The Anilao Workshop Photo Essay from December 2017 showcases the synergy of exploration, technical mastery, and creative underwater photography. Taking place in the biodiverse waters of Anilao, Philippines, this annual event brought together passionate divers, skilled instructors, and a vibrant marine ecosystem. Organized at Crystal Blue Resort, the workshop was an intensive week of diving, photo critiques, and hands-on mentorship, setting the stage for a transformative experience in underwater macro photography.
Each participant engaged in four dives daily, spanning various underwater habitats from sandy bottoms to coral-rich reefs and vertical walls. The workshop emphasized not just image capturing but understanding marine behavior, improving buoyancy control, and pushing creative limits. With leading professionals like Vijay Raman, Matthew Sullivan, and Mike Bartick guiding the group, the learning curve was steep but incredibly rewarding. Topics like blackwater diving, snoot lighting, and creating dramatic black backgrounds gave the participants tools to create visually compelling stories beneath the waves.
The Marine Canvas of Anilao: Habitat and Subject Diversity
Anilao's geographical positioning and range of underwater landscapes offer an almost endless array of macro subjects. It’s a location praised by photographers worldwide, known for its resident frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, and mimic octopuses. Each dive location around Anilao holds unique photographic opportunities, with subtle environmental changes dramatically affecting lighting, visibility, and subject behavior.
Participants experienced this firsthand as they encountered elusive species across varied topography. Dive guides played an essential role in pointing out well-camouflaged critters—skeleton shrimp clinging to hydroids, sea dragons drifting in the currents, and lemon gobies nesting inside discarded bottles. These moments transformed from observational encounters to carefully composed images under the guidance of the workshop mentors.
Blackwater dives added an entirely different dimension. Suspended in the darkness of the open ocean, photographers captured images of larval fish and juvenile invertebrates illuminated only by strobes and dive lights. These dives demanded precise control and timing but offered some of the most surreal and otherworldly images of the entire workshop.
Craft and Tools: Lighting, Lenses, and Shooting Techniques
A key pillar of the workshop was mastering light. Whether through natural ambient sources or artificial strobes, light dictated texture, mood, and focus. The YS-D3 LIGHTNING strobe was featured prominently, thanks to its consistency, power, and ability to freeze even the swiftest subjects. With fast recycle times and adjustable power settings, it became indispensable in macro work.
Participants were encouraged to experiment with snoots—devices that narrow the beam of light—creating striking spotlight effects that isolated subjects like coconut octopuses and hairy frogfish from their often distracting surroundings. Proper strobe placement and control were emphasized in daily reviews. Instructors walked guests through the importance of diffusers, angle of attack, and backlighting techniques to enhance natural details like hair textures or fin translucence.
Camera bodies ranged from Canon and Nikon DSLRs to compact mirrorless systems from Olympus and Sony. Macro lenses like the 60mm and 105mm were common, offering the sharpness and magnification required to capture intricate marine details. Supermacro setups using wet lenses or teleconverters allowed photographers to fill the frame with nudibranch rhinophores or clownfish eggs.
Each shot was a combination of patience, positioning, and technical acumen. Understanding depth of field, adjusting ISO for low-light conditions, and fine-tuning shutter speeds to sync with strobes became second nature as the week progressed.
The Artistic Progression: From Day One to Final Frame
Every evening, the group came together for image reviews, where critique evolved into collaboration. These sessions helped identify recurring issues—backscatter, overexposure, motion blur—and offered solutions grounded in experience. More importantly, they encouraged. Witnessing how a photographer's work improved from Monday to Friday was one of the workshop's most fulfilling aspects.
Guest-submitted photos by the end of the week reflected significant growth. A squid suspended in blackwater, its eyes glowing with ambient light. A flamboyant cuttlefish mid-hunt. A snooted shot of a hairy frogfish, perfectly separated from its cluttered surroundings. These weren’t just lucky moments—they were the result of applying deliberate technique, absorbing instructor feedback, and learning to anticipate marine behavior.
Beyond technique, the workshop cultivated creativity. Participants were urged to compose with purpose, look for expressions in fish, symmetry in shrimps, or tension in a moment of predation. The goal was not just documentation, but storytelling.
The Diving Experience: Beneath the Surface of Anilao’s Waters
Diving in Anilao is more than just a recreational activity—it is an immersion into one of the most dynamic and species-rich underwater environments on the planet. The 2017 workshop participants were treated to daily dives across diverse dive sites, ranging from shallow coral gardens to steep drop-offs and sand channels, each offering a unique collection of marine life for macro photography.
