Underwater Macro Photography

Type: Photography technique
Significance: Core discipline of UW photography; central to Wetpixel community identity via Lembeh workshops, gear innovation, and dedicated Wetpixel Live episodes

Overview

Underwater macro photography — shooting small marine subjects (nudibranchs, shrimp, coral polyps, fish eyes, larvae) at high magnification — is arguably the most technically demanding discipline in underwater photography, compounding challenges of backscatter, buoyancy, and limited time with razor-thin depth of field and critical focus. On Wetpixel, macro was a constant from 2001 through 2023, with dedicated workshops, Wetpixel Live episodes, gear reviews, technique articles, and a deeply engaged forum community that drove innovation in optics, lighting, and creative approach.

Lembeh Strait, the “world capital of muck diving,” was the venue for Wetpixel’s signature recurring workshop series co-led by Alex Mustard and Adam Hanlon. The community’s appetite for macro extended well beyond traditional reef subjects: by the late 2010s, blackwater photography, fluorescence imaging, and super macro video had each become recognized sub-genres.

Key Lenses

60mm macro (APS-C / Micro Four Thirds workhorse)

• Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro — Allison Sallmon: “This is the number one setup we recommend to new shooters in California” (^[1])
• Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8G ED — popular DX-format option
• Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 — announced February 2012 for Micro Four Thirds (^[2])
• Panasonic Lumix 30mm f/2.8 Macro — announced February 2015 for Micro Four Thirds (^[3])
• Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm f/3.5 Macro — announced September 2005 alongside the E-500, capable of 2:1 in 35mm equivalent (^[4])

100/105mm macro (full-frame standard)

• Nikon 105mm f/2.8G VR — first macro lens with VR (announced February 2006). James Wiseman noted “the smoother and thus more pleasing the out of focus areas of the picture will appear” owing to its nine rounded diaphragm blades (^[5])
• Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS — the Canon standard, used by Alexander Semonov for extreme sea star macro at magnifications up to 2.5:1 (^[6])
• Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 — first viable full-frame mirrorless macro lens, shipped July 2015 (^[7])
• Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM — updated February 2011 with optical stabilization (^[8]); Sigma also announced the 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art for L and Sony E mount in September 2020 (^[9])

150mm and longer macro

• Sigma 150mm f/2.8 APO DG HSM — reviewed by James Wiseman in February 2005: “the fastest macro lens at this focal length and working distance,” with internal focusing and ultrasonic motor (^[10])
• Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro — announced September 2018 (^[11])

Macro zoom

• Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro — reviewed by James Wiseman in December 2008 after the Wetpixel staff trip to the Philippines: “essentially offers a 50mm and a 100mm macro on the same dive.” Maximum magnification of 1:1.4 with Canon 500D diopter attached (^[12])
• Nikon 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D Micro-Nikkor — the original macro zoom, predecessor to the Tamron

Mirrorless-era macro

• Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS — announced April 2021 (^[13])
• Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S and Nikon Z MC 50mm f/2.8 — both announced June 2021 (^[14], ^[15])
• OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO — announced February 2023 with dual stabilization (^[16])
• Fujifilm XF 30mm f/2.8 R LM WR Macro — announced November 2022 (^[17])
• Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro — announced September 2016, an affordable full-frame option (^[18])

Wet Diopters and Close-Up Lenses

Before Nauticam’s revolution in purpose-built wet optics (see below), the community relied on a diverse ecosystem of wet diopters to push magnification beyond 1:1.

Early diopter pioneers (2005—2011)

