Udo van Dongen

Forum username: udo van dongen
Posts: 246
Active years: 2006–2013
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Photo/Video Showcase, The Galley: General Chat
Specialization: Hugyfot housings, macro photography, photography philosophy, cold-water and expedition diving

Community Role

Udo van Dongen was a Dutch underwater photographer and one of Wetpixel’s most thoughtful contributors during the late 2000s and early 2010s. He was closely associated with Hugyfot housings and served as an informal ambassador for the Belgian housing manufacturer, regularly sharing news, images, and technical details about Hugyfot products. Udo was also known for starting discussion threads that explored the artistic and philosophical dimensions of underwater photography, going beyond pure gear talk.

Udo collaborated with fellow member Rattus (Martyn) on the celebrated viewfinder modification project, providing reference photos and guidance that helped Martyn machine a custom adapter to fit an Inon/Hugyfot viewfinder into a Sea & Sea housing.

Notable Contributions

• Cropping debate: Udo started one of Wetpixel’s most philosophical discussion threads with “to crop or not to crop?” in November 2006. The 40-reply thread posed the question of whether cropping was “cheating” or simply another tool, drawing responses from Alex Mustard, Mike Veitch, and many others. Udo’s own position was that composition should be achieved during diving, not in post-processing, while acknowledging emergency exceptions. The thread evolved into a broader discussion about creative manipulation, competition rules, and the nature of underwater photographic art (^[1]).

• Hugyfot viewfinder promotion: In July 2006, Udo shared the first images of Hugyfot’s new 45-degree viewfinder (made by Inon, priced at 895 euros/1100 USD), seeking community feedback on whether the upgrade was worth the investment. The 19-reply thread drew expert opinions and contributed to broader awareness of Hugyfot’s offerings (^[2]).

• Hugyfot D200 housing preview: Udo provided the first public images of the upcoming Hugyfot HFN D200 housing in March 2006, noting he expected delivery by mid-April. Alex