Eye to eye with the creatures of the sea: very few know them as well as Jan Reyniers. Jan Reyniers is more familiar with the underwater world and its inhabitants than almost anyone else. In this interview the exceptional photographer talks about his work – and an extraordinary adventure!

e mag: Where did you take these fantastic photos in such crystal-clear water? JR: They were all taken in April 2007 during my trip to Indonesia, Irian Jaya, Fak Fak region. e mag: When did you start with underwater photographer and why? JR: I have been diving for over twelve years, and for some time I worked as a professional diving instructor. I took many photographers into the underwater world and when they showed me their results I thought I could do it, too. Even though I have only concerned myself with photography for three years, I know a lot about it from my experience as a professional guide and from many research dives at various locations throughout the world. With my pictures I try to persuade people to see the underwater world as something very special and valuable, but also very sensitive, that desperately needs more protection! e mag: What do you want to express with your photos? JR: I try to make an ordinary creature look extraordinary, which is difficult to achieve. I mean, how do you make a sea slug or a piece of coral appear extraordinary? But the Olympus E-330 is simply a fantastic camera, and Live View makes unique pictures possible – especially in underwater photography.

Fascinating underwater perspectives with the E-330 by Jan Reyniers.

e mag: What equipment do you use?

JR: With the Olympus E-330 I naturally use ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses: 50 mm, 11-22 mm, 7-14 mm and the fisheye with the underwater housing and the lens port underwater housing. I also use two Inon Z240 stroboscopes. I built the mounts myself.

e mag: For our readers interested in diving: which mistakes should be avoided wherever possible?

JR: Saving on lenses. They are the most important factor when it comes to taking good pictures. So invest in lenses. They will last much longer than your camera!

e mag: What exactly is the difference to taking pictures above water?

JR: Water and air are additional factors that must be taken into consideration when taking underwater photos. Water: currents, buoyancy and diving skills, focus, depth of light, preparation of the equipment and the housings for underwater cameras. Air: depth and diving time restrictions. Air in limited quantities determines your diving profile, and time is the limiting factor that you must take into account on every dive.

e mag: What makes underwater photography so fascinating?

JR: It adds a totally new dimension to diving. I believe I would have given up diving completely because I was gradually growing tired of it. I thought I had seen everything. But thanks to underwater photography you begin to see reefs and their inhabitants with a completely mind-set.

e mag: What was your biggest adventure with the camera underwater? Please tell us a little story ...

JR: There is nice anecdote from the time when I was diving with a few friends in Egypt, in Sharm-el-Sheik. We decided spontaneously to go for a dive. Because the area didn't look very promising for photography, I didn't take my camera with me. We saw the rare scorpion fish, a red lionfish, sea anemones, morays, occasionally a blue-spotted stingray – the usual stuff. I remember that there was

almost no current. And after we had come round a corner of the reef, I sensed clearly that something strange was happening: I can neither describe nor explain it, but all the fish seemed to be reacting so differently, and the dim light made everything look unnatural. Then, in the distance, I saw something

that looked like a large, dark cloud coming straight towards us. I used hand signals to point it out to my friends. Everyone paused, curious to watch this phenomenon. When it had got close enough I could make out the most amazing shoal of fish I had ever seen. Literally thousands and thousands of bluescaled angel fish were swimming around us. There were so many of them that we could no longer see each other. Instinctively, I swam a little deeper to be able to get a better view of this spectacle. Then I saw two large grey reef sharks circling under the huge shoal – I was convinced they were getting ready for a exceptional meal. Everything was prepared for a fantastic spectacle: the special light, the large shoal of fish, the sharks as the chief characters ... everything ... except my camera. I was very excited and at the same time I cursed myself angrily for being about to miss a rare photographic experience.

Naturally, we all watched the display until our air supply ran out and we sadly had to surface. My friends later spent the whole evening talking about the adventure. But I had mixed feelings: sad and excited at the same time. Since that day I have never been diving without my camera! Even on test dives or the last dive on a trip, I always have my camera with me. Just in case ... I see another cloud.

“With my experience as a professional guide with many research dives throughout the world I gained a great deal of knowledge of where to find particular creatures and how they behave. The rest is patience and passion“. (Jan Reyniers)

The creatures of the deep as individuals – as seen by professional diver Reyniers.

JAN REYNIERS was born on 22nd April, 1960 in Antwerp, where he still lives today. As the owner of a car wash he was able to finance his hobby of diving. After more than 2,500 dives all over the world – also under extreme conditions such as under ice, and in the subtropics and tropics – his know-how on underwater photography expeditions and excursions is valued. His next underwater ports of call are: Papua New Guinea, Galapagos, Fiji, Palau, Russian and African lakes and rivers ...