• Backscatter MacroMate — one of the earliest dedicated UW super-macro diopters, capable of 2:1 magnification. Stephen Frink compared it against the Seacam diopter in November 2005, noting “the depth of field is minuscule, but that’s to be expected since it offers greater magnification” (^[19])
• Seacam Wet Diopters — introduced at DEMA 2005 as a pair (#2 and #4) in a press-fit design for Seacam macro ports. The #2 was dropped after testing; a more powerful “Wet Two” (approximately 1:1.7 magnification) followed in December 2005. Frink found the #4 practical enough to “carry each time I take the 100mm macro underwater” (^[20], ^[21])
• Canon 500D close-up lens (+2 diopter) — a dual-element (achromat) lens widely used by Wetpixel community members, including as a standard pairing with the Tamron 70-200mm (^[22])
• SubSee +5 and +10 — became the go-to achromat diopters for super macro stills and video. EunJae Im used a SubSee +10 for his landmark hairy shrimp super macro video in 2012 (^[23])
• F.I.T. ACU +16 — released August 2011 at $315, a dual-element diopter. Hanlon noted that since it was not air-sealed, its effective underwater strength was closer to +5 (^[24])
• Dyron M77 Double Macro — $220.95, +7 magnification, with M77 thread adaptor system ($99.95). Hanlon reviewed it in May 2011 and found the image quality “very good” with a Nikkor 105mm VR, noting he “carried the lens on each dive” and never used his Canon 500D or Nikon 5T diopters during the trip (^[25])

Modern wet optics (2013—2023)

• INON UCL-100 (M67 and LD) — released February 2013, 3 elements in 3 groups with AR coating, larger aperture to reduce vignetting on compact cameras (^[26])
• Fantasea/AOI UCL-900F (+15) — shipped November 2018, 5 elements in 2 groups, $359.99 (^[27])
• Aquatica BK-7 optical glass macro port lens — announced February 2007 at $89 as an upgrade to existing macro port windows, with AR and scratch-resistant coatings (^[28])

The Nauticam Wet Optics Revolution

The pivotal equipment shift came from Nauticam’s Edward Lai, who designed computer-modeled, water-contact-optimized lenses that treated the entire optical system (camera + lens + port + air + water) as an integrated design problem rather than simply adding a magnifier in front of a port:

• SMC (Super Macro Converter) — November 2013, $480, 2.3x magnification. Mustard: “This is the sharpest accessory macro lens I have used” (^[29])
• CMC-1 (Compact Macro Converter) — February 2015, $320, designed for compact and mirrorless systems (^[30])
• CMC-2 — September 2016, $290, actually improved sharpness over a bare flat port by correcting aberrations. Nauticam’s design eliminated “chromatic aberrations, coma, spherical aberration, and field curvature” (^[31])

Other notable wet optics: SAGA Trio (announced November 2016, shipped 2017), a switchable +5/+10/+15 diopter via mechanical levers, reviewed by Hanlon in Lembeh (^[32], ^[33]); Backscatter Macromate Mini for GoPro ($89, launched April 2014) (^[34]).

A dedicated Wetpixel Live episode in August 2020 (Ep 17, the series’ second most-viewed episode at 8,336 views) had Hanlon and Mustard reviewing the “seeming plethora” of available close-up lenses and making recommendations for macro shooters (^[35], ^[36]). A subsequent episode, “Extension Tubes, Teleconverters and Diopters” (Ep 82), provided a comprehensive survey of magnification-boosting tools (^[37]).

Techniques

Super Macro (beyond 1:1)

Super macro — shooting subjects smaller than a grain of rice at extreme magnification — was first highlighted on Wetpixel by Alex Mustard in February 2006, when he spotlighted Rand McMeins’ technique of stacking a 105mm lens + 2x teleconverter + diopter on a Nikon D2X for extreme magnification in Lembeh (^[38]). James Wiseman presented “Super Macro” techniques at HUPS in March 2009 (^[39]).

Super macro video emerged as its own discipline. Mark Thorpe (CamDiver) published an article in August 2007 covering diopters, sharpness, chromatic aberration, port selection, and lighting for macro video (^[40]). In March 2012, EunJae Im posted extraordinary footage of hairy shrimps — subjects “no bigger than a grain of rice” — shot on a Canon 7D with a SubSee +10, SmallHD monitor in a Nauticam housing, and a tripod for stability (^[41]).

The technique was revolutionized by Nauticam’s purpose-built wet optics (SMC 2013, CMC 2015—2016), which replaced improvised diopter stacks with precision-engineered solutions.

Macro Video

Shane Siers pioneered artistic macro videography with his “Macronesia” project, focused on Pacific nudibranchs. Shooting a Canon 5D Mark II with 100mm macro and SubSee +10 on a homemade tripod, he relied on manual focus, Magic Lantern firmware for focus peaking, and f/22-32 at ISO 640-1250. His work was featured as a weekly series on Wetpixel starting September 2013, praised for being “beautifully shot and edited” with “a strong identification and marine biology focus” (^[42]).

