Project 52 by Mal Schulstad

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Just some simple shots of the kids in Fiji.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

One of the most enjoyable parts of our holiday in Fiji - at least for me - was seeing Kerry in a bikini. So I felt I had to share some photos of one my more enjoyable parts of my holiday



In all seriousness, it was these photos - the ones in the pool at least, that made me realise how interesting water based portraiture could be. I'll go into that a little bit later on.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

It would be remiss of me to post photos of Fiji without a sunset shot. This ended up being a little bit more difficult than I had anticipated - trying to find the right scene.



In the end I decided that I wanted a pretty subject in the shot as well - as tends to be my style of photography

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I happened to be standing on our bungalow's balcony watching Kerry look over the ocean. At the time it was an overcast day however just as Kerry turned around and started back towards our room, the clouds broke and a shaft of light broke through the sky. From where I stood, it looked as if the heavens were pointing to her.

It also just so happened that I had a camera in my hand. Unfortunately didn't have time to change to my ideal settings for the photo as Kerry was completely oblivious to the light shining on her. But the end result wasn't too bad.

[Geoff F]

Week 34 second shot is very good. This type of silhouette against a skyline (or seascape) usually doesn't work well. That shot is the exception.

[JazzyS]

really nice cool photo's

[Donald]

really nice cool photo's

That's what I thought as well, Jazz.

Don't tell your dad, but I think the very best photo of you guys is this one that was taken by your mum. It is a brilliant picture.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

That's what I thought as well, Jazz.

Don't tell your dad, but I think the very best photo of you guys is this one that was taken by your mum. It is a brilliant picture.

Always interesting to see what kids will get up to left to their own devices!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I thought this photo, while containing a somewhat mediocre scene, demonstrates fairly well the sort of light you can get from the sun when everything is positioned the right way. While you'll never really get "Golden Light" underwater you do get some other unique characteristics that can be used to enhance a photo.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Crabs are rarely out in the open underwater. They're usually located in some deep nook or cranny well away from the lens of cameras trying to capture them. To get this photo I was literally standing on my head, enabling me to get much close to the gap in the rocks in which this fella was hiding. Thankfully standing on your head underwater isn't too difficult.... provided you don't have water leak into your mask and go up your nose!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

You've heard about the importance of getting close from all of the underwater photographers here and so here's a photo where I took that quite literally. I think I was no more than a foot away from this creature's face when I took this photo.



Sand incidentally, seems to get everywhere - even underwater.

The eye belonged to this bullray who let me get up close and personal when I approached it very slowly... and cautiously given the barb they carry on their tail. Seaside as it turns out, can often be as curious about us as we are of them.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Here are a few more photos of sharks that I took while I was diving at place called 9 Mile Reef. These grey nurses tend to hang out there over the cooler months. The currents were quite strong which made it difficult to take any of these photos without any back scatter, that and the sharks were quite skittish and didn't really want anyone to get close to them. I plan to go back out there sometime with a wide angle lens(which I can do now because I got one for Christmas thanks to my beloved wife) to see if I can get better photos.





And yes... I missed his nose yet again!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I've yet to come across a diver that doesn't like nudi pics (I mean what's not to like about nudi pics!). These ones were taken at different locations but on the same day. It was one of those days where I was fortunate enough to dive at three different locations in less than three hours!







With these shots my focus was on getting as close as I could to the Subject within the limits of the camera. Just for everyone's info -these particular guys are probably only about an inch long.

[Donald]

....wide angle lens(which I can do now because I got one for Christmas thanks to my beloved wife)

Lucky you. Congrats.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Eels are another one of those sea creatures that like to hide in holes and crevices. Sometimes you can lure them out with the promise of food.

Until I started taking photos I never actually realised how colourful they can be. They can also seem quite menacing, which was what I was trying to portray in these photos.





I'd hate to get my finger stuck in this guy's teeth!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Lucky you. Congrats.

I am very lucky indeed!

[Dave Humphries]

Amazing set in week 38 Mal (welcome back btw)

Going back to week 33, I wondered if there was anything could be done with the (apparently) quite different white balances?

Glad to you're all well, pass on my regards to Kerry and Jazzy,

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Amazing set in week 38 Mal (welcome back btw)

Going back to week 33, I wondered if there was anything could be done with the (apparently) quite different white balances?

Glad to you're all well, pass on my regards to Kerry and Jazzy,

Thanks Dave. With the week 33 photos, I was looking at them individually with different finishes rather than having them as a consistent set to be honest. I'll have a look when I have some spare time though

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Here are another two photos from Cook Island (one of the shark photos, the eel, and a few of the nudies were taken there as well). Cook Island is a marine reserve just off the coast of Northern NSW in Australia. There are a number of mooring points to dive from, all of which have a few different things to see. Different times of the year will also have different visitors come by.

Turtles are a common resident, pretty much all year round at Cook Island. You generally don't have too look to hard to find them and they vary in size from smallish to very large.



Stone fish are another common resident at Cook Island - a fish that you need to be careful due to their poisonous spines and the way they blend into the back ground.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

The Olympus I have is generally reserved for shooting fish underwater. I rarely use it on land as I have my Nikon for that. However, one thing I was rarely doing when underwater was experimenting with different settings, predominantly because I've been unfamiliar with the Olympus's controls. So I made the decision to get to know my camera a little bit better.

These photos are a few that I took while at a market one day, just to see what I could do with it.







I still favour the Nikon but I do know I can use the Olympus now if I need something that's a bit more compact.