Raymond Wennekes is an enthusiastic underwater photographer from the Netherlands. He bought his first underwater camera in 2012 – and in no time he was hooked on this fantastic hobby! Raymond won his first title as Dutch Underwater Photography Champion in 2016 and also retained the title convincingly in 2017.
Meanwhile, Raymond dives all over the world to take the most beautiful pictures and witness the wonders of the sea. His strength as an underwater photographer is to allow others to share in the magic of this ‘hidden realm’ for many. Through his photographs, he seeks to inspire a deep love and respect for the oceans and encourage also others to protect these beautiful ecosystems.
Raymond’s photographs are recognizable for their creativity, with a unique view of marine life. An important factor in his creativity is the lighting. Raymond sets the bar very high for himself, which is definitely reflected in his photos.
‘The eye is a window to the soul‘
I took this picture in Bunaken National Park in North Sulawesi. A place which is also known for its abundance of sea turtles.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with a SONY 90mm macro lens in Sea&Sea housing and single Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobe with snoot; f14 – 1/250 – ISO500
Juvenile Harlequin Shrimp
I took this picture in Manado Bay, North Sulawesi and is probably one of the smallest critters I ever had in front of my lens. Despite being such a small critter, it already has so many beautiful details.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with a SONY 90mm macro lens in Sea&Sea housing and single Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobe with snoot; f11 – 1/250 – ISO500
Tompot Blenny
One of the permanent residents on a wreck in the North Sea is a Tompot Blenny. When they are guarding a nest with eggs, it is easier to photograph them. Their curiosity keeps them coming back.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with a SONY 50mm macro lens in Sea&Sea housing and single Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobe with snoot; f13 – 1/250 – ISO250
‘The wheel of fortune’
I recently had the unique opportunity to dive in an old quarry in Belgium. This quarry has been submerged over the years, which makes for wonderful diving. The quarry is still filled with old items such as this winch, a rail and trays.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with a SONY FE 28mm F2 lens + Fisheye Converter in Sea&Sea housing and two Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobes; f18 – 1/80 – ISO1250
‘Typical Dutch Scenery’
Diving in the murky waters of the Netherlands often means poor visibility. To take great pictures, you have to look creatively for subjects like these lilies and the typical Dutch windmills.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with a SONY FE 28mm F2 lens + Fisheye Converter in Sea&Sea housing and two Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobes; f16 – 1/125 – ISO500
‘Pure Serenity’
In October 2022 I hosted an underwater photography workshop in the Maldives. One of the highlights was the opportunity to snorkel with a whale shark for hours behind the boat. I wanted to capture this pure serenity of only the rays of ambient light and the whale shark feeding on small fish and krill.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with a SONY FE 28mm F2 lens + Fisheye Converter in Sea&Sea housing. No strobes, only ambient light; f8 – 1/80 – ISO2500.
‘Batman is calling!’
In October 2022 I hosted an underwater photography workshop in the Maldives. Another highlight of the trip was a night dive with mantas. It is always awesome when several mantas fly just centimetres above your head and keep looping in the rays of light of the boat.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with Sony FE 28mm F2 lens + Fisheye Converter in Sea&Sea housing. No strobes, only ambient light; f6.3 – 1/60 – ISO2500.
Underwaterdog
After every summer season the local swimming pool opens its doors for the dogs to play in the pools. After I saw the pictures of Seth Casteel of the underwaterdogs, I wanted to try it myself. It’s not easy but it’s worth the effort to see the enthusiastic response of the dogs and jumping into the water.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with Sony FE 28mm F2 lens + Fisheye Converter in Sea&Sea housing and two Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobes; f16 – 1/200 – ISO640.
Seahorse
One of the highlights of diving in the Netherlands is an encounter with a seahorse. On this particular dive I saw a seahorse swimming in the open water, which is quite unusual because they normally always hold themselves to weeds or something to avoid being seen.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with Sony FE 28mm F2 lens + Fisheye Converter in Sea&Sea housing and two Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobes; f16 – 1/160 – ISO500 (Cropped in post-processing)
The Owl
Only on one particular wreck in the North Sea can the twin fan worm or spiral fan worm (Bispira volutacornis) be found. When diving on this wreck with the ‘Duik de Noordzee Schoon’ Foundation, I was asked to make a creative picture of this critter since only photographs had been taken that were biological in nature. With a special lighting technique, I created this amazing picture, which looks like an owl.