Snooting / Selective Lighting

Main article: Snoot & Focused Beam Lighting

Snooting — channeling strobe output through a tube or optical device to illuminate only a small area — underwent a rapid evolution on Wetpixel from DIY experiment to mainstream technique.

Origins and Keri Wilk’s breakthrough (2010): Keri Wilk published a landmark article on snoot photography in 2010, establishing him as the technique’s pioneer. As Mustard later wrote: “I didn’t care which of his snooted shots won the macro category, as long as one of them did, so much did they stand out” (^[43], ^[44]). Wilk used simple tube-type snoots, which had two limitations: they required very close working distance and wasted most of the strobe’s output.

Dedicated snoots proliferate (2010): INON released dedicated snoots for S-2000 strobes in June 2010 (^[45]). Seahorn launched a range covering Ikelite, Inon, and Sea & Sea strobes the same month (^[46]). Eric Cheng documented a DIY fiber optic snoot system by Shen of Reef Photo & Video at Blue Heron Bridge in September 2010, using fiber optic cables inside LocLine arms (^[47]). ReefNet (Keri Wilk’s company) announced a commercial fiber optic snoot in November 2010 (^[48]).

Retra LSD optical snoots (2012—2013): Retra of Slovenia introduced the LSD (Light Shaping Device), which fundamentally changed snooting by focusing rather than blocking light, producing a collimated beam with greater working distance and power. The LSD Pro ($600) dominated European Fotosub competitions, winning gold in the macro category at the official CMAS World Championship. The lower-cost LSD Prime ($349, February 2013) brought optical snooting to mainstream shooters. Mustard’s review explained the advantage: “allowing us to shoot those rich black backgrounds, even in the middle of the day” at f/22, ISO 200 (^[49]).

Backscatter MF-1 and OS-1 (2019): Backscatter’s MF-1 Mini Flash ($399) and OS-1 Optical Snoot ($149), announced at DEMA 2019, were designed together from inception. The system included built-in LED focus lights projecting the same beam pattern as the flash, aperture cards with circular and oval holes, and a modeling flash mode. Mike Bartick reviewed it: “Each person that I gave it to has come back with positive results on their first dive” — a major democratization of the technique (^[50], ^[51]). Morten Bjorn Larsen’s 2021 review demonstrated its versatility in cold-water Scandinavian conditions, including use with wide-angle lenses and on night dives for squid (^[52]).

Marelux SOFT Pro (2023): The latest entrant, reviewed by Kate Jonker, featured adjustable spot size from 3mm to 50mm via an aperture dial, red and white aiming lights, and automatic aiming light shutoff during strobe fire (^[53]).

Advanced snooting technique: Rob van Twist published a detailed article in October 2016 on the physics of narrow-beam snooting, deriving the formula for focal distance shift underwater (Sw = 1.33 x Sa) and providing a surface alignment method using Snell’s law. Inspired by Mustard’s Underwater Photography Masterclass (2016), his approach enabled reliable 10mm-aperture snooting in low-visibility European lakes (^[54]). Mike Bartick published a comprehensive snooting tutorial in July 2018 covering jump settings (ISO 100, 1/200s, f/18+), fiber optic vs. optical snoots, off-camera use, and backlighting techniques (^[55]).

A dedicated Wetpixel Live “Snoot Round-Up” episode in September 2020 had Mustard and Hanlon surveying all available snoot types (^[56]).

Black Background Macro

The technique of using fast shutter speed, small aperture, and close strobe positioning to eliminate ambient light and produce inky-black backgrounds became a staple of macro photography. A dedicated Wetpixel Live episode in August 2020 with Adam Hanlon and Alex Mustard covered the approach (^[57]).

Blackwater Photography

Blackwater photography — shooting pelagic larvae, jellyfish, and other organisms during nighttime open-ocean drifts — emerged as one of the most exciting macro sub-genres of the late 2010s.

