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Photography : Stock Photos Category
Several photos on MVPix.com were saved using the ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB colorspaces. These alternative colorspaces are able to represent many more colors (especially ProPhoto RGB) than the standard sRGB colorspace. This makes them the preferred choice for photographers when working with digital photos. Unfortunately, most browsers cannot display colorspaces other than sRGB. Colors outside of sRGB's range are simply dropped by web browsers. For this reason, several photos on our site may have appeared muted, desaturated and/or darker. Many older photos will now show-up as new since they were converted to the sRGB colorspace. Actual new photos, from our last trip to Bonaire in May 2005, should be posted shortly. We have several outstanding shots that we plan to print in large format for our apartment.
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On the afternoon of May 13th 2004, Melanie, Eric and I dove the Salt Pier in Bonaire. We opted for a simple dive profile - out from the shore to the central pier, then north to the neighboring pier, then back along the same route. The visibility was a little worse than usual, so extra care had to be taken with substrobe placement. The dive was fairly un-eventful, until we headed back to shore from the central pier...
Hanging-out close to the central pier were two very large squid. We breathed quietly, minimized our movements, and approached slowly. I chose one squid and started taking shots - adjusting camera and substrobe settings with slow and deliberate movements. Melanie and Eric, next to me, watched quietly. After a few shots, the squid changed from a light brown / beige color to the beautiful iridescent white / orange / purple color you see here. While I concentrated my attention on this squid, Melanie stretched out her hand and moved it slowly back and forth in a squid-like fashion. The second squid approached and gently brushed up against her hand with it's wings. According to Melanie, a squid is very smooth and soft to the touch. A few moments later, my squid maneuvered back to the other squid and quickly flashed through a series of color patterns. Since we didn't want to stress, alter or interfere with their natural behavior, we left them to continue their mating ritual in peace.
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The common description of Petrie's Pillar goes something like: "A shore dive for the beginner, with moderate currents and an average depth of 30-100 feet. The terrain is much like Andrea I and II. Large stands of Pillar Coral are found in the shallows along with schools of Blue Tangs. This site was named by Capt. Don as a wedding present for a friend." If you believe this description, you're likely to abort the dive before setting foot in the water! The waves from hurricane Lenny in 1999 destroyed most of the shallow corals. The shallows are now carpeted with algea covered rubble, several feet deep, making the entry very slippery and dangerous. It's very easy for a foot to slip between the dead coral, and twist your ankle in the process. If you attempt this entry, using you buddy for balance (and vise-versa) is almost required.
Getting down from the parking lot to the shore can also prove to be a little challenging, though not to the extent of the actual entry. You should bring along a pair of good solid shears, in case you need to cut away some of the thorn bushes. Walk down to the shore before putting on your gear. If you don't have a good sense of balance, you might have some difficulty. The path is narrow and a little tricky.
Before getting in the water, take a compass reading. There's a good swim over featureless sand flats after the rubble strewn shallows. One or two coral heads along the way can help validate your navigation, depending on your chosen heading.
So, why bother shore diving Petrie's Pillar? Well, it depends what you like to see on your dives. If you're into small stuff, the shallows here are excellent - on par (or perhaps better) than Tori's Reef. On the reef itself, you'll see a good coverage of hard corals and sponges.
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We arrived late Saturday night on Bonaire, did some grocery shopping, etc. on Sunday, and started diving on Monday morning. On our second dive, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't equalize no matter how hard I tried. The cold symptoms hit hard that night, and I would be unable to dive for the next 3 days. Once I could equalize again, I took some decongestant and we tried a very conservative dive profile from the hotel's pier. My ears cleared up quickly over the next few days, but my sinuses took a little longer.
Here I am, a few days later, under the Salt Pier. My sinuses are preventing me from diving any deeper than 10-15 feet. Melanie took advantage of the situation, and dropped down to take some wide-angle shots of me. The coral encrusted pilings are especially dramatic when seen from the bottom like this. The Salt Pier is also a very nice night dive - a good alternative to the Town Pier. The visibility is generally good, but may vary from one day to the next. It can be especially bad in the shallows on occasion.
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A Yellowline Arrow Crab [Stenorhynchus seticornis] on the edge of a gray Branching Vase Sponge. They have a golden-brown, triangular body with a long pointed snout (rostrum). The crab's carapace is decorated with fine dark lines. They have long, slender, spider-like legs, with claws on the tips which are often violet in color.
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I've added two photos of an orange Longlure Frogfish, a Secretary Blenny (Lost in Space), and a Barred Hamlet to the Netherland Antilles > Bonaire > Nature > Underwater > Fish folder...
Longlure Frogfish [Antennarius multiocellatus] (pictured here) have a long, whitish translucent filament, called a lure, just above their upper lip. They dangle this lure in front of them to attract passing prey. When they strike, their mouths expand up to 12 times normal size, and they eat their victim whole (along with a considerable amount of water) all within 6 milliseconds. Longlure Frogfish come in a variety of colors, including deep red, pink, orange, yellow, green, and tan. They can change color, pale, or darken, to match the background. You can often find them resting on top of sponges, relying on their camouflage to hide from predators. This photo was taken at Hands Off in Bonaire.
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Melanie took this picture of me on the stern of the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire. I converted the photo to B&W, and added film-like grain for extra effect. We have several more wide-angle shots that I may also convert to B&W. The effect is quite striking...
