Tiger Anemone

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

I was lucky to win a prize in a major underwater comp in Oz 12 years ago with this image. :) Captured off South West Rocks, NSW at a spot called Fish Rock. About 110 feet down, in a current. These anemones hang deep in turbulent areas, usually attached to seawhips. I was fortunate to spot them almost the moment I went into deco.

Nikonos III, 35mm lens, 1:3 extension tube, twin flashes, Fujichrome velvia 50. The king of films. :D

[Anita Bower]

Simply gorgeous. The colors and lighting are phenomenal. Good composition.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Thank you Anita! :) I wish the tips were not cut, but it was impossible to tell with the Nikonos system. It was just point the framer and hope for the best. :(

[Julie Kenward]

Akos, this is lovely - that transparent bluish-purple color is amazing!

If this were mine I think I'd lose most of the negative space on both ends and really go in close since there are tips already cut off. I'd also tone down the one white hot spot on the top anemone near the edge and back.

Thanks for sharing this! You can really get a sense of the motion from the feelers!

[Alfred Forns]

Outstanding and a winner !!!!

Not sure if you all know how difficult is using the tubes UW Seems easy and straight forward but contraire mon ami !!!!!!!

Akos just remember the NiK 4 I had with a hole in the back just to check focus on extension tubes !!!! Love this images !!!

[Katherine Enns]

Akos, I looked at this for a long time wondering how you managed to get these anenomes to hang in black space like that....some dof thing...did he get them at a free floating stage???....then you wrote they are on sea whips!!! wow that is very cool. Getting this shot was an exceptional feat! Bruce says they must be large, what sp is this? GREAT shot!

Kat

[Bruce Enns]

But Bruce was wrong...1:3 extension tubes were used, which would make them about silver dollar size Akos?

Anyway, definitely a worthy winner. Love the translucence of the tentacles and the floating feeling...

Cheers!
Bruce

[Daniel Cadieux]

Very neat colours Akos. They are glowing in the dark! I like Julie's suggested crop idea.

[Fabs Forns]

I scrolled the image and taking one inch off the top makes up for the clipped part, and it looks stronger IMO.

Love ethe dark BG.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Thanks for looking. :)

Julie,
Thank you. :) Do you think this maybe worth applying some modern tecnhonolgy to and add the tips? Like the birds' wings? I like the crops suggestion too.

Al,
I did have a Nik IVa in the beginning and never knew that the VF had that option. Shows how much of a photography virgin I was then. :)

Katherine,
My aperture was f/22, shutter speed 1/60th (the fastest synch speed for the Nikonos III) and the water is dark at that depth, which accentuates the "blackness" when using a small aperture so it is kind of a trick. Using the flashes at full power also exposes by that, because 1/60th would give you pretty much blackness without a flash. I used to love getting the black BG underwater.

These are Nemanthus annamensis.

Bruce
I have no idea what size a silver dollar is. These are about 35-50mm across so about 1 1/4 to 2 inches? Thanks buddy. :)

Fabs
Is this the crop you were thinking?

[Mike Moats]

Hey Akos, I really like this, the light is fantastic, I like both version, the original and the crop. Good details and suprised at how small these are, I would have thought they were a much larger.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

THanks for looking Mike; and for your kind words. :)