loftus

Forum username: loftus
Location: Winter Park, FL, USA
Posts: 4,235 across 2,239 threads
Threads started: 316
Active years: 2006–2022
Camera: Nikon D800
Housing: Nauticam
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique (1,258), Photo / Video Showcase (1,049), Shooting Technique/Workflow (630), The Galley: General Chat (610)
Specialization: Nikon DSLR systems, HDR underwater photography, image processing, high ISO techniques

Community Role

loftus was one of Wetpixel’s most prolific contributors, ranking among the top posters by volume with 4,235 posts across 2,239 threads. His peak year of 2008 — with an extraordinary 1,105 posts — made him one of the most active members in any single year in Wetpixel history. With over 1,000 posts each in Photography Gear and Technique and Photo / Video Showcase, he combined deep technical knowledge with an active creative practice, regularly sharing and critiquing underwater images.

His engagement tracked closely with Nikon’s DSLR product cycle. Activity surged during the D700/D800 era (2007–2012), when he was posting 300–1,100 times per year, then dropped sharply as the market shifted toward mirrorless systems — falling to 52 posts in 2013 and single digits thereafter. He made his final posts in 2022, a 16-year span of community participation.

loftus was notable for driving substantive technical discussions. His “Perspective on HDR” thread became one of the most active technique discussions on the site, and his “39mp underwater” thread anticipated the high-resolution sensor revolution in underwater photography. He also contributed significantly to community culture through 610 posts in General Chat, including the memorable 300-reply “Tipping is in the culture” thread.

Notable Contributions

HDR and Imaging Technique

• “Perspective on HDR” (30 posts by loftus, 127 total replies): Started and led the most extensive forum discussion on HDR techniques for underwater photography, exploring the method’s applicability in challenging lighting conditions and its interaction with strobe photography. The thread drew input from Alex Mustard on Magic Filter compatibility and from numerous technical contributors (^[1])
• “Manatee Snoozing HDR” (14 posts, 28 replies): Shared HDR results from manatee photography, demonstrating the technique in practice (^[2])
• “In praise of high ISO” (12 posts, 39 replies): Advocated for higher ISO shooting in underwater photography, challenging the community’s conventional wisdom about always shooting at base ISO (^[3])
• “Apple releases Aperture 3” (12 posts, 41 replies): Contributed to workflow and post-processing discussions (^[4])

Nikon DSLR Systems

• “Nikon announces the D800” (25 posts, 143 replies): Major participant in the community’s response to this landmark high-resolution DSLR announcement (^[5])
• “39mp underwater” (23 posts, 263 replies): Started a prescient thread exploring what high-resolution sensors (then hypothetical at 39MP) would mean for underwater photography — anticipating the D800’s 36MP sensor by several years (^[6])
• “Wetpixel D800 review” (22 posts, 223 replies): Active participant in the community discussion of Wetpixel’s D800 review (^[7])
• “Nikon 16mm FF edge sharpness” (21 posts, 65 replies): Analyzed a critical optical concern for wide-angle underwater work with full-frame Nikon systems (^[8])
• “D7000 housing — Ikelite or aluminium” (20 posts, 120 replies): Contributed extensively to the housing material and brand selection debate (^[9])
• “Nikon DSLR speculation — April 2008” (16 posts, 139 replies): Participated in pre-announcement discussion (^[10])
• “D3X price announced” (15 posts, 62 replies): Discussed Nikon’s premium pricing strategy (^[11])
• “Nikon 14-24 unsharpness?” (12 posts, 129 replies): Investigated optical performance concerns with Nikon’s wide-angle zoom (^[12])
• “D800 rumors” (13 posts, 67 replies): Pre-announcement speculation (^[13])
• “Unprecedented housing flexibility for Nikon Users” (12 posts, 44 replies): Discussed the expanding housing market for Nikon cameras (^[14])

Community and Travel

• “Tipping is in the culture” (23 posts, 300 replies): One of Wetpixel’s most discussed General Chat threads, exploring tipping customs on dive liveaboards and at dive resorts (^[15])
• “Wetpixel Ocean Safari begins Monday” (19 posts, 179 replies): Participated in a Wetpixel-organized dive expedition (^[16])
• “Wetpixel Oceanics Trip 2009” (12 posts, 94 replies): Continued engagement with community dive events (^[17])
• iPad (17 posts, 138 replies): Discussed early iPad adoption for travel photography workflow (^[18])
• “A question for American friends — Politics” (15 posts, 126 replies): Contributed to community discussions beyond photography (^[19])

Activity Profile

• Peak year: 2008 (1,105 posts)
• Forum focus: 30% Photography Gear and Technique, 25% Photo / Video Showcase, 15% Shooting Technique/Workflow, 14% General Chat
• Additional forums: Trip Reports and Travel (290), Conservation and the Environment (117), Video Gear and Technique (98), Beginner Forum (60), Lights/Strobes/Lighting (56)
• Olympus appreciation: Despite being a dedicated Nikon user, loftus expressed admiration for Olympus engineering, noting in a ^[20] that he had used Olympus OM cameras in his film days

References