Photo by Greg Lecoeur

Tiger Beach, Bahamas

I take off my scuba gear and slip into the warm Caribbean water. As I look out, the setting sun provides perfect lighting, the wind starts to subside, and the water sits still except for one feature: shark fins piercing the surface.

I came to the Bahamas on a quest to see sharks, so my group took a sailboat to Tiger Beach, a shallow sand flat off the west coast of Grand Bahama well-known for its toothy residents.

Our guide delivered. We dove all day with tiger, gray and lemon sharks. It was fantastic to be so close to these graceful, powerful species. Late in the afternoon, we finished the last dive of our trip, but a few lemon sharks decided to follow us to the surface. During the shark dive, our guide used bait to attract the sharks, but when we reached the surface, the bait was nowhere to be found.

In the water without my scuba gear, I see the lemons patrolling, and I imagine a stunning split-shot with the sunset coloring the sky above and sharks lurking in the darkening waters below.

I grab my camera, turn it on, and place it in the water at the back of the boat from the rear bridge. The sharks are circling the boat but are staying too far away for the shot I envision. I wait patiently for 20 minutes and finally see the sharks swimming closer to my camera. In perfect conditions, I seize the opportunity and snap several shots.

Without bait in the water, the sharks seem more relaxed and keep their distance. If you want to draw sharks closer, it is possible to take this kind of shot using bait, but I highly recommend using a pole cam.

• Camera Nikon D7000 (Nauticam Housing)

• Lens Tokina 10-17MM F/3.5

• Strobes Ikelite DS160

• Settings f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 100

Greg Lecoeur

Photo by Alex Mustard

SS Thistlegorm, Red Sea

I’m no stranger to the SS Thistlegorm.

The 75-year-old wreck and its fleet of more than 100 sunken military motorcycles are full of history and intrigue, but I have my mind set on a certain bike. Some were made by British motorcycle manufacturer Norton, but this is a BSA M20 bike. Of all the motorbikes on the wreck, this one is the most photogenic, being easily accessed and in good condition. I know it well too. It earned the nickname Ellie’s Bike thanks to a well-known photo of mine from many years ago that featured my wife Eleonora.

With experience in mind, I approach the bike with a plan.

Anyone who has ever dived at night will recognize the atmospheric beams created when your buddy’s light silhouettes a piece of the reef or a wreck. That’s my inspiration: to photograph the motorbike with big beam backlighting.

In addition to my normal camera, I take down two off-camera strobes and place them on the deck behind the wheels of the motorbike. I set them on high power and set my on-camera strobes on low power, so the only visible light in the image is the backlight.

The key is to position the off-camera strobes so they are completely hidden from the camera lens. Once I get the spacing just right, their light seems to magically appear, and I’m able to expose for the beams so they are dramatic in the final image.

The creative lighting works like a charm. I take another version of the shot with the motorbike illuminated by my on-camera strobes as well. Both lighting options produce great photos.

• Camera Nikon D4 (Subal ND4S Housing; Zen 230 Dome)

• Lens Sigma 15MM Fisheye

• Strobes Seacam 150 On Housing; Inon Z240 Off-Camera

• Settings f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 1250

Alex Mustard

Photo by Alex Mustard

Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

With a prototype of Nauticam’s Super Macro Converter Lens in hand, I’m on the hunt for tiny subjects in the perfect place: Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait.

I spot a colorful nudibranch and opt for a classic strategy. If you are ever stuck for ideas when shooting nudibranchs, get down to rhinophore level and frame them from head-on. This species of nudibranch grows quite big, but I’m working with a small individual, so I’m still able to fill the frame with a super-strong lens.

Nudibranchs are usually all about color, which shines brightest in even illumination. To achieve this, I use a pair of strobes positioned on either side of my lens and pushed right in against it to front-light the subject.

Lembeh Strait is one of the world’s top destinations for underwater photography, but it is not a place for clear water or great scenery. It is remarkable because of its incredible concentration of critters — small, bizarre creatures from hairy frogfish to pygmy seahorses. This is muck-diving central, and the big photographic challenge is not finding subjects but controlling backgrounds. Doing so can turn rudimentary shots into eye-catching photographs.

This nudibranch is hunkered down in the sand, so I figure my best option is to get my camera low and fill the frame with the subject so it forms its own background (the gills of the slug are out of focus in the back of the frame).

