lionfish43

Forum username: lionfish43
Real name: Larry
Location: Dover, NH, USA
Posts: 872 across 603 threads
Threads started: 124
Active years: 2002–2013
Primary forums: Photo / Video Showcase (441), Photography Gear and Technique (233), The Galley: General Chat (89)
Specialization: Underwater photography showcase and critique, photo competitions, New England cold water diving

Community Role

lionfish43 (Larry) was one of Wetpixel’s most dedicated photo-sharing participants, with over half his posts (441 of 872, 51%) in the Photo / Video Showcase forum. Active from 2002 — the forum’s first full year of operation — through 2013, he was among the earliest community members. His peak years of 2004–2006 (169, 181, and 199 posts respectively) coincided with the golden age of digital underwater photography adoption, when the community was most actively exchanging images and technique feedback.

With 124 threads started, Larry was a prolific initiator of discussions. His forum activity reveals a New England-based diver who combined local cold water diving with tropical travel, participating in Wetpixel community events such as the Bahamas shark trip and the Fiji Digital Shootout. Fellow member James Wiseman referred to him as “Larry” in the Bahamas shark trip thread (^[1]).

His participation in the Beneath the Sea photo competition — a major Northeast US underwater photography event — and New England diving threads underscores his deep roots in the East Coast underwater photography community.

Notable Contributions

• Beneath the Sea Photo Competition (8 posts, 60 replies): Active participant in discussing competition results, including the 2004 competition where David Doubilet served as a judge and Eric Cheng placed 3rd in the Digital (Open) category (^[2])
• Wetpixel Bahamas Shark Trip (8 posts, 16 replies): Shared images from a community dive trip that included tiger shark encounters; James Wiseman recalled being “tail-slapped IN THE FACE by a tiger shark” on the same trip (^[3])
• Rumored D200 announcement Sept 1 (8 posts, 31 replies): Contributed to early Nikon DSLR speculation threads (^[4])
• Photo contests and sharpening (7 posts, 40 replies): Participated in post-processing technique discussions relevant to competition work (^[5])
• Cozumel update (7 posts, 14 replies): Trip reporting from Caribbean dive travel (^[6])
• Ikelite DS-160 (6 posts, 20 replies): Discussed this popular strobe system (^[7])
• Fiji Digital Shootout Gallery (5 posts, 10 replies): Engaged with the Wetpixel-organized shootout event (^[8])
• BTS Contest results (5 posts, 50 replies): Follow-up discussion of Beneath the Sea competition outcomes (^[9])
• Is there an I-TTL option (5 posts, 21 replies): Contributed to Nikon TTL flash technology discussions (^[10])
• Greetings from New England (5 posts, 15 replies): Active in the regional New England diving community on Wetpixel (^[11])
• The D2H has landed (5 posts, 10 replies): Early Nikon DSLR adoption discussion (^[12])
• iPod + Digital Camera Link tested (5 posts, 14 replies): Contributed to early field backup device discussions for traveling photographers (^[13])

Activity Profile

• Peak year: 2006 (199 posts)
• Forum focus: 51% Photo / Video Showcase, 27% Photography Gear and Technique, 10% General Chat
• Additional forums: Trip Reports and Travel (41), Shooting Technique/Workflow (28), Lights/Strobes/Lighting (19), Classifieds (8)
• Community events: Participated in Wetpixel Bahamas Shark Trip and Fiji Digital Shootout

References