Tobias Friedrich: Bubble Bokeh
Actually, I’m more a wide angle guy, known for my shots of the Manta Rays in the Maldives and the Humpback Whale in Oman. But, I was booked to lead the Team in Lembeh for the Lembeh vs Gulen Shootout and I had to come up with some good macro shots.
Bubble bokeh lenses are not new, but to create the special bubble effect, it definitely needs some help. Inspired by a cool background made by Sascha Janson from the Lembeh Resort, I developed that idea further together with Doris Vierkötter at the Alam Batu Resort in Bali until we had the perfect background to create unique bubble bokeh shots. It took another week in Bali and second journey to Bali and Flores to the right critters in the right place for a nice portfolio with this effect.
For most of the shots a Canon 5D Mark II with a 100mm Macro lens in a SEACAM housing has been used. For a few shots the Meyer Görlitz Trioplan bokeh lens has been used.
Find more of Tobias’ imagery here.
Zebra Frogfish or Black Hairy Frogfish, Antennarius striatus, in a frontal view with all it's 'hairs' looking like a haircut with a bubble bokeh background , Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Backlit seahorse with bubble bokeh background
Ornate ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus) with bubble bokeh background
Profile shot of Rhinopias frondosa with a bubble bokeh backdrop
Yellow Leaf Scorpionfish (Taenianotus triacanthus) Bali, Indonesia
Wonderpus (Wunderpus photogenicus) photographed in Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
A pair of clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) with bubble bokeh background
Pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) with rainbow bubble bokeh background
Spotted Chromodoris Nudibranch (Chromodoris kuniei) Bali, Indonesia
Juvenile warty frogfish (Antennarius maculatus) with bubble bokeh background
A clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) nestled in its host anemone with a bokeh background