LiquidGuru
Forum username: liquidguru
Real name: Kaj (based on forum posts)
Posts: 341
Active years: 2006—2026
Primary forums: Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing, Photo/Video Showcase, Critter Identification
Specialization: HD macro videography, Lembeh Strait marine life
Biography
LiquidGuru (Kaj) was a Lembeh Strait-based underwater videographer who served as Dive Manager at KBR (Kungkungan Bay Resort) in Lembeh. His position gave him daily diving access to one of the world’s richest muck diving sites, which he leveraged to produce exceptional HD macro videos of rare marine critters. He shot with a Sony XR500 in an L&M (Light & Motion) G2+ housing, specializing in close-up footage of nudibranchs, cuttlefish, seahorses, and other small marine life.
Community Role
LiquidGuru was a prolific content contributor to Wetpixel, regularly sharing high-quality HD macro videos from Lembeh on Vimeo and posting them in the forums. His threads often doubled as critter identification discussions, drawing on his extensive daily diving experience. His expertise in Lembeh marine life also made him an authority in conservation and ethics debates.
Notable Contributions
HD Macro in Lembeh (122 replies)
LiquidGuru’s most popular thread showcased HD macro video clips from Lembeh Strait, including flamboyant cuttlefish, nudibranchs, and other rare invertebrates. The thread became an ongoing gallery as he added new footage from his daily dives, attracting 122 replies from community members impressed by both the critters and the production quality ([1]).
Subject Manipulation Ethics
LiquidGuru provided authoritative testimony in the important “LAUPS winners: Subject’s manipulation?” thread (115 replies), started by Elbuzo. Drawing on his daily experience as Dive Manager at KBR where he observed Pegasus sea moths every week, he stated definitively that “there is no way that photo could be taken without the Sea Moth being physically handled” — a key expert contribution to the debate about whether competition-winning images involved animal manipulation ([2]).
Other Notable Threads
- “Good Week in Lembeh” (21 replies) — Shared his partner Barb’s photos from a productive diving week; she shot a Nikon D90 in a Nauticam housing with Inon strobes ([3])
- “August Lembeh HD Macro Critters” (19 replies) — Seasonal critter video showcase ([4])
- “Nudi Cannibal” (15 replies) — Documented rare nudibranch behavior ([5])
- “Transparent juvenile moray eel” (13 replies) — Critter identification request ([6])
Timeline
- 2006: Joined Wetpixel forums
- 2010-05: Posted first HD macro videos from Lembeh; introduced himself as newly working in the Straits ([7])
- 2010-12: Provided expert testimony on sea moth behavior in LAUPS manipulation debate ([8])
- 2011—2016: Regular posting of Lembeh critter videos and photos
- 2026: Still active on forums
Activity Profile
- Peak years: 2010—2016
- Gear: Sony XR500, Light & Motion G2+ housing, macro lens configuration
- Focus areas: HD macro videography, Lembeh marine life, critter identification, nudibranch behavior
- 341 posts across Shooting Technique, Photo/Video Showcase, and Critter ID forums
Sources
- Forum thread: Hd Macro In Lembeh ↩
- Forum thread: Laups Winners Subjects Manipulation ↩
- Forum thread: Good Week In Lembeh ↩
- Forum thread: August Lembeh Hd Macro Critters ↩
- Forum thread: Nudi Cannibal ↩
- Forum thread: Info On This Transparent Juvenile Moray Eel Please ↩
- Forum thread: Hd Macro In Lembeh ↩
- Forum thread: Laups Winners Subjects Manipulation ↩
- HD Macro in Lembeh (forum) ↩
- LAUPS winners: Subject’s manipulation? (forum) ↩
- Good Week in Lembeh (forum) ↩
- August Lembeh HD Macro Critters (forum) ↩
- Nudi Cannibal (forum) ↩