Pioneers: Scott “Gutsy” Tuason was introduced to blackwater photography in Hawaii in 2012 and subsequently brought the technique to the Philippines, publishing his book Blackwater and Ocean Blue and being featured in a 2018 Wired article (^[58], ^[59]). Linda Ianniello and Susan Mears pioneered Southeast Florida blackwater dives — drift dives over 500—700ft depths in the Gulf Stream, photographing fish larvae, jellyfish, and paper nautiluses. Their book Blackwater Creatures (February 2020, $39.95, 220+ images) documented creatures encountered over nearly 300 blackwater dives (^[60], ^[61]).

Kona as blackwater capital: Jeff Milisen, a marine biologist based in Kona, Hawaii, published A Field Guide to Blackwater Diving in Hawai’i (October 2020), covering 300+ species with his own observations and peer-reviewed research on species composition predictors (^[62]).

Mike Bartick and Anilao: Mike Bartick (Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao, Philippines) became the most prominent Wetpixel voice on blackwater photography, appearing on two Wetpixel Live episodes in August 2020 discussing techniques and tools (^[63], ^[64]). His eBook The World of Blackwater was published in November 2022 (^[65]).

Close-Focus Wide-Angle (CFWA)

Discussed as “what may well be the next trend” on Wetpixel Live in June 2021 (^[66]). Nauticam’s MWL-1 (2018) and EMWL (2020) are the key hardware enabling this hybrid approach, which combines wide-angle perspective with close working distances for dramatic images of small subjects in their environment.

Fluorescence Photography

Fluorescence photography — using blue-filtered excitation light and yellow barrier filters to capture the natural glow of marine organisms — was a niche but recurring topic on Wetpixel.

• Light & Motion released a fluorescence filter for GoPro in March 2013 using NIGHTSEA blue LEDs (^[67])
• Alex Tyrrell (Dive4Photos, Koh Tao) published a portfolio on Wetpixel in October 2013 showing fluorescent nudibranch, coral, and crab images using NIGHTSEA filters with a Nikon D7000 and Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes. He had been shooting fluorescence since 2010 in the Philippines (^[68])
• Norbert Wu, the veteran photographer, contributed fluorescent coral images to Wetpixel in April 2015 — shot on 35mm film using only ambient light at 80 feet depth in Palau, with one image appearing on the Bing homepage (^[69])
• Biofluorescent reptile discovery: Marine biologist David Gruber recorded the first biofluorescent reptile — a critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle in the Solomon Islands — in October 2015, covered by Wetpixel (^[70])
• A dedicated Wetpixel Live fluorescence primer with Hanlon and Mustard aired in August 2020 (^[71])

Macro Aperture Optimization

Borut Furlan published an article on optimal underwater macro aperture in June 2005, one of the earliest Wetpixel articles addressing the trade-off between depth of field and diffraction in macro shooting (^[72]).

Wetpixel Lembeh Macro Workshops

The Wetpixel/Mustard Lembeh Macro Workshop was the community’s signature hands-on teaching event, running annually from at least 2012 through 2020. Based at Lembeh Resort, each workshop typically ran 11 nights with 26 EANx dives, timed to coincide with peak macro season (October—November) for encounters with ghost pipefish, hairy frogfish, and octopus.

Key editions:

• 2012: Bookings opened May 2012 (^[73])
• 2013: 12—23 October, “Improve your photography” theme, mixing formal teaching with coaching (^[74], ^[75])
• 2016: Live reports published from the field; “Wetpixel/Mustard Macro Workshop 2016” (^[76], ^[77])
• 2018: Live reports from the workshop; bookings opened January 2017 (^[78], ^[79])
• 2020: Open for bookings December 2018; included a planned “Lembeh vs Anilao Shootout” pitting two macro photography destinations against each other (^[80])

The workshops attracted glowing reviews and were consistently oversubscribed, with late-availability announcements common (^[81], ^[82]).

