Tony Wu
A Photographer’s Paradise
The dive experience at the Maluku Divers Resort in Ambon is focussed around the incredible marine life that inhabits the slopes of the “Twilight Zone” on the shores of the village of Laha.
Matt Oldfield
With such an assortment of animals come multiple opportunities for Underwater Photography enthusiasts to shoot not only the rare and unique creatures, but also to take the challenge to photograph the more regularly seen marine life, exhibiting interesting behaviours. The photograph here shows the very moment a cuttlefish hatched, the image was captured by Matt Oldfield in Laha.
These critters are a tremendous draw for any fan of Underwater Photography. Since the acceleration of the age of digital photography with not only specialist SLR cameras on the market, but significant improvement to the range of more simple point and shoot cameras, any level of photographer, from complete novice to the most professional of photographers, have the possibility to perfect skills and improve technique while diving with Maluku Divers.
Due to the resort’s close proximity to Ambon’s best muck sites, as well as the number of subjects to be found, the opportunity exists for each photographer to spend extended time with one subject, documenting behaviour and taking unique images, rather than taking one shot and moving off as another diver queues behind.
The abundance of subjects for Underwater Photography occasionally leads professional photographers visit Maluku Divers perfecting new equipment and new techniques to advance the diversity of images that they can produce. An example of this is the Totomega lens, used at the resort by Tony Wu during one of his visits to Ambon. Enjoy the images below.
Click for a Larger View
Click for a Larger View
Maluku Divers Resort Photography Facilities
The Maluku Divers resort has a wide array of topside facilities which are focussed to assist photographers on the hunt for the elusive perfect shot.
The placement of the dedicated camera rinse tanks is close to the expansive camera equipment area so that it is possible for photographers to soak their rigs in fresh water while showering and changing after the dive. After that, a wet camera area has convenient tables upon which to dry housings and remove the majority of water from the set ups, with the use of the camera towels which are provided by the resort, or with compressed air if preferred.
Once through the wet camera area, photographers enter the large dedicated camera room, to the individual stations on the work benches. Multiple charging sockets line the walls, along with shelves and racks for the multitude of equipment and cases required by photographers. A number of manoeuvrable reading lights also allow divers to focus light on exactly the right spot at the right time.
This camera room is also a great setting for discussions on editing techniques and for presentations by workshop or shootout leaders.
Once the dive day’s photographs are downloaded from overflowing memory cards, most divers prefer to edit images in the privacy of their own bungalow. Each Maluku Divers bungalow is equipped with the unique feature of individual editing tables. These tables are also equipped with adjustable reading lights.
Tony Wu, Eric Cheng and the Wetpixel Divers in Ambon
Within Ambon Bay, there are a number of interesting marine habitats, from rubble slopes, to coral bommies, from black sand sites to coral covered slopes. This variation of habitats offers home to an abundance of unique and varied marine life, making the region a photographers dream, as so many subjects means that divers aren’t queuing for shots of special critters. Visit our galleries page for more examples of Underwater Photography by both professional and amateur photographers who have visited Maluku Divers.