Shot with a SONY A7R IV with a Sony 50mm macrolens in Sea&Sea housing and single Sea&Sea YS-D3II strobe with snoot; f16 – 1/250 – ISO100.
Love is in the water!
During a night dive in the waters of Lembeh in Indonesia, I saw a beautiful pink and purple sea pen (Pennatulacea sp.) standing in the black sand of the sea bed. Inside there were two small crabs feeding in the current of the passing water. It was only seconds that they were on top of each other before they went feeding again.
Shot with an OM-system OM-1 with an Olympus 90mm macro lens in Nauticam housing and single Blackscatter MF-2 strobe with snoot; f20 – 1/320 – ISO320.
‘Ordinary Extraordinaire’
I always search for a way to shoot the ordinary extraordinarily. One of the ways to do that is to ‘play’ with the light of the strobes. Working with snoots on the strobes is one way to do that. This nudibranch (Facelina bostoniensis) was really curious as to where all the light came from that was shining in her face.
Shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with an Olympus 60mm macro lens in Nauticam housing and single Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobe with snoot; f13 – 1/250 – ISO250.
Mussel farm
One of the most beautiful places in the Netherlands for scuba diving is the mussel farms in the province of Zeeland. It is not always allowed, because they are mainly privately owned plots. But when you have permission and at the right time of the year before they harvest the mussels, you can see the most beautiful colours.
Shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with a Panasonic 7-14mm wide angle lens in Nauticam housing and two Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobes; f7,1 – 1/160 – ISO640.
Peacock worm
For the Dutch Championship of Underwater Photography I took this photo of a Peacock worm (Sabella pavonina) – and it took me 108 minutes to make it like this. The constant current and the way of lighting made it really difficult. But in the end I succeed. The picture was awarded with a silver medal.
Shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with a Panasonic 45mm macro lens in Nauticam housing and single Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobe with snoot; f14 – 1/250 – ISO640.
Barrel Jellyfish
Summertime is the season of the Barrel Jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) in Dutch coastal waters. Where most underwater photographers try to make beautiful underwater shots of the jellyfish with the sun in the background, I tried a different approach with the famous Dutch dike in the background.
Shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with a Panasonic 8mm fisheye lens in Nauticam housing and two INON D-2000 strobes; f22 – 1/250 – ISO400.
Feather Duster Worm
This photo is made on the slope black sand dive site of Dauin Island in the Philippines. As a lot of underwater photographers swim past a Feather Duster worm, I always try to make a ‘signature picture’ with a special lighting technique.
Shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with an Olympus 60mm macro lens in Nauticam housing and one Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobe with snoot; f11- 1/250 – ISO320.
Juvenile wunderpus and juvenile flounder
One of the coolest things to do in underwater photography is a blackwater dive. This is a dive after sunset in at least 200m deep water. After sunset the largest vertical migration in the world happens – and it happens every night. A lot of critters come to the surface to feed, breathe and mate. It is like diving in outer space, with critters like this juvenile wunderpus and juvenile flounder.
Shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with a Panasonic 45mm macrolens in Nauticam housing and two Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobes; f10- 1/250 – ISO500.
Red beadlet anemone
The red beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) is probably one of the most colourful animals that live in the murky waters of the Dutch coastal waters. With a special lighting technique, I try to make photos with simple subjects look really extraordinary, like this red beadlet anemone with blue lumps (Acrorhagi).
Shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with an Olympus 60mm macrolens in Nauticam housing and one Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobe with snoot; f9- 1/250 – ISO200.
You can find more great imagery from Raymond on his website www.raymondwennekes.com, and Instagram @raymondwennekes
If you’d like to see your underwater photography published on these pages and shared across our social media feed and weekly newsletter, why not drop us a line at info@divemagazine.com.
