2018 Lembeh Strait Photo Workshop with Doug Sloss and NAD Lembeh Resort

Our 6th Annual Underwater Tribe/Underwater Lightroom Photo Workshop at NAD Lembeh Resort has come to an end. Once again we have had an incredibly fun week with 18 guests from around the world. Participants this year came to us from Australia, USA, Canada, Denmark, and Japan to enjoy a 7 night/17 dive extravaganza in the Lembeh Strait.

All participants arrived by late afternoon on Saturday the 28th and we hosted an introduction session and meet and greet that evening. During the meet and greet we discussed how the week would work with one to one underwater tuition plus presentations in the afternoon. We followed this up with a great buffet dinner and a very informative slideshow presentation of the “Critters of Lembeh” by NAD manager Sonja.

The Diving

Diving started in earnest on Sunday morning, with 3 boats heading out to different sites, all with 6 participants, guides, and a photo coach. We used this approach throughout the week, with each coach spending 2 days per boat to spend ample time with each student working on new techniques. As with all of our workshops, our participants had a variety of experience levels and having a personal coach underwater helping to master techniques was a real plus.

The list of critters found throughout the week was incredible. On day one alone we encountered mating blue ring octopus, wonderpus, mimic octopus, hairy frogfish, and a whole lot more. The hottest sites were the sandy slopes such as Air Bajo, Rojos, and TK for a lot of encounters with octopus. The rubble sites were also popular with blue ring octopus, flambouyant cuttlefish and the usual sightings of a variety of nudibranchs. It was a very productive week photographically for everyone.

Black Water Dives

Night dives went out on almost every night with 3 Black Water night dives also in the cards. If you are not sure what a Black Water night dive is, it basically means looking for larval life in the water column away from the bottom. The weird and wonderful are often encountered on these dives and this week didn’t disappoint. Our intrepid night divers came away with some very interesting images of a whole bunch of different tiny creatures of the dark.

The Workshop

Presentation wise, we were able to utilize two different venues for our after lunch presentations. The main venue was in the NAD bar with the projector beaming onto a custom projector wall. The second location was the large new camera room adjacent to the restaurant. We were able to split the presentations on several days so our guests could pick and choose which presentation to attend. Each day after the third dive, we would meet to give one to one photo feedback and post processing help. Doug presented Lightroom and Lightroom Mobile techniques throughout the week at 5pm daily to get everyone on the right track with post production.

After 2 dives on Friday morning, the diving for our workshop officially ended. Many folks took the opportunity to enjoy an ice cold Bintang at lunch! After lunch was done it was time to choose favourite images for our end of week slideshow. On Friday evening, we had the official “thank you” speech before posing for a big group photo! It was then time for the big end of the week moment we were all waiting for, the group slideshow! Everyone provided a handful of images from the week that we showed on the big screen to much applause! !  It was then time for a great BBQ dinner by the kitchen team with plenty of wonderful food for everyone. This was a great way to end our week and everyone enjoyed a wonderful evening socializing and talking about the great diving that we had.

The Final Goodbyes

Saturday morning was the time to say good-bye to our new friends as people headed home or to a new destination.

We would like to thank the staff and management of NAD Lembeh Resort for another wonderful photo workshop.  The improvements at the resort, including a brand new camera room, were evident.  As always, the staff were helpful, polite, and always smiling.  The 2:1 guest to guide ratio at NAD is a real big plus when it comes to underwater photography.  This is one of the biggest reasons we choose NAD for our annual photo workshop.

Of course we would also like to thank all of our attendees this year! We had a handful who have attended in the past and those who were new to the Underwater Tribe workshops.  The improvements we saw in everyone’s photography as the week went on were a great thing to see.  We know everyone will continue to improve before we see them again next year!

2019 Photo Workshop at NAD

Are you interested in joining an Underwater Tribe photo workshop in the future? Please keep an eye on our Photo Workshops page for more information coming soon!

Here is a selection of images from the attendees who created an amazing variety of wonderful photographs.