Field Notes

Our return Shark diving visit to the Bahamas in search of the Great Hammerhead, this time in Bimini. We had a very good week, getting six diving days with the sharks. Photographically, we captured a decent set of images of the Great Hammerhead shark feeds, with the greatest challenges being fixed to one spot, trying… Continue reading Field Notes From Bimini In The Bahamas – February 2025

A “macro-fest” of critters! I used the 60mm and Amanda, the 40mm. We captured a decent set of images, though in hindsight I felt that I should have got more out of it, and experimented a bit more with bokeh, lighting and blur. The biggest theme of my dive trips is to shoot in a… Continue reading Field Notes From the Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi – December 2018

A great few days, with time in Mexico City (great for “street photography”) and also at the excellent Mexican Grand Prix, which photographic possibilities galore. – JC

Motorcycling photojournalism style photography from the Essex Coast – an area I’d not spent much time in, and filing in more gaps in my gradual circumnavigation of the UK’s coast. – JC

A chance to hook up and dive with my Jersey based friend, diver and underwater photographer Kirk Truscott. The aim was to dive Bouley Bay (again) and capture some new images for a Scuba Diver Magazine feature. The conditions weren’t perfect, but I was able to add to my “Bouley portfolio” and create a decent… Continue reading Field Notes From Jersey – August 2018

I’d wanted to visit Ustica for many years and wasn’t disappointed. Photographically, it was stunning underwater and I was able to capture a representative set of images for features and calendars. On land, there was plenty of photographic potential – both on Ustica and in Palermo and Mondello at the beginning and end of the… Continue reading Field Notes From Sicily & Ustica – July/August 2018

I had to capture this one photographically, but could have done with more time, as there were some exhausting days in the saddle. In Belfast, Amanda and Zac met me, so it was nice to have a couple of days off the bike to visit the photogenic Giant’s Causeway and the Titanic Museum. – JC

A hardcore motorcycling trip that had rather too many miles. I captured some images, but didn’t have time for many, such was the need to “push on”. – JC

One day, two dives – would it be enough to get a feature for Scuba Diver Magazine? Well, yes, it was. On dive one, I shot macro, even capturing a Bobtail Squid, and one dive two, I worked the vistas with the fish eye lens – a satisfying day’s efforts. – JC <Read about this… Continue reading Field Notes From Bournemouth – June 2018

An excellent few days; travelling up on the Caledonian Sleeper train, then taking a hire car over to Mull, based at Tobermory before heading back over to the “mainland” to drive to Inverness for the return journey. A chance for the some general, though not concentrated photography. – JC

Four dives over two days under the pier. A nice set of images to illustrate a feature for Scuba Diver – macro, wide angle/fish eye and topside. – JC <Read about this trip here>

One day, two dives and enough images to get a feature for Scuba Diver Magazine. The conditions were good and I shot with both fish eye and macro. – JC <Read about this trip here>

An Easter weekend motorcycle trip in mostly poor weather. Some images, but nothing mind blowing. – JC

A trip to Whitby for the Goth Festival, which presents some interesting takes on “street photography”. A very good weekend all round. – JC

A good all round trip, with the highlight being an opportunity to see and capture images of a Guitar Shark at the Stingray City site. This shark, for whatever reason, tends to show up at dusk so it’s more tricky shooting in the low light. I gave it thought before getting in the water and… Continue reading Field Notes From Bandos in the Maldives – December 2017

Not concentrated photography, but a chance to wield the camera nonetheless – in the city and at the American Grand Prix. – JC

My first extended foray on my new R1200 GS, all up the East Coast from The Wash to Scotland.. I did this trip with a view to capturing places along the way. I especially enjoyed the Kielder Forest Trail. – JC

After the “puke-filled” 2016 trip, I tried a different sea sickness tablet and had no problems. Photography wise, it was a decent trip, with some good (and close) Blue shark encounters. I’ve since used them for a Scuba Diver Magazine feature, and also for our Diving Dreams calendars. – JC

A personally and photographically satisfying trip. Our first stint was at the excellent Tulamben, shooting a mixture of wide angle and macro images. The highlight was probably photographing a Mimic Octopus. For our second part, we stayed at Bloo Lagoon Eco Resort at Padangbai, setting out each day to find a Mola Mola in the… Continue reading Field Notes From Bali & Singapore – August 2017

