1st Place Mirrorless Macro

Steven Walsh

Melbourne, Australia

"3 Baby Seahorses"

Steven won a 7 night dive package in Palau with Solitude Liveaboards

The Story: I started diving in March 2017. I instantly fell in love with the underwater world and I started taking a camera on dives in December 2017. I had no photography experience above or below water (smart phone aside), but the many challenges and creative opportunities involved make the steep learning curve enjoyable. I have so much to learn, which is very exciting.

After flooding my first camera, an ordeal I’m told happens to everyone eventually, I decided to upgrade to a full frame camera. I got my new camera just in time for a unique event that occurs at Blairgowrie Pier, in Victoria, Australia.

Each spring in the cool 15°C water, Big-belly seahorse fry appear in large numbers. They cling to loose sea grass and weeds near the waters surface, where they hunt in the shelter of the pier. This particular photo is the outcome of 4 hours of diving between night shifts as a firefighter.

Using a 90mm lens was (and is) a challenge for me, it’s so easy to lose the subject, particularly when it’s a 2cm long sea horse moving along in surface waves and current. I’m drawn to black backgrounds, and it was broad daylight, so I was shooting with a narrow aperture.

Location:  Blairgowrie Pier, Victoria, Australia

Equipment Used:  Sony A7III, Ikelite Housing, Sony 90mm Macro Lens, Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2 Strobes

Settings: F22, 1/160, ISO 100

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