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Underwater Photographer Spotlight: Eduardo Acevedo

By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On October 18, 2017
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Underwater Photographer Spotlight: Eduardo Acevedo

Eduardo Acevedo lives in the Canary Islands and has been diving since 1990. He impressed us with his second place win in the macro category of the 2017 Through Your Lens photo contest with his stunning ribbon eel image, pictured below.

Jump to Q & A.

scuba diving through your lens photo contest

Acevedo took home second place in the macro category of Scuba Diving's 2017 Through Your Lens photo contest. Besides the second place award, he also received a Scubapro MK25/S600 Deep Blue regulator and a $250 Backscatter gift certificate.

Eduardo Acevedo

Behind the Shot

After two hours of navigation I spotted in the distance something like a hurricane of birds throwing themselves at the sea. Quickly we headed to where we saw something amazing, hundreds of common and spotted dolphins attacking a big ball of sardines, along with three Bryde`s Whales. The idea was to capture the exact moment of the whale attack on the ball of sardines, but we knew it was very difficult because of her extreme speed. This photo shows the exact moment after the attack.


bryde whale in spain

Camera: Canon 5D MarkII; EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens; f8, 1/125, ISO 400; Seacam housing

Eduardo Acevedo

Q: How long have you been a scuba diver/what's your certification level?
A: I live in the Canary Islands, that´s why I have been in contact with the sea all my life. When I was very young I practiced spearfishing, then in 1990 I did my first course as a scuba diver. After 27 years of diving, I hold the titles of Instructor CMAS and TDI Rebreather Advanced Mixed Gas Diver (certificate maximum - 100 meters Helox or Trimix diluent).

Q: How long have you been an underwater photographer and how did you get started?
A: I began with underwater photography in 1997 with Nikon F70/F90 shooting film. The beginning was very slow and difficult because we could only take 36 shots and then reveal the slides. Later in 2005, I started with digital photography, changing to Canon with its first CANON 5D model.

Portugese Man O War

Portuguese Man O War
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

The Story: March and April in the Canary Islands are the best months to see these strange and beautiful animals. When the sea is calm and we have good sun, conditions to get good shoots are possible. In this image I tried to combine the clouds, the Portuguese Man O War and little pelagic juvenile fish.

Camera Settings: Canon 5D MarkII; EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens; f13, 1/160, ISO 400; 2X Inon Z 240 Flash; Seacam housing.

Eduardo Acevedo

Q: Tell us about your camera rig(s).
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II and 5D Mark IV
Housing: Seacam.Mark II and Mark IV
Lens: Canon 15mm, 8-15mm,17-40 wide angle and Canon 100mm and multiplier 1.4 Kenko for macro
Strobe: 4 Strobe Inon Z-240
Extras: Snoots Saga Dive

Q: Do you prefer to shoot on scuba or freediving?
A: In the Canary Islands and in 90% of my encounters in the open ocean, I usually shoot freediving mainly because I normally do wide-angle photography so I need more speed and mobility. I like using long fins of fiber or carbon and 3mm wet suits whenever the temperature of the water allows.

When I travel outside my area, it depends. If I want to do macro photography (Lembeh, Bali, Anilao…etc) then I scuba dive obviously and for wide-angle also except the areas where whales or open water then I return to freediving.

pilot whale in spain

Pilot Whale in Canary Island
Canary Islands are one of the best places in the world for the observation of pilot whales.You need a special permission from the public administration to swim and take pictures underwater with them but it can be obtained from the administration.

Eduardo Acevedo

Q: What is your favorite photo-sharing platform?
A: Facebook

Q: What hashtag best describes your underwater photography style?
A: # PPP=Passion Perseverance Patience

sea lions la paz

Sea Lions in La Paz, Baja California, México
The Story: La Paz, a small village in Baja California has one of the best marine reserves in the wold. September and October bring the best diversity and giant balls of fish, so sea lions find this place to be a real paradise.

Camera setup: Canon 5D MarkII; EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens; Seacam housing
Flash: Inon Z240 X2
Exposure details: F9, 1/250, ISO 250

Eduardo Acevedo

Q: What or who inspires you?
A: What inspires me the most is being in the sea as long as possible.

Q: What do you love most about your work?
A: To be able to remember with my photography the best moments that I spent in the sea, especially because underwater photography is not my job, it's just my hobby.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

Leatherback Sea Turtle
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Camera setup: Canon 5D MarkII; EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens; Seacam housing
Exposure details: F9, 1/100, ISO 160

Eduardo Acevedo

Q: What's been your most rewarding moment?
A: My most rewarding moments include:
• An encounter with a bryde whale in the exact moment of hunting a huge ball of mackerels
• After 10 years looking for a leatherback turtle, I found her just two miles from my house and took the picture and I love to share this passion with my friends Francis Perez, Zeben, Pablo, Juan Raya, Joaquin Gutierrez and my son of 11 years Eduardo Jr.

Q: What was your favorite trip and why?
A: Baja California and Revillagigedo Islands, this area is spectacular. Killer whales, humpback whales, whale sharks, giant mantas, all kind of sharks, turtles, sea lions, big balls of jacks, fish and sardines……all you can dream you can have it there.

basaltic formation rocks canary islands

Basaltic formation rocks
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Camera setup: Canon 5D MarkII; EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens; Seacam housing
Flash: Inon Z240 X2
Exposure details: F10, 1/40, ISO 200

Eduardo Acevedo

Q: Where do you most want to go?
A: For 2018, I am taking thee live aboard trips in different seasons to Raja Ampat and in 2019 will be the year I look for encounters with sperm whales, bryde, humpback and blue whales in different countries.

Q: Any advice for budding photographers?
A: The only secret is passion and love the sea.