No great images to show for it, but enough to produce a feature for Scuba Diver Magazine. The seahorses remained elusive. – JC <Read about this trip here>

A motorcycle exploration of Kent, based at Canterbury. I took a macro lens to shoot the Heath Fritillary that was on the wing in the Blean Woods complex at the time. – JC

A pleasant long weekend with good chances at photography from this curious British enclave, based on the Sunborn “Boat Hotel”. The iconic “Rock” has great photographic potential. – JC

I’d wanted to dive the bay at Babbacombe for a long time, ideally in the Spring to coincide with the Cuttlefish mating season, for which this bay is well known. We were probably a week or two past the “peak of the season”, but we still saw and were able to photograph a few specimens.… Continue reading Field Notes From Babbacombe, Devon – May 2017

An all round “travel photography” type trip. I enjoyed capturing images from this off the grid Caribbean island, especially from the ruined city of Plymouth and on the dives with Scuba Montserrat. – JC <Read about this trip here>

An “exploratory” motorcycle photojournalism weekend. It worked well, which included a visit to the Labrador Bay RSPB reserve. – JC

Not a concentrated trip in a photographic sense, but enjoyable nonetheless. A chance for both topside and underwater shooting, including reefs, wrecks, and underwater sculpture garden and even a manta ray. Though I didn’t write a feature about this trip, some of the images have been published. – JC

We got the sharks, but I also got badly seasick. Trying to shoot images of sharks whilst spewing up isn’t a pleasurable activity. – JC

A superb trip all round, with photo opportunities galore. The manta ray night dive, “pelagic magic” blackwater night dives, the Kona Aggressor liveaboard, the Volcanoes National Park and a green sand beach. In Mexico, we visited Guadalupe by liveaboard to see and photograph Great White sharks – what could be better. And then there was… Continue reading Field Notes From Hawaii, California and Mexico – July/August 2016

We didn’t find any Basking Sharks, but I was able to photograph some large jellyfish and seals off Land’s End. – JC

Not a “photo trip” as such, but good photo opportunities did present themselves. – JC

Our visits to Helsinki and Venice during the summer gave some nice opportunities for some photography – especially some of the more abstract views of these excellent cities. – JC

Photographing Blue Sharks from a buoyant 2-man cage whilst feeling sea sick wasn’t easy. I found that I was forced to resort to pointing and shooting (as opposed to composing and shooting) in order to get images for a Sport Diver feature. Through perseverance, I managed to get enough images for the article, but (I’ll… Continue reading Field Notes From The Cornish Coast – July 2015

We enjoyed our trip to the excellent Roots Dive Camp, north of El Queseir in Egypt. Photographically, we were able to capture a decent (though unspectacular) set of images, primarily to illustrate an upcoming Sport Diver feature. My familiarity with the Inon strobes continues to grow. – JC <Read about this trip here>

On an off throughout the year, my time in “the field” has often been spent at a computer compiling images and content for this website! It’s been quite a task. – JC

All round, a very successful trip aboard the excellent Turks & Caicos Aggressor liveaboard. Photographically, we bagged some good images including some “new” subjects such as nurse sharks hunting at night. This trip also allowed us some close proximity with Caribbean Reef Sharks. All in all, a good set of images for features. – JC… Continue reading Field Notes From The Turks & Caicos Islands July & August 2014

I really enjoyed Bandos, if for no other reason that is just so relaxing! In terms of images, the slightly longer trip meant greater concentration and variety in the resulting pictures. Overall, moving forward with the Inons!

On an off throughout many months of the year, my time in “the field” has sometimes been spent at a computer compiling images and content for this website! It’s been quite a task. – JC

This long standing arrangement with my Jersey based friend and fellow underwater photographer Kirk Truscott was hampered by the weather. On the Saturday, we were unable to reach Sark and had to settle for a single dive in a sheltered area of Jersey. On the Sunday, we were able to reach Sark, but we weren’t… Continue reading Field Notes From Jersey and Sark – August 2013

A chance to capture images from Sorrento, Herculaneum, Pompeii and the incredible island of Stromboli. Would like to go back again at some stage. – JC

We loved this long awaited trip to Galapagos, which we’d booked more than three years previously. Photographically, and as expected, it was a challenge on the dives a the incredible action proved difficult to capture thanks to current, surge, visibility, water colour and sharks that won’t do what you want them to do! An incredibly… Continue reading Field Notes From Galapagos – June 2013

