Through the Underwater Lens: My Macro Photography Gallery

One of the reasons that keeps me underwater is the thrill of finding new critters to photograph. This is a partial gallery of my favorite shots using a 60mm macro lens and one strobe. I am blessed to be a Filipino living in the richest oceans of the world. The truth is, we have to see it to believe it: I hope these photos can inspire you to learn more about our beautiful country. It’s already beautiful topside, but the real beauty is what lies beneath the surface.

This is my official entry to Blog Action Day 2011.

A highly territorial tomato clownfish (named after its deep red color) defends its anemone home from almost anything that swims by.

Click for the full gallery.

The feather duster worm (Sabellidae) serves as inspiration to the flora and fauna found in James Cameron’s ‘Avatar.’ The head of the worm is covered in tentacles to help breathe and catch food. When approached, the feather duster worm retreats into its tube-like home.

The tentacles of a juvenile brittle star wraps around the edge of a barrel coral.

The most popular ‘Nemo’ clownfish defends itself against my huge strobe. This gave me an opportunity to photograph it sideways. Usually anemone fish are very aggressive and will not hesitate to attack divers. It’s a good thing they’re small. This photo has also become the official banner for Blog Action Day 2011: Save Our Seas.

A school of baby catfish form a small ball to protect themselves from predators.

Most beautiful in schools, the red toothed triggerfish swims gracefully across current. In this photo, the school of triggerfish have transformed the ocean into what looks like a dogfight of small airplanes.

A common Chromodoris willani nudibranch latches onto the coral wall and waiting for food. The small tentacles are their exposed lungs hence “nudi” + “branch” meaning naked lungs.

A common reef pufferfish minding its own business.

Close up of a school of jacks that have made a home in Twin Rocks, Anilao.

A close up shot portrait of a juvenile lion fish commonly found in the Philippines.

One of the many moray eels that reside in the crevices of our oceans reefs.

A close up portrait of a colorful Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch.

A pair of mating Chromodoris nudibranchs found in Anilao. This cove in Batangas is home to the most number of nudibranchs in the world. Scientist Terry Gosliner has discovered more nudibranch species here than in the rest of the world combined.

A common shrimp about half an inch long found lounging beside a moray eel.

Half the size of a grain of rice, the pygmy seahorse is one of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures. They reside in specific types of fan corals and it is always a diver’s delight to find one to photograph. This photo was taken using a 60mm lens in RAW mode and then cropped and zoomed to achieve this close up effect.

A evil looking scorpion fish camouflaged along one of the frames of the Dari Laut “floating casino” wreck in Anilao.

You can view more photos by checking out my UW gallery at http://flickr.com/jayvee.