Photographer: © 2014-2016 Dave Waselle · All Rights Reserved.
Soft Coral Polyps | Truk Lagoon, Micronesia
In the warm tropical waters of the southwest Pacific, soft coral branches can be seen just dripping off reefs and structures such as shipwrecks. They come in a variety of colors and are just simply beautiful sculptures created by Mother Nature. Because of the prolific reef life in these regions, there are all the necessary nutrients to sustain this form of sea life.
This one in particular was hanging down in an open window area of a bridge on Japanese Shipwreck (The Shinkoku Maru if you are curious). I was inside the bridge of the wreck shooting from inside looking out at my model/wife cruising by observing the coral. When I finished, I switched to my macro set-up on another camera (I always carried 3) and got several bracketed shots of the several different colored corals in the area.
You probably noticed I mentioned 3 cameras? I only used one strobe with what was commonly called E/O connectors. This would allow you to unplug the strobe from one camera and connect to another. That’s called “traveling light”. Less drag, more bottom time. My strobe, a large Ikelite comparable to the Sea and Sea strobes (popular during this period) was very powerful, had a great battery that recycled quickly (especially in the low power setting) and re-charged quickly. An attribute you should still look for when purchasing one.