Each day began early with gear checks and dive briefings, followed by a rotation of guided boat dives. Every detail was meticulously planned to align with tidal conditions, subject availability, and visibility. With up to four dives daily, participants had the opportunity to revisit favored subjects, explore new areas, or practice specific photography techniques. Sites like Secret Bay, Twin Rocks, and Mainit Muck quickly became workshop favorites for their abundance of critters and accessible macro opportunities.
While the diving focused heavily on macro subjects, Anilao’s reefs are not to be overlooked. Colorful corals, fields of crinoids, and schools of reef fish filled the mid-water column, occasionally becoming part of wide-angle attempts or framing backgrounds for macro shots. Divers practiced layering techniques, incorporating elements of the natural environment to add scale and context to their images.
The Stars of the Sea: Anilao’s Iconic Marine Life
The sheer biodiversity encountered throughout the week was a constant source of inspiration. Each dive revealed new species, often in intricate symbiotic relationships or engaging in natural behaviors that enriched every photo opportunity.
Frogfish were arguably the workshop’s unofficial mascots. From the bright orange warty frogfish to the elusive hairy frogfish, each presented a chance to experiment with lighting, composition, and patience. Capturing the subtle nuances of their lures, facial textures, or even a yawn required perfect timing and an intimate understanding of their behavior.
Cuttlefish, particularly the flamboyant cuttlefish, proved irresistible subjects. Their color-shifting patterns and deliberate movements challenged photographers to freeze action while preserving color integrity. Divers learned to position themselves low and anticipate movement to get eye-level compositions that conveyed intensity and personality.
Octopuses appeared in a range of species and sizes. Mimic octopuses were spotted performing their impersonations of lionfish and flatfish, while coconut octopuses carried their shells as portable armor. These moments offered a rare glimpse into intelligent marine behavior, pushing photographers to act quickly and shoot deliberately.
Other favorites included skeleton shrimp, pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, and gobies. Blackwater dives introduced an alien world of translucent larval fish, drifting jellies, and bizarre planktonic creatures. Subjects like the larval soapfish and juvenile squid, photographed mid-water against a black void, were among the most visually striking and technically challenging to capture.
Shooting Styles and Signature Techniques
The workshop emphasized the development of a personal photographic style. Some participants focused on vibrant, close-up portraits using strobe-lit macro; others gravitated toward dark backgrounds or high-key compositions. With support from the instructors, divers experimented with angles, negative space, and foreground-background contrast to explore new approaches.
Snoot photography became a defining feature of the week. Used effectively, snoots create stunning spotlight effects, isolating subjects with dramatic flair. Participants learned how to adjust beam size, position the light in coordination with their camera’s focal plane, and experiment with creative compositions. A hairy frogfish highlighted by a narrow snoot beam became one of the workshop’s iconic images, its whisker-like appendages radiating out of shadow.
Manual exposure settings were another key focus. Photographers worked extensively with aperture controls to manage depth of field, essential in capturing small subjects with fine detail. Shutter speed and ISO settings were adjusted to balance ambient light and strobe output, particularly important in blackwater or night dives. Consistency in lighting and understanding histogram readings helped improve overall image quality and reduced post-processing work.
Many participants also practiced backlighting and backscatter control. Techniques like positioning strobes behind subjects, using black slates for contrast, and shooting upward into natural light sources added atmosphere and storytelling elements to images.
Lessons in Patience, Timing, and Storytelling
One of the most powerful themes reinforced throughout the workshop was the value of patience. Underwater photography, especially macro, demands stillness, observation, and timing. Participants were encouraged to slow down, watch their subjects, and wait for expressive gestures or interactions before pressing the shutter.
Behavioral moments often became the most treasured images—gobies fanning their eggs, a cuttlefish pouncing on prey, a cardinal fish carrying eggs in its mouth. These are fleeting and hard to predict, but deeply rewarding when captured. Instructors emphasized anticipating behavior and understanding subject routines—recognizing that animals, like humans, follow patterns.
Compositionally, the group learned to consider image flow. Leading lines from coral branches, diagonal framing of shrimp along seagrass blades, and use of shadows were discussed in critiques. Storytelling was always the goal. A single shot had to speak of place, personality, and atmosphere—capturing the full narrative of the ocean moment.
