhaps the most difficult moment of the past 12 months was receiving the news of my dear friend Ongo’s passing. As a child, I’d never even heard of The Kingdom of Tonga and yet, due in no small part to Ongo’s friendship and tutelage, I’ve spent a significant portion of my life there, have lots of friends in Vava’u, and look forward to going back each year. Thank you Ongo. I miss you.

Missing Mojo

Fri, Dec 25th, 2009 | Funny Stuff, People, Places, Adventures 6 Comments

It’s Christmas morning. I was searching for a suitably festive image to post for the holidays, when I stopped and thought: “Nah, that’s boring. Everyone does that.”, and I decided to post something silly instead.

Phil immediately came to mind.

Phil was one of my fellow travellers aboard the MV Golden Dawn on my recent trip to PNG. He was a constant and reliable source of entertainment (the term “court jester” springs to mind), as is evident from this montage of Phil searching for his photographic mojo during the first day or two of the trip:

phil

Despite his resemblance to Dr Evil, Phil is actually much more of an Austin-Powers-type personality.

In case you were wondering, Phil located his misplaced mojo at some stage, as he stopped waving his hands around like a deranged supervillain…though he commenced singing excerpts from cheesy ’80s pop songs at random intervals.

Happy Holidays!

Mimicry

Wed, Dec 23rd, 2009 | Funny Stuff, Marine Life, Places, Adventures 11 Comments

Just over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to see and photograph the recently described Maluku frogfish (Histiophryne psychedelica) in Ambon, Indonesia. (More information about that trip posted here.)

Maluku frogfish

…which is why I jumped up and immediately took notice when I saw the following image on a computer screen during my recent trip to the Eastern Fields in Papua New Guinea.

mushroom coral

Julie Edwards took this photo during a different trip, and it popped up on her display while we were sharing images and stories from past adventures.

Now…while I don’t want to jump to conclusions, I’d be remiss not to point out the obvious and striking similarity between the two images…and suggest the possibility that this could be the first-ever documentary evidence of a type of coral that’s generally under-appreciated and ignored by most divers crying out for attention by mimicking an exceedingly rare and only recently described frogfish.

Or…of course…it could just be a meaningless coincidence that would only excite an easily distracted photographer with a hyperactive imagination who has better things to do but just can’t seem to focus for long enough to make any significant progress.

Frogfish Surprise

Mon, Dec 21st, 2009 | Marine Life, Places, Adventures 9 Comments

It’s only been a day or so since I’ve gotten back from my trips aboard the MV Golden Dawn, and I’m still struggling to catch up with correspondence, phone calls and meetings.

There’s a lot I want to write about and many images and video I’d like to post, but the way things are going, it doesn’t look like I’ll have much time before I head out again in a few days.

The story behind this photo is too good to keep quiet though.

frogfish

Craig, who’s the captain of the Golden Dawn, has been visiting the beautiful reefs of the Eastern Fields for something like 20 years. In that time, he’s apparently never come across a large frogfish like this one (I think it’s an Antennarius commerson).

So, when one of our divers spotted this fish and showed it to Craig, he was so happy that he literally shrieked(!) with joy. I was at least 20 metres away, around the corner, when I heard him making a racket.

I assumed something was wrong and rushed over, only to see a half dozen or so other puzzled divers…everyone wondering why Craig was giggling and clapping his hands together like a happy little schoolgirl who had one Twinkie too many during recess.

The frogfish was pretty big, maybe 30cm or so in length, but they’re not particularly rare…so I (and everyone else) didn’t quite get what fuss was about.

“At least no one’s in trouble”, I thought to myself, and lingered for a while to watch as other people took photos of the frogfish.

In hindsight, I think the reason Craig was so excited must be because he’s partial to pink.

Moods

Mon, Dec 7th, 2009 | Places, Adventures 2 Comments

I’ve just returned from my first trip out to the Eastern Fields aboard MV Golden Dawn. The trip was fantastic.

We’re resting a bit and re-provisioning before taking on new passengers and heading out again tomorrow. For the time being, here are a couple of images that illustrate two of the extreme moods of the reef that we witnessed during the journey.

First…the hustle and bustle of aquatic rush hour at a site called Carl’s Ultimate, when millions(!) of fish swarm in the current:

reef

Carl’s Ultimate is named for my good friend Carl Roessler, and it’s perhaps my favourite reef dive in the world.