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These cleaner shrimp often perch on the tentacles of an anemone, swaying their body and antennae to attract fish. The Spotted Cleaner Shrimps [ Periclimenes yucatanicus] live in association with a variety of anemones, including the Giant Anemone seen here. I took this picture on our last dive, in the shallows at Tori's Reef in Bonaire. There was a strong surge, which made getting this little shrimp in focus quite difficult.
The Caribean Reef Octopus [ Octopus briareus] inhabites coral reefs, residing in recesses or sponges during the day. It can be found in the open on reefs at night hunting for food, often spreading itself in a distinctive parachute pattern to attack and engulf prey. This one, found on the Calabas II reef in Bonaire, is using a similar technique to conform to the landscape and avoid detection.
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A young Tiger Grouper [ Mycteroperca tigris] at a cleaning station, taken at Red Slave in Bonaire. The cleaners are two Yellownose Goby [ Gobiosoma randalli] and a juvenile Spanish Hogfish [ Bodianus rufus]. Groupers are particularly plagued by an assortment of external parasites. These are mainly isopods and copepods that burrow into the tissues around the eyes, nortrils, under scales, and lining of gills and mouth. To keep their infestation under control, Groupers spend a significant amount of time at cleaning stations where parasite-eating fish and shrimps dine on their pests.
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A young Honeycomb Cowfish [ Acanthostracion polygonia] pecking the surface of a Black Sea Rod [ Plexaura homomalla]. This photo was taken at Yellow Hut (an un-marked dive site) in Bonaire.
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While diving the Calabas II reef on Bonaire, we came accross this small Hawksbill Turtle (approx. 22-24" including it's head). Careful not to disturb it's natural behavior, we followed as it searched for food in the corals. Hawksbills have a narrow head with jaws meeting at an acute angle, adapted for getting food from crevices in coral reefs. They eat sponges, tunicates, shrimps, and squids. At one point, this Hawksbill Turtle stuck it's head (and shoulders) in a coral and thrashed around, happily munching on (what we believe was) a small sponge. After several minutes, we almost thought it had gotten stuck, but when it finished eating, it pulled itself out and continued on it's way.
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Last week-end Eric, Melanie, and I visited the Chinese Lanterns exhibition at the Botanical Gardens. This yearly event has become so successful that all paths around the Chinese Gardens were choked with people. It was a little difficult to setup and avoid being jostled while taking a picture. We came away with a few good pictures, three of which have been posted on the MVPix site. Next year I expect we'll go during the week to avoid those large week-end crowds.
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Last July 20th Melanie and I visited the Mosaiculture exposition in Old Montreal. This is a yearly event in which groups compete for the best flower-covered installation. Since Infrared photography gives such a surreal look to lanscapes, I decided to shoot all the installations in Infrared. Post a comment and let us know what you thought of the photos.
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It was a hot, humid, bright and hazy day last Sunday, as the Pride Parade wound it's way down Rene Levesque from Guy street to St-Denis. Melanie and I positioned ourselves on a Hotel's planter overlooking the crowd, and started shooting as the first float arrived.
This year's organizers tried to focus more on community organizations and issues. Consequently, several of the big brand names (Molson, etc.) were conspicuously missing. Some exceptions were Trojan (pictured right) and Mac.
Post a comment and let us know what you liked (or disliked) about this year's parade...
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L'île de Bonaire est reconnue pour la richesse de ses fonds marins, ses petites créatures et la facilité d'y plonger de la rive tout au long de sa côte ouest. Bonaire offre plus de 80 sites de plongée identifiés avec des bouées sur l'eau ou avec des pierres peinturées jaunes sur le long de la route. Les sites non identifiés sont très nombreux. Il faut seulement choisir un point d'entrée, stationné son véhicule sur le côté de la route et plonger à l'aventure !! Ce petit paradis terrestre demeure pour l'instant, à cause de son éloignement et sa difficulté d'accès, un trésor sous développé avec moins de 60 000 visiteurs par année.
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Talk to any diver about their favorite vacations, and you're likely to hear about Bonaire. As Bonaire's license plate boldly states, it's a " Divers Paradise". The dive sites are plentiful (over 80 marked and many more un-marked), most are easily accessible from shore, visibility often exceeds 100 feet, and there's very little current. Bonaire offers some of the easiest and hassle-free diving in the world.
Over the years, a few events have changed this once pristine island. In 1999, large waves from Hurricane Lenny slammed into Bonaire's north/west sides, destroying ocean front property and reefs down to 30 feet. In 2002, the Dutch airline KLM moved their regional hub from Curacao to Bonaire, extending the landing strip, building a new petrol pier and holding tanks. Flights have increased dramatically, and large 747s now arrive and depart four times per week. When booking a hotel, you should consider how far you'll be from the airport. Otherwise, you might have to tolerate the window-shaking roar of engines at 4am Sunday morning when KLM's 747 takes off for Amsterdam.
Even with all these changes, Bonaire remains one of the premier dive destinations of the Caribbean. The diving is easy, and many of the southern dive sites were untouched by the waves of '99. The following article will center on the current state of Bonaire as-of May 2003 - recommended Accomodations, Restaurants, Dive Sites, and other activities.
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