In Search of Perfection
The Underwater Macro Photography of Adam Sokolski
Text by Nicolene Olckers | Images by Adam Sokolski
On the North-East coast of Zanzibar, in Matemwe, you will find the friendly and professional Dive Point Zanzibar diving centre. This PADI 5 Star resort has one of the most exotic views of Mnemba Island and from here divers can experience some of the best diving that Zanzibar has to offer.
This dive centre is managed by Adam Sokolski. He is a scuba diving instructor and has become an excellent underwater photographer. “I am originally from Poland and came to Zanzibar by accident. My wife and I were offered a job here and we decided to accept it. That was many years ago, said Adam.
Text by Nicolene Olckers | Images by Adam Sokolski
On the North-East coast of Zanzibar, in Matemwe, you will find the friendly and professional Dive Point Zanzibar diving centre. This PADI 5 Star resort has one of the most exotic views of Mnemba Island and from here divers can experience some of the best diving that Zanzibar has to offer.
This dive centre is managed by Adam Sokolski. He is a scuba diving instructor and has become an excellent underwater photographer. “I am originally from Poland and came to Zanzibar by accident. My wife and I were offered a job here and we decided to accept it. That was many years ago, said Adam.
He began his diving journey in 1996 in Poland. Completing the two-week long CMAS 1 Star Open Water course was a hardcore training in a cold and dark Polish lake. Soon after that, he escaped the gloomy cold of Poland on a diving trip to Egypt. “It was an amazing experience. Diving became my passion, said Adam. “I took my first underwater photo with a small compact camera during a trip to Dahab in 2006.” Upon returning from this trip he entered the image in a competition, published in one of the Polish diving magazine. The photo of a seahorse was award the winning image as “Photo of the month”.
Since then, he has done approximately 3000 dives in different places. Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Egypt, Jordan, Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Bali, Philippines and Malaysia to name but a few.
In 2013 he attended an underwater photography workshop in Anilao, in the Philippines. This opened his eyes and interest to the amazing world of macro underwater photography. “I love all those tiny creatures that look like aliens. I love the patterns, colors and variety of shapes. And, of course, the challenge of taking photos of such small things are rewarding.” It takes a lot of patience, excellent diving skills and a sharp eye to take good underwater macro pictures. The photographer needs to take care not to damage the reef around the subject, as their camera equipment can become a bulky assembly.
Since then, he has done approximately 3000 dives in different places. Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Egypt, Jordan, Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Bali, Philippines and Malaysia to name but a few.
In 2013 he attended an underwater photography workshop in Anilao, in the Philippines. This opened his eyes and interest to the amazing world of macro underwater photography. “I love all those tiny creatures that look like aliens. I love the patterns, colors and variety of shapes. And, of course, the challenge of taking photos of such small things are rewarding.” It takes a lot of patience, excellent diving skills and a sharp eye to take good underwater macro pictures. The photographer needs to take care not to damage the reef around the subject, as their camera equipment can become a bulky assembly.
“I use the Olympus OM-1, Micro Four Thirds digital Mirrorless camera, in Nauticam housing with INON Z240 strobes. My main lens is Olympus 60 mm macro. The advantage of my setup is its relatively small size. This system provides me with good speed and good quality photos. I am planning to do more wide angle, but still I prefer macro.”
“One of my favourite photos is of the Costasiella kuroshimae sea slug taken in Tulamben, Bali. Costasiellas are super cute, tiny creatures that resemble sheep and are one of my favourite subjects. Fondly also called Shaun the sheep nudibranch. This photo was published in the Polish edition of National Geographic, together with several other of my photos. That was one of the greatest moment in my photography life.” His favourite dive sites in Zanzibar (Tanzania), are Tumbatu Island and Shane’s reef. His preferred dive destinations are Anilao in Philipinnes and Tulamben in Bali.
On Adam’s photography bucketlist there still are taking a perfect photo of the Leafy Seadragon found in Australian waters and diving at Lembeh and Ambon in Indonesia.
“One of my favourite photos is of the Costasiella kuroshimae sea slug taken in Tulamben, Bali. Costasiellas are super cute, tiny creatures that resemble sheep and are one of my favourite subjects. Fondly also called Shaun the sheep nudibranch. This photo was published in the Polish edition of National Geographic, together with several other of my photos. That was one of the greatest moment in my photography life.” His favourite dive sites in Zanzibar (Tanzania), are Tumbatu Island and Shane’s reef. His preferred dive destinations are Anilao in Philipinnes and Tulamben in Bali.
On Adam’s photography bucketlist there still are taking a perfect photo of the Leafy Seadragon found in Australian waters and diving at Lembeh and Ambon in Indonesia.
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