Nikon D7100 Underwater Photos from Alor

A macro photo essay with the Nikkor 60mm, 105mm and a Snoot

Text and Photos By Dan Kurz

The Nikon D7100 is one of the best camaras for underwater photography. These pictures were taken in September 2014 on a liveaboard trip through the Komodo - Alor region of Indonesia.

The voyage began in Labuanbajo, where Komodo National Park is located, and ended in Maumere. This itinerary allowed us to dive some of Komodo's best sites. Castle Rock, when it is on (as it was for us), features large schools of colorful fusiliers and all the larger fish that would like them for lunch. We also dove Manta Alley and Horseshoe Bay, which includes the night dive at torpedo Alley and can have more weird night creatures than you can imagine.

After leaving the Komodo area we headed to Alor, which has incredible biodiversity and features the Valley of the Clowns at Pura Island. The Valley of the Clowns is several kilometers packed with all varieties of anemones covering almost every inch of the site - it's truly amazing. The trip had it all: muck diving, wall dives and corals.

Komodo & Alor Underwater

My dive guide Wawan spotted this Juvenile Ornate Pipefish swirling around in the water a meter or two off the bottom. It appeared trasparent to the eye. I followed it carefully through the lens until I was fortunate enough to get in a few shots before it disappeared into the darkness.

Nikon D7100, 60mm Lens. ISO 100, F22, 1/320

Clownfish Egg Detail. I have been avidly looking at the behavior of clownfish, watching to see if they are ducking behind the edges of their Anemone hosts. They do this when they have eggs in order to oxygenate them every few minutes. When new, the eggs are very small and look like a colorful bit of growth on the surface of the rock that the anemone is living on. As they get larger, they become a bed of cleat pods with eyes. The eggs in this photo are developed enough that many were already gone, and in those that remain you can see the juvenile fish.

Nikon D7100, 60mm Lens. ISO 100, F25, 1/320

Clownfish tends to its eggs.

Nikon D7100, 60mm Lens. ISO 100, F18, 1/320

Clownfish with Isopod in Mouth. In observing the activity of clownfish, I noticed that many of them give a bit of a yawn. If you look closely you can see that they have isopods living in their mouths. This clownfish has two! This shot required lots of time and patience, as the fish had to both look at me and yawn.

Nikon D7100, 60mm Lens. ISO 100, F22, 1/320

Damselfish Eggs. I find these often on the base of coral whips on wall dives.

Nikon D7100, 105mm Lens. ISO 100, F22, 1/320

Frogfish shot with Reefnet Snoot. This warty Frogfish was perfect for lighting with the snoot. When they are not moving you have the time to adjust the lighting exactly the way you want it.

Nikon D7100, 60mm Lens. ISO 100, F20, 1/320

Goby with Eggs. The goby eggs are located at the base of sea whips on the side of walls. The goby will be located somewhere on the whip and if you are patient, it will move along to check its eggs.

Nikon D7100, 105mm Lens. ISO 100, F22, 1/320

Hairy Squat Lobster shot with Reefnet Snoot. These are fairly easy to find on barrel sponges and you almost always have to have a dive guide convince them to come forward for their picture. I found it was easier to bring the light to them by using the snoot.

Nikon D7100, 105mm Lens. ISO 100, F22, 1/320

One of thousands of jellyfish floating on the surface on night. When we surfaced on our last dive of the trip, the surface was covered with waht looked like pieces of brown bamboo. As they were bobbing in the waves I took a quick picture just to see what they were.

Nikon D7100, 105mm Lens. ISO 100, F29, 1/320

Denise's pygmy seahorse shot with Reefnet Snoot. Very tiny and only visible to dive guides!

Nikon D7100, 105mm Lens. ISO 100, F22, 1/320

Backlit Pygmy. This is the same pygmy as above. I thought it might be interesting to shoot it with a back light - the snoot ended up becoming the "moon."

Nikon D7100, 105mm Lens. ISO 100, F29, 1/320

Shrimp on Starfish shot with Reefnet Snoot.  We found a pair of Commensal Shrimp living under this blue Starfish and created the spotlight with the snoot.

Nikon D7100, 105mm Lens. ISO 100, F29, 1/320

Squid in Space (stars are backscatter from the strobes). Near the surface on a night dive the squid are always attracked to our lights and this one stopped long enough for a photograph.

Nikon D7100, 60mm Lens. ISO 100, F22, 1/320

Book Your Trip to Komodo and Alor

Further Reading

• Nikon D7100 Review for Underwater Photos

• Sea & Sea MDX-D7100 Housing Review

• Nauticam D7100 Housing Review

Support the Underwater Photography Guide:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.