benja iglesis photography

Whale season is in full effect. This year the season got off to a slow start in November, but now their are whales, whales, and more whales every where you look on the coasts of Maui. I managed to get this beautiful shot of a calf playing in the water. As I said before, it's more difficult to shoot subjects in motion and more difficult shooting ones whose motion you can't possibly predict.

In December, just before leaving for South America, Hawaii go hit with a pretty big swell. Large enough to make the world-famous PEAHI break to go off. I got to see a few good runs, but like always Laird took the biggest, meanest wave and made it look like a kids playground. Laird may be the only guy who actually surfs these monster waves, rather than just surviving them.

In the same Paris Dakar race I posted pictures from earlier, I had the chance to photograph one of the most entertaining drivers in the United States. He might not be the best in the world, but he can put on a show like no other. When it comes to cars, driving a hummer with 450 horse power is not easy. Just to keep it on the road, he was essentially risking everything on every single turn. Robby Gordon is the best showman on the planet.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Ily, Minnesota, to shoot a dogsled team. It was quite a challenge to shoot, contending with such low temperatures. Even so, I manage to get some nice images. My Nikon D300 worked like a champ in these challenging conditions. It's this dependability that makes me really happy to be shooting with Nikon cameras. Situations like these are when your equipment is all the difference between having a great photo shoot or a real nightmare. 10 points for Nikon.

In January 2010 I had the chance to fly to Chile to  photograph one of the most important races in the world - The Paris Dakar. A good friend of mine, shown here, got to race and winded up finishing 3rd in this demanding race. You can see more images of the race at www.chalecolopez.cl. It's really difficult to shoot races for any photographer. You have to chose the spot with the ideal light and then contend with speed and dust. Obviously you have just a few seconds to get the shot, because they race by so fast and for some reason, they just won't stop and pose for their picture!

Some days are better than others, but when everything works right underwater you get good results.

Just when you think you are close enough to your subject, get a little closer. You'll be surprised how much better your underwater photography shots look when your subject fills the full frame. In this case, the curious nature of a fish.

Just remember the three keys to great photography: Patience, patience, patience.

Every once in a while we have a chance to dive with some good sized Aluas. In this image, Adam Berns is getting up close and personal with this big Alua off of Maui, Hawaii .

The Green Sea Turtle is one of many protected species in Hawaii, and while they are very common to see underwater by snorkelers today, as recently as 15 years ago their numbers were in decline. The Green Sea Turtle has been on the come back trail since they received protected species status. Thousands of people come to Maui every year to just have the chance to swim along with them. These two were very involved with each other. 

Mantas are pretty common around Hawaiian waters, but they are always an impressive when you catch one swimming. This one is newly born with about an 8 foot wing span, but big enough to show all the majestic movements of this animal. We saw this one at Nahuna Point off of Maui, Hawaii. You just have to remember that if you want to enjoy these types of sightings, you better move slow and let the animal to approach you.

When the weather isn't being helpful, I try to play more with the camera settings to get some new angles. I came out with this image today which was overcast with the current moving a lot of water on the surface. I took a few images and I chose this one to show you. I think it shows you a little bit of the ambiance found at the back wall in Molokini, near Maui, Hawaii.

Well not everything is about water in Maui, Hawaii. On some days we find time for sports for land lovers like the one above. I lucky enough to be on hand to photograph Mike Chapman, one of the most talented skaters around here. It was a good day even if I inadvertently copied the image of Tony Alva from the movie Dog Town.

Some days are better than others, even in Hawaii which is known for the clear waters that surround the islands. Molokini is by far one of the mayor attractions for people visiting Maui. On this day it was really special. I had the opportunity of taking this image of a manta followed by a couple of Jacks. And to top it all off two grey reef sharks got into the act. Hawaii can give you all kinds of experiences underwater, you just have to put your time in.

Sometimes you have a great image that stands up on its own, but some photographers like to retouch or enhance their images to ensure the "wow" factor. There isn't a "better" or "worse," and it all boils down to a matter of taste.

Late afternoon is the magic hour if you want to go out capture some amazing images. With the light just right, and if you compose well, you'll get some pretty good results.

Taking images of wrecks is fun, but is difficult to show the size ratio. That's why it is always better to include a diver or two in one of your frames so people can see the size of the wreck.  Unless your main subject is in close range, don't try to use a flash on a wreck because the only thing that you are going to acomplish is backscatter.

One of the best camouflage fishes on the planet. The frog fish is also amazingly adept at striking at fish as small as two inches with lightening speed. They are really difficult to find, but when you do, they sure are an awesome fish to encounter in the wild. I shot this one at the St Anthony's wreck off the coast of Maui, Hawaii.

Visiting the Oregon Newport Aquarium is an amazing experience. Here we arrive at a pool with otters and this one found my wife quite interesting and wouldn't stop playing with her. It was pretty cool to see wild life interacting with humans in a safe environment both for people and animals.

Recently I took a trip to the mainland and spent time on the Oregon coast. Oregon is a pretty nice place to find peace. The beaches are much different, the water colder, the sand blue white, big cliffs, incredible lighthouses. Just nature as its best. 

Some days, shooting on Maui can get pretty intense with a lot of great photo opportunities. The water is clear, the right amount of light is available, and all the models are behaving exactly how you need them to, which makes for a good photo shoot.

We were exploring the St. Anthony wreck with Daniel and Michael when Michael decided to take some personal time on the toilet inside the old wreck. The St. Anthony was originally a Louisiana shrimper that relocated in Hawaii as a long-line fisher after the shrimping industry collapsed. It was brought to Maui and scuttled to help alleviate some of the traffic to other highly popular wreck dives in the State.

I just got home and got some good news! One of my images (the one above) was just awarded Honorable Mention by the IPA awards. Sure, it would have been great to get first place, but that's just how life goes... sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. I can be comforted by the thought that I live on Maui, Hawaii. I'll let you all decide for yourselves on whether or not it is a winning shot.

This images was captured on one of those days that everything was going right; the camera, the water, the model, and Maui, Hawaii. Everything was feeling the same pulse and the result was an awesome image.

The other day I was lucky enough to find a pod of Pygmy Whales playing and hanging out near Molokini. Stuff like this happens to me almost everyday! If you're looking for more images like this one, be sure to check out my portfolio of images I've taken on Hawaii and elsewhere.

Benja's Self Portrait at Waimea Bay

I was on Oahu this past week and thought I should show people that I actually do carry a camera in the water.

I make my living as an underwater photographer, but diving is also a passion. Scenes like this one with a pod of dolphins playing, eating and generally enjoying life are gifts that I like to share.

Cleaning Crew with Sea Turtle

You see a lot of really interesting things underwater. For instance, this sea turtle swam right up to this school and politely waited until they were done cleaning him.