This trip was not “concentrated photography” in that it was a family trip with our friends the Russells, I was still able to get a few images of diving “Dahab style.” A very friendly and laid back place to visit with good photographic opportunities. – JC

Though not a photography trip in any true sense of the word, there were a few opportunities to capture some images. I particularly enjoyed getting a few abstracts at the Coca-Cola Museum. – JC

This trip was the first time out with my new pair of Inon strobes. It was quite difficult to adapt after years of shooting with the Subtronic. I enjoyed the experience and felt that I made some progress, but the power settings no longer felt “intuitive” as they had became with the Subtronic. Clearly there… Continue reading Field Notes From Bali – May/June 2012

As it would turn out, I would change to Inon strobes after this trip. As usual, I enjoyed the diving and the familiarity of the Subtronic strobe. I didn’t make any great breakthroughs here, but captured some nice manta and turtle shots during the visit. – JC

Our trip to Belize, on the Aggressor liveaboard was excellent and a chance to concentrate on both underwater and also some topside photography. There were some interesting photographic challenges – one in particular that stands out was the feeding tarpon at Silver Caves. Here’s a description of how I tackled it. – JC There were… Continue reading Field Notes From Belize – July/August 2011

Nothing startling to report from this trip from a photographic perspective, though we were able to capture some nice images in amongst spending time with Zac. Here’s an excerpt from a feature that I wrote describing a surprise manta encounter. – JC We visited a site called Lankan Reef which promised a fast moving show,… Continue reading Field Notes From Bandos in the Maldives – April 2011

This trip turned into a bit of a “nightmare” thanks to poor weather/diving conditions and picking up a nasty sinus infection en route. Here, I quote from a feature that I wrote about the experience. – JC Donsol– On the first interaction, the visibility was at its worst, possibly three meters maximum and probably less.… Continue reading Field Notes From Donsol & Ticao Island in the Philippines – March 2011

The Malapascua Island trip with Thresher Shark Divers was very enjoyable, with some very good diving and photographic opportunities, though it was curtailed somewhat by an ear problem later into the visit. By far the most difficult subject was trying to capture the Thresher Sharks at Monad Shoals, as the “prime time” is at 05.00… Continue reading Field Notes From Malapascua Island in the Philippines September 2010

As this trip was mostly in the context of our family holiday, the only real “concentration” on getting images was during the diving trips which will be included in several upcoming features. In terms of the diving, my feeling is that we captured decent magazine article images (which is fine), but the less than perfect… Continue reading Field Notes From Australia & Hong Kong, July/August 2010

In the early part of the summer, I visited Portland Harbour to dive and photograph the Countess of Erne, plus the Landing Craft and Bombardon Unit. The visibility (by Portland Harbour standards) was very good, but it still needed lots of care and attention with strobe placement. The resulting pictures weren’t “mind blowing” but were… Continue reading Field Notes from Portland and Jersey, June 2010

Our visit to Lankayan was very enjoyable and productive in a photographic sense. Whilst the conditions for diving were difficult thanks to a period of very poor visibility, we were able to get some pleasing images, especially of the mating and egg-laying cuttlefish, which were the highlight of the trip. It gave me the opportunity… Continue reading Field Notes from the Lankayan Island, Borneo January/February 2010

For our family summer holiday, we headed to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean with our son Zac for our long awaited “family week” aboard the Cayman Aggressor liveaboard. The conditions were ideal for his first taste of dive trips (he’s only 6!) with calm seas and excellent visibility. It made for an excellent week’s… Continue reading Field Notes from the Cayman Islands, July/August 2009

To get to the Socorros, I travelled on the excellent Solmar V liveaboard, which has a long track record of visiting the area. It’s only possible to go there during the “Socorro season” which lasts from the end of October through to the end of May. The Socorros are a great destination for pelagic action.… Continue reading Field Notes from the Socorro Islands, Mexico, May/June 2009

Our long awaited trip to Papua New Guinea based at the Loloata Island Resort turned out to be “difficult” thanks to Jeremy contracting an ear infection, which meant sitting out almost all of the diving. Amanda was able to do all of the dives but the plans we had were for working together underwater in… Continue reading Field Notes from Papua New Guinea, November/December 2008