Macro Lighting

Beyond snoots, the community explored specialized lighting solutions:

• Backscatter Macro Wide 4300 — a dedicated video light announced November 2020 with 4300-lumen wide mode and 1400-lumen macro spot mode, compatible with the OS-1 optical snoot (^[83])
• Focus/spotting lights — Tim at Nocturnal Lights introduced LED spotting lights reviewed by Stephen Frink in 2005, valued for soft light that “doesn’t scare the fish” like halogen bulbs at close range (^[84])

Macro Competitions

Macro was a perennial category in major underwater photography competitions. Notably:

• DivePhotoFest hosted a macro-only competition in 2007 (^[85])
• Retra LSD snoots dominated European Fotosub podiums and won gold in the CMAS World Championship macro category (^[86])

Key Educators

• Alex Mustard — Co-led all Wetpixel Lembeh workshops; endorsed Nauticam SMC; authored Underwater Photography Masterclass (2016); co-hosted dozens of Wetpixel Live macro episodes; reviewed Retra LSD snoots
• James Wiseman — Super Macro presentation at HUPS 2009; Sigma 150mm and Tamron 70-200mm reviewer; most prolific Wetpixel forum contributor
• Keri Wilk — Snoot photography pioneer whose competition-winning images inspired an entire sub-genre; ReefNet fiber optic snoot developer
• Mike Bartick — Blackwater diving pioneer; Backscatter MF-1/OS-1 field reviewer; snooting educator; Crystal Blue Resort photo pro
• Rand McMeins — Pioneered extreme supermacro stacking (105mm + 2x TC + diopter)
• Drew Wong — Guide to diopters for macro video (August 2007) (^[87])
• Adam Hanlon — Dyron M77 reviewer; F.I.T. diopter evaluator; co-host of all Wetpixel Live macro episodes
• Alexander Semonov — Marine biologist (White Sea Biological Station, Russia) who produced stunning super macro images of sea star skin using Canon MP-E 65mm at up to 2.5:1 magnification (^[88])
• Rob van Twist — Derived the physics of snoot alignment for narrow-beam snooting (^[89])
• Mark Thorpe (CamDiver) — Early advocate for super macro video technique (^[90])
• Shane Siers — Macro videographer, creator of the Macronesia nudibranch film series (^[91])
• Norbert Wu — Veteran photographer, fluorescence imaging pioneer on film (^[92])

Timeline

• 2005-02: James Wiseman reviews Sigma 150mm macro for UW use (^[93])
• 2005-06: Borut Furlan publishes optimal macro aperture article (^[94])
• 2005-11: Seacam introduces wet diopters; Stephen Frink reviews alongside Backscatter MacroMate (^[95])
• 2006-02: Mustard spotlights McMeins’ supermacro technique; Nikon 105mm VR announced (^[96], ^[97])
• 2007-08: Mark Thorpe publishes supermacro video guide; Drew Wong on diopters for macro video (^[98], ^[99])
• 2008-12: Wiseman reviews Tamron 70-200mm macro zoom (^[100])
• 2009-03: Wiseman presents Super Macro at HUPS (^[101])
• 2010-03: Keri Wilk’s landmark snoot photography article published (^[102])
• 2010-06: INON and Seahorn release dedicated snoots; DIY fiber optic snoots emerge (^[103], ^[104])
• 2011-05: Hanlon reviews Dyron M77 wet macro lens system (^[105])
• 2012-03: EunJae Im’s super macro hairy shrimp video posted (^[106])
• 2013-02: Mustard reviews Retra LSD Prime snoot; INON UCL-100 released (^[107], ^[108])
• 2013-10: First Wetpixel/Mustard Lembeh Macro Workshop with trip thread; Alex Tyrrell fluorescence portfolio (^[109], ^[110])
• 2013-11: Nauticam SMC released, revolutionizing super macro (^[111])
• 2015-02: Nauticam CMC-1 announced; Fabian Schorp shoots Lembeh macro with Nikon D750 (^[112], ^[113])
• 2016-09: Nauticam CMC-2 ships; SAGA Trio macro lens announced (^[114], ^[115])
• 2016-10: Rob van Twist publishes snooting physics article (^[116])
• 2018-07: Mike Bartick’s comprehensive snooting tutorial (^[117])
• 2019-11: Backscatter MF-1 + OS-1 announced at DEMA (^[118])
• 2020: Wetpixel Live dedicates multiple episodes to macro topics: close-up lenses, snoots, black backgrounds, blackwater, fluorescence (^[119], ^[120])
• 2020-02: Ianniello & Mears publish Blackwater Creatures book (^[121])
• 2022-11: Mike Bartick publishes The World of Blackwater eBook (^[122])
• 2023-02: Marelux SOFT Pro snoot reviewed; OM System 90mm Macro announced (^[123], ^[124])

References

Wetpixel Live