The second image illustrates the polar opposite, when there’s minimal current, and the pace of life on the reef is slow and serene:

coral and shark

Reality Check

Mon, Nov 23rd, 2009 | Musings, People, Places, Adventures 4 Comments

It’s been a hectic couple of days getting ready for the first group of people who’ll be getting on Golden Dawn with me. Captain Craig and the crew have been busy prepping the boat, and I’ve been helping out where I can. Everything’s looking good, and we’ll be picking passengers up at the airport and from Lololata Island Resort tomorrow.

In the midst of all the activity, Craig took me to see a little girl he’s been helping. Her name is Gaudi. She has meningitis…an infection that affects the outside of the brain. Gaudi just turned one year old recently, and she’s been sick for about four months.

Gaudi’s father Naume asked Craig for help when his daughter fell ill, and Craig, being the incredibly nice guy he is, has been sending money for the past four months…without ever having seen Gaudi.

Given that Craig has paid a lot of money over the past four months, you’d think Gaudi’s family were long-time friends of his. No. Craig met Naume, Gaudi’s father, only about a year ago. Craig had a bit of car trouble, and Naume happened to wander by with some mates and helped out. Naume catches and sells crabs for a living, so Craig has been buying crabs from him ever since.

That was the extent of their relationship.

Craig visited Gaudi in the hospital for the first time about ten days ago, and as he described it, was heartbroken by the sight. Little Gaudi was frozen stiff in pain, entirely unable to function.

When I saw her today, she was better. There was recognition in her eyes, and she even grabbed my finger…holding tight, if only for a moment. She’s still weak, but the medicine that Craig’s been paying for is apparently working. Gaudi is getting better.

It’s easy to get absorbed in our own lives, our own problems…all the tasks at hand. But experiences like this are a vital reality check…a reminder of the importance of helping other people. I’m not sure how much longer it’ll take for Gaudi to get better, but Craig’s committed to seeing her through to recovery.

AlI told, I spent about half an hour with Naume and his family at the hospital. I put together this little video for Craig to show passengers on Golden Dawn, in case any of his clients decide to chip in for Gaudi’s medicine. The people who were on Craig’s last cruise contributed about US$170, which will go a long way to sustaining Gaudi through her recovery.

The Vision Thing

Fri, Nov 20th, 2009 | Equipment, Technique, Marine Life, Places, Adventures 4 Comments

I’ve just landed in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, and have a couple of days before I get on MV Golden Dawn. Haven’t slept much over the past 72 hours, so in theory, I should crash, but I’m too wired to sleep, and I have an enormous backlog of correspondence and work, as well as scientific documents to read (that should put me to sleep!).

Anyway, while I’m in this semi-conscious, semi-zombie state, I thought it might be worth elaborating a bit more on the vision theme.

I wrote about this topic in my recent article in Wetpixel Quarterly and also in my King Kong crab post a couple of days ago.

In essence, one of the main points I try to get across in workshops, trips with other people and such, is that sometimes what you see is more important than what’s actually there.

Here’s an example of what I mean:

nudibranch

Similar to the thought process I outlined in my post about the King Kong crab, this photo is more of a “this is what I want you to see” than “this is what I saw” image.

What I actually saw was a cute little nudibranch sitting in good afternoon light. What I wanted you to see was a majestic, almost magical animal that popped out from a dark, somewhat ominous Lembeh-esque background.

Whether I succeeded or not is a matter of interpretation, but my point is that if you want to take original photos, it’s often worth pausing to consider the artistic possibilities.

Had I placed one strobe to the right, one strobe to the left, set appropriate shutter, aperture and ISO for a technically correct exposure, no doubt I would have taken a nice photo of an attractive nudibranch, but that’s more of a technical exercise than an artistic endeavour.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with taking technically spot-on, accurate images. You need to be able to do that without even thinking about it.

But occasionally, when circumstances permit (such as with a non-moving nudibranch), it’s nice to challenge yourself to see something that other people might not see…and then show them.

Oh…one other thing. Nine times out of 10, when I try something different, it doesn’t turn out the way I wanted, or ends up not looking as nice as I envisioned. Sometimes that’s due to a bad concept; other times, it’s because I wasn’t able to work out technical execution. Doesn’t really matter though, because the one time out of 10 that everything works…I end up with something I really like.

In short…you can’t get to the one without going through the first nine.