Kauai was a good opportunity at some all-round travel photography set in the context of our family holiday. There’s some spectacular photographic opportunities here, although the absolute pinnacle of what is possible is down to patience, timing and a just a little bit of luck with the weather and light, which varies enormously. Although “photographed… Continue reading Field Notes from Kauai, July & August 2008

With two days in the UK to recover from the Philippines trip, it was back to the airport and off to Egypt for a week on the Typhoon liveaboard. After some of the “little breakthroughs” that I felt I made in the Philippines, I struggled at times to please myself with some of the images… Continue reading Field Notes From The Typhoon, Northern Red Sea Sea, Egypt June 2008

My trip to Philippines was a last minute affair, arranged with only a weeks notice, with lots of “flat out” working in order to be able to get away in good shape. With that achieved, it was literally straight into “photographic mode” and it was a good discipline for me, getting organised quickly, staying organised… Continue reading Field Notes From The Philippines, Puerto Galera and Dumaguete June 2008

Jersey was supposed to involve diving at Bouley Bay, but that didn’t happen due to the Bank Holiday weather and a pollution incident. So instead, we did other things – a chance to photograph Durrell Wildlife (Jersey Zoo), Gorey, Sorel Point and the German Hospital & War Tunnels

In early October, I went on a last minute diving “day out” to Chesil Beach in Dorset. It was one of those clear, still and mild autumn days. Underwater, visibility was reasonably good, too. We did a couple of dives and I captured some interesting shots of dive my buddies Jon and James. We visited… Continue reading Field Notes From Chesil Beach, Oslo and Westonbirt – October/November 2007

Our trip aboard the Sea Serpent liveaboard from Marsa Alam in southern Egypt was extremely worthwhile and enjoyable. We visited the pristine areas of St. Johns, Fury Shoals and also Elphinstone. Photographically it was also another step forward. Amanda was delighted to win the on-board image of the week contest with a very unique clownfish… Continue reading Field Notes From The Southern Red Sea June/July 2007

You could call our journey from Sydney to Cairns “The Drive To Dive”. This trip gave us a chance to photograph many situations and places as we encountered them, although we rarely had the opportunity to wait for the best light or time of day, especially on our “road days”. We could only shoot how… Continue reading Field Notes from Eastern Australia – March/April 2007

The Big Island of Hawaii is some of the world’s newest land – still volcanically active and geographically remote. We visited Hawaii’s Kona Coast aboard the Kona Aggressor liveaboard and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was our first entirely digital underwater photography trip in that we were both using our Nikon D200/Subal housing setups –… Continue reading Field Notes from Kona Coast, Hawaii – September 2006

A good test with the new D200/Subal rig at Swanage. I only had time for a single dive but I came back with 70 pictures. The conditions were pretty murky but some of the images were promising if not remarkable and allowed more familiarisation with the equipment. I used the new 10.5mm fish eye with… Continue reading Field Notes from Swanage Pier – August 2006

We took our 3 year old son, Zac to Goodwood, so it wasn’’t a weekend of concentrated photography. The event is a celebration of motorsport and attracts around 100,000 visitors over the three days. It’s also a magnet to the “who’s who” of motorsport. Cars from all eras of motorsport are displayed and driven over… Continue reading Field Notes from the Goodwood Festival of Speed – July 2006

In France, I attended world renowned underwater photographer Kurt Amsler’s Fish Eye Workshop. It was the first time in the water with our new Nikon D200 camera/Subal ND20 housing setup. There’s obviously a lot to learn about the camera and digital imaging in general, but I was encouraged by the start. Although I didn’t capture… Continue reading Field Notes from the South of France – June 2006

Our trip to Florida was one of mixed fortunes, photographically. Underwater, we’re still using film cameras – our housed Nikon F100’s – so as yet we’re still not enjoying the instant feedback advantages of digital. However, I feel that I have moved forward and have built upon some of the experiences from western Australia just… Continue reading Field Notes from Florida – April / May 2006

Bahrain gave us first real chance to get to grips with the new Nikon D200. It’s a real cliché to say that the instant feedback is so useful. Also, the ability to change ISO was fantastic, allowing a seamless transition from high to low light situations. In Bahrain, the light quality was variable throughout our… Continue reading Field Notes from Bahrain – March 2006