kelpfish

Forum username: kelpfish
Location: California
Posts: 1,574
Threads started: 136
Active years: 2003–2024
Primary forums: Photo/Video Showcase (29%), Photography Gear and Technique (19%), General Chat (16%), Trip Reports and Travel (8%), Shooting Technique/Workflow (8%), Lights/Strobes/Lighting (4%), Classifieds (3%)
Specialization: Image sharing, Lembeh macro photography, Ikelite systems, community ethics discussions, aerial/drone photography

Community Role

kelpfish is one of Wetpixel’s longest-tenured community members, with 1,574 posts across 1,129 threads spanning over two decades from November 2003 to April 2024. Based in California, their forum distribution heavily emphasizes image sharing and community interaction: Photo/Video Showcase (29%) and General Chat (16%) together comprising nearly half their activity, making them more of a social/artistic contributor than a pure gear-head.

kelpfish’s peak activity came during Wetpixel’s growth period, with 500 posts in 2005 and an extraordinary 605 posts in 2006 — making them one of the most active contributors during this critical era. After a quieter stretch from 2008 to 2012, they returned with a secondary peak of 117 posts in 2013 before settling into lower but sustained activity through the 2020s, including sporadic posts in 2022 and 2024.

kelpfish was an Ikelite user who eventually moved to Nauticam, as evidenced by their “I am done with Ikelite” thread and later Nauticam D7100 system classified listing. They also left 1 article comment expressing concern about a gold mine threatening Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi ([source: comment on wetpixel.com/articles/gold-mine-threatens-lembeh-strait, 2006]).

Notable Contributions

Lembeh Strait Expertise

kelpfish was closely associated with Lembeh Strait macro photography, a passion shared with other early Wetpixel members:

• “Lembeh Photos” (33 replies, 13 of kelpfish’s posts) — the most engaged thread, sharing extensive macro imagery from this world-class muck diving destination (^[1])
• “N. Sulawesi: Bunaken or Gangga??? (following 10 days at Lembeh)” (37 replies, 6 posts) — providing destination advice on North Sulawesi dive planning, comparing reef sites after Lembeh macro immersion (^[2])
• Commented on the article about a gold mine threatening Lembeh Strait, asking for links to take conservation action ([source: article comment, 2006])

Image Ethics and Philosophy

kelpfish actively contributed to the community’s recurring debates about image manipulation and subject handling:

• “Is it art or is it reality?” (91 replies, 10 posts) — a major community debate about the boundaries between documentary and artistic underwater photography (^[3])
• “Manipulation of subjects for the shot” (126 replies, 5 posts) — the ethics of moving or posing marine creatures for photographs (^[4])
• “Accused of ‘manipulating’ your shot?” — a related earlier thread on the same topic (^[5])

Trip Reports and Travel

• “Roatan & Utila Slideshow” (18 replies, 9 posts) — detailed Caribbean trip content (^[6])
• “You missed it.” (21 replies, 10 posts) — trip report (^[7])
• “Humbolt Squid dives” (34 replies, 6 posts) — documenting encounters with Humboldt squid off California (^[8])
• “How I spent my Memorial Weekend” (12 replies, 5 posts) — California diving (^[9])
• “BE AWARE OF TACA AIRLINES” (23 replies) — travel warning for dive travelers (^[10])

Gear Transitions

• “I am done with Ikelite” (34 replies, 5 posts) — documenting frustrations with Ikelite that led to a housing brand switch, a thread that became a reference point for the Ikelite reliability discussion (^[11])
• Nauticam D7100 System for Sale (8 replies, 7 posts) — later Nauticam system listing (^[12])
• Nikon 17-35 lens discussion (25 replies) — wide-angle evaluation (^[13])
• Vacuum Leak Test Update (17 replies, 5 posts) — housing safety technology (^[14])

Aerial and Drone Photography

kelpfish was an early adopter of aerial photography for diving contexts:

• “DJI Phantom GoPro helicopter” (29 replies, 7 posts) — exploring the emerging intersection of drone aerial photography and dive travel documentation (^[15])

Community and Social Threads

• Introductions (original thread) (304 replies, 7 posts) — contributed to the community’s foundational introduction thread since 2003 (^[16])
• “Doubilet’s Nudi Beauty!” (165 replies, 6 posts) — participating in the discussion of David Doubilet’s nudibranch photography (^[17])
• “More than one to one” (33 replies, 6 posts) — supermacro photography discussion (^[18])
• “Long lost pics” (13 replies, 6 posts) — rediscovered image sharing (^[19])
• “Your ONE best shot of 2005” (222 replies, 5 posts) — annual community favorite (^[20])
• “Great White Shark cage diving & system to shoot” (19 replies, 6 posts) — practical setup advice for shark photography (^[21])
• DS125 & DS51 Strobes classified (10 replies, 6 posts) — Ikelite strobe sale (^[22] — thread 50169)

Critter Identification

kelpfish contributed 30 posts to Critter Identification threads, showing genuine interest in marine life beyond pure photography, including Scuba Seraya species discussions.

Activity Profile

• Forum focus: Showcase (29%), Gear (19%), Chat (16%), Trips (8%), Technique (8%), Lighting (4%), Classifieds (3%), Beginner (2%), Critter ID (1%), Copyright (1%)
• Thread participation: 136 threads started, 1,129 total threads (average 1.4 posts per thread)
• Article comments: 1 comment (Lembeh conservation)
• Diving interests: Lembeh macro, California coast, Roatan/Utila, North Sulawesi, Humboldt squid encounters, great white sharks

References