Mission accomplished.

• Camera Nikon D4

• Lens Nikon 105MM; Nauticam Super Macro Converter

• Strobes Inon Z240

• Settings f/40, 1/250 sec, ISO 200

Alex Mustard

Photo by Fabien Michenet

Tahiti

The sun was barely rising when my buddy and I set out aboard a little inflatable boat in Tahiti in search of humpback whales.

We quickly find a group near the reef and decide to stay far enough away to observe its behavior.

Several whales break the surface to breathe and head west toward the open sea. It seems as if we’re witnessing the beginning of a heat run — a behavioral pattern in which a group of male suitors aggressively chases a female in pursuit of her attention.

Jackpot.

In an attempt to capture images of this rare moment, we keep our distance and avoid causing a disturbance. The goal: Wait until the whales stabilize, drop into the water about 500 feet away, and swim toward them.

After a number of unsuccessful attempts, I find myself surrounded by the group. The whales brush by, all indifferent to my presence except for one. A large male stops and seemingly observes my presence directly in front of me in a vertical position.

After shooting a few pictures of the big male and the group around me, I move around to find better light, positioning the sun behind my back to help illuminate the scene set before me.

I stay patient, observing the evolution through my viewfinder, trying not to take too many pictures. I want the best opportunity.

With the male so close, I back up in order to frame the whole group. Out of the blue, a second whale emerges from the deep; a third one pounds the surface, while the courted female sinks to the right. I can’t believe what I’m seeing and shoot.

• Camera Nikon D800 (Nauticam Housing)

• Lens Sigma 15MM Fisheye

• Settings f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 450

Fabien Michenet

Photo by Jeff Yonover

Near Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Shooting in the diverse waters just outside Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, the biggest challenge for me is to slow down to fully focus on only a few subjects. The reefscape is constantly changing, so I have never encountered a shortage of photographic targets here.

On a late-morning dive, I look in closer to see the solution to my problem: a common ghost goby nestled perfectly among the tentacles of a cluster of colonial anemones (gorgonian wrappers). The combination of the textured anemone tentacles and colorful fish is just too hard to resist.

While these fish are quite common, they do tend to move quickly from perch to perch or make quick or erratic motions if you get too close. I move quickly, snapping off about 10 images over a three-minute span before the goby tires of my attention and the anemones close.

Even though the bright sun is overhead, a dark background would create a more dramatic composition. To create this effect, I use my strobes as the sole light source for the image, illuminating only the foreground subject matter, leaving the water column behind essentially unexposed.

• Camera Nikon D3X (Subal ND3 Housing)

• Lens Nikon 60MM Micro Lens

• Strobes Sea&Sea YS-D1

• Settings f/16, 1/80 sec, ISO 200

Jeff Yonover

Photo by Christian Vizl

Tulum, Mexico

At the surface of Cenote Angelita on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, there is not a whole lot to take in. But once I reach a depth of about 90 feet, the features that have drawn me to shoot cenotes for years become apparent: A magical layer of sulfur lines the bottom with tree branches sticking out, creating a dark and creepy environment.

The lighting in the cenote, combined with its eerie physical features, creates a unique setting for underwater photography. My next goal was to find a suitable subject.

I was hired by a local dive center to take pictures of the cenotes for its website. We spent three days shooting three cenotes, and Angelita — just a 30-minute ferry ride from Cozumel — was selected for its otherworldly beauty and enchanting atmosphere.

But even in the most alluring underwater environments, it helps to have a savvy model.

Before the dive, I knew I wanted to use a diver with a light in the image, so I asked the dive-shop owner to be my model. He is a very experienced cave diver with perfect buoyancy control, so it was easy for me to put him exactly where I wanted. This allowed me the ability to frame all the interesting elements of the scenery and create an interesting composition.

As I start taking photos, I notice a final touch that I did not plan. I decide that the image will have a more powerful visual effect if the diver’s light is pointing straight at the camera, so I ask my model to make it happen.

I was excited with the final result. I knew I had a strong image, so I rushed over to him to show him what we had created.

• Camera Canon 5D Mark II (Aquatica Housing)

• Lens Canon 16-35MM

• Strobes Natural Light

• Settings f/2 .8, 1/125 sec, ISO 1250

Christian Vizl