Night Life

Thu, Nov 19th, 2009 | Marine Life, Places, Adventures, Trips, Workshops No Comments

I only had a chance to do one night dive during my stay in Lembeh. I could’ve done more, but I was too tired at the end of every day. Muscles aching, joints creaking, eyelids drooping…

Of course, the one day that I managed to do four dives, I saw a lot at night. There were many cephalopods on the prowl, like this little octopus that seemed truly surprised to see me:

octopus

and an adorable little bobtail squid…sound asleep until my strobes went off:

bobtail squid

The cutest crustaceans I came across had to be this little crab couple. The one on the left encircling the one plunked down in the sand was always protective of the other crab, and literally “hugged” the other crab every time they moved.

crabs

I suspect the cuddler was a male, and the cuddlee a female. Perhaps I’m imagining things, but it sure seemed like the crab I thought to be the male kept communicating: “She’s mine! She’s mine!” every time I got anywhere close.

I didn’t know how to reassure him by saying: “Not interested” in crab-language though. In any case, they were adorable.

Diving at night presents some unique opportunities to observe and photograph the residents of Lembeh, as the critters active after dark tend to be different than the ones during the day. There’s also a lot of courtship and mating activity that takes place in the early part of the evening, which is always fun to watch.

I’m really looking forward to my next trip to Lembeh, which will be for The Night Safari planned for 27 February to 6 March 2010, when we’ll spend a large proportion of time diving at night. The resort will be on a night schedule, so we’ll have all the logistical support we need to have an enjoyable time…like having hot chocolate after dives!

While at Kasawari this trip, I also arranged to have big lights for us to hang during The Night Safari above the water to get squid (and perhaps other stuff?) to come close, so we can watch them hunt and hopefully get some cool images and video.

If you’re a muck, critter and night diving fan, consider joining us for this unique opportunity to party the night away…Lembeh style.

See this post, or contact Sanah or David at Scubacam for more details.

King Kong Crab

Wed, Nov 18th, 2009 | Marine Life, Places, Adventures 33 Comments

I’ve been struggling for some time now to find a way to take an interesting photo of what I call the “King Kong” crab…for lack of a better name. (Does anyone know the binomial name for this crab?)

This dark-maroon, velvety-textured crustacean is about the most un-photogenic (read: “butt ugly”) animal I’ve ever come across. This is the reason I set myself the challenge of creating a captivating image of this crab…to underscore the point that photography is art. In this case, the art of making this homely critter look intriguing.

So I as stared at this odd-looking animal, I thought of King Kong, and I imagined how this creature might have been portrayed in a King Kong movie. Here’s what I came up with:

king kong crab

What I saw in my mind’s eye was King Kong towering on the craggly rocks of a remote island, surveying his dominion, with the evening sun in the background framing his imposing figure (never mind that the crab is only a few centimetres tall).

Shortly after taking this picture, I came across another crab, this specimen nestled in among the polyps of a soft coral organism. Again, with King Kong in mind, I took the photo below imagining the great beast lurking among exotic trees in a primeval forest, poised to leap out and ambush unwary explorers.

king kong crab

Photography can be much more than just documenting what you see. It can be creating what you imagine…for others to see.

Oh…in case you’re wondering…yes, my mind wanders to strange, distant places all the time.

Poor Little Fish

Tue, Nov 17th, 2009 | Marine Life, Places, Adventures 8 Comments

I just can’t seem to get away from the hunting and eating theme.

During my first dive this morning, I heard my dive guide Nonsix shouting my name (in muffled underwater-speak), and turned to see that a lizardfish had just snagged a little puffer:

lizardfish eating pufferfish

The pufferfish, being understandably unhappy with the sudden turn of events, tried to escape. The little fish nearly broke free, but the hungry predator re-captured it in short order:

lizardfish eating pufferfish

It took a while, but the lizardfish managed to swallow its meal in the end, despite the fact that the pufferfish stayed inflated the entire time:

lizardfish eating pufferfish

Incidentally, a group of divers from the United States who are also here at Kasawari saw a flounder eat a mimic octopus this morning.

I wasn’t anywhere near them, so it’s not just stuff around me that’s getting eaten!

Mimic Octopus

Mon, Nov 16th, 2009 | Marine Life, Places, Adventures 18 Comments

Unlike the past couple of days, I didn’t see any dramatic hunting or eating behaviour today, but I did have a chance to spend some quality time with a very active mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus).

mimic octopus

In case you’re not familiar with them, these talented octopuses are known for their ability to mimic other animals, perhaps as a means of camouflage or self-defence. In any case, they have an incredible repertoire, and are a perennial favourite among divers visiting Lembeh.

mimic octopus

If you visit Lembeh and are fortunate enough to see one of these incredible cephalopods, please keep in mind that they are bottom dwellers…meaning that they most likely don’t enjoy being thrown into the water column, where they’re out of their element and vulnerable to predators.

Think of it this way: If some strange being came down to earth, picked you up, and repeatedly threw you into the air to take pictures of you…I doubt you’d be too happy about it.