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Striped catfish are always an interesting challenge to photograph, and shallow depth of field works beautifully here, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
This week’s Photographer of the Week feature sees us travel across the pond to Southeast England to showcase the work of British underwater photographer Saeed Rashid. Saeed lives and works in the coastal town of Bournemouth, where he lectures in design and photography at the local university. When not at school, he runs underwater photography workshops to famous dive destinations around the world with the UK-based travel companies Oonas Divers and Ultimate Diving.
A longstanding member of the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSOUP), he has been involved in the UK underwater photography scene for over a decade, helping to organize dive shows in London and Birmingham as well as the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year photo contest.
He is well known for his informal yet informative talks in the dive show photo zones, where he often teams up with other well-known shooters to discuss in-water and post-production techniques. Anyone who has met Saeed will know that he is a friendly and approachable guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously, and these traits combined with his skills as a photographer are the reason he is a successful speaker and trip leader.
While some of his best work has been captured in the Red Sea, he often travels further afield to the Philippines and Indonesia. Take a look at his images below and you can easily see how he has mastered a multitude of techniques in both his macro and wide-angle work.
These schooling cardinalfish were shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia many years ago, and though Saeed has photographed this subject many times since, he has never managed to capture one yawning again
Bohol, Philippines: Bright colors and bold patterns always grab Saeed’s attention—no matter how routine the subject
Almost a decade since capturing this ghost pipefish in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, this is still one of Saeed’s favorite pictures—and it hangs proudly on his wall at home
A pregnant male seahorse patrols up and down a coral head at Gato Island, Philippines
A ladybug amphipod seems to survey the reef in Komodo, Indonesia
Diving with sharks is always special, but one of Saeed’s top experiences is with the blues off Penzance, Cornwall, UK
This guy was found out in the open confidently showing off his soft coral hat, Bohol, Philippines
Hawksbill turtles are not known for their pretty shells so this handsome individual, swimming gently at St. John’s Caves in the Red Sea, was a very nice find
North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Even when there’s a lot going on in front of you, always remember to look up occasionally
The tank in the Red Sea off Aqaba, Jordan is a shallow purpose-sunk wreck that makes a perfect photographic subject
The amazing visibility of the Red Sea is hard to capture in a single shot, and this six-image panoramic at St. John’s Wood does a better job
In the Red Sea, surgeonfish tend to inhabit the shallow reef top, so this is where photographers should spend as much time as possible
Batu Bolong, Komodo, Indonesia: Sometimes there are just too many fish on a reef to capture them all
A friendly wrasse off Plymouth, Devon: Who says UK diving can’t be colorful?
Some of the most joyful dives are with seals: You can’t help getting out of the water with a huge smile on your face, Lundy, Bristol Channel, UK
Saeed Rashid
If you want to see more of Saeed’s incredible images or you’re interested in joining him on one of his trips, check out his website, www.focusvisuals.com. You can also follow his work via Facebook and Flickr.
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