The group also grew as storytellers beyond the lens. Sharing photos with context, explaining the backstory of a difficult capture, and reflecting on challenges all contributed to a communal sense of achievement. Many participants left not only with improved skills but with new artistic confidence and photographic vision.
Mentorship in Motion: The Power of Community and Guidance
The success of the Anilao workshop was deeply rooted in the spirit of mentorship and collaboration. Instructors like Mike Bartick, Vijay Raman, and Matthew Sullivan brought decades of combined experience to the group—not just as accomplished photographers but as enthusiastic teachers. Their ability to translate complex techniques into practical advice empowered each participant to improve at their own pace.
Daily image review sessions became the pulse of the workshop. Each morning, after a night of editing and rest, participants gathered to display their top shots from the previous day. Feedback was both constructive and encouraging. Whether it was suggesting a tighter crop, pointing out a missed focal point, or praising a well-executed lighting setup, the instructors guided the group with clarity and warmth. They celebrated progress, offered alternatives, and challenged photographers to push further.
There was a shared sense of growth. More experienced participants often shared their own tricks or camera settings with those who were newer to underwater photography. Questions flew freely: How did you light that nudibranch? What aperture did you use on the goby shot? Where was that cuttlefish hiding? In the water and on land, the line between mentor and peer blurred, fostering a learning environment where everyone felt comfortable exploring creative risks.
Mentorship extended beyond photography. Dive briefings included reminders on marine conservation, respectful diving practices, and how to protect fragile underwater habitats. The instructors emphasized that being a great underwater photographer also meant being a responsible ambassador of the ocean.
The Role of Equipment and Adaptability
Throughout the workshop, participants came to appreciate the importance of understanding and adapting to their gear. While a well-tuned camera system can enhance image-making, it was the divers' familiarity with their equipment and adaptability in varying underwater conditions that truly elevated their work.
Many participants used DSLR setups inside specialized housings, paired with strobes, focus lights, and macro wet lenses. These setups allowed precise control, but also required regular maintenance and constant awareness underwater. Others used compact mirrorless systems, proving that creativity and timing often matter more than the size of the camera.
The workshop instructors made it clear: it’s not the gear that makes the photo, but the photographer. They taught participants to troubleshoot on the fly—clearing fogged domes, replacing sync cords, or adjusting buoyancy when heavy rigs became cumbersome. These small acts of adaptation prevented lost dives and missed shots. By the end of the week, many participants had developed their efficient pre-dive routines and personalized camera settings suited to their style.
Equally important was learning to adapt to the subject. Many marine animals don’t sit still or pose willingly. Photographers learned to anticipate motion, adjust strobe angles in seconds, and change compositions mid-frame to capture a subject’s behavior before it disappeared into the sand or coral. Flexibility, both in mindset and technique, became a hallmark of growth.
Creative Breakthroughs: From Frustration to Triumph
Every workshop participant faced challenges, from poor visibility and tough lighting conditions to missed focus or equipment malfunctions. What defined the success of the week was how those moments of frustration turned into creative breakthroughs.
One diver spent half a dive chasing a skittish cuttlefish, only to abandon the chase and turn attention to a tiny skeleton shrimp nearby. The resulting image, simple but intimate, became one of the best in their collection. Another photographer spent several dives attempting to master backlighting and, after tweaking strobe distance and exposure settings, finally produced an image of a translucent juvenile fish that glowed like stained glass.
Moments like these occurred again and again. With time, divers became more comfortable slowing down, studying their subjects, experimenting with angles, and trusting the process. What had seemed elusive or too complex on day one now felt like second nature.
Group inspiration played a role, too. Seeing the work of fellow divers during reviews encouraged everyone to try new things—be it supermacro with extension tubes or dramatic low-key lighting. The shared creative momentum lifted the entire group, fostering a spirit of artistic adventure.
Conclusion:
The Anilao Workshop in December 2017 was far more than a photography course or a dive trip—it was an unforgettable journey into the depths of creativity, discipline, and shared discovery. Surrounded by a vibrant underwater world, guided by passionate mentors, and supported by a dynamic community, participants emerged transformed. Their images told stories of life beneath the surface—of eyes that watched, fins that danced, and creatures that glowed in the dark.
Anilao’s waters had offered not only a wealth of subjects but a stage for personal evolution. Each photograph captured was a product of learned technique, honed observation, and genuine emotional connection to the underwater world. Participants left not just with memory cards full of stunning photos, but with a renewed respect for the ocean, a deeper understanding of their artistic voice, and a hunger to return to the water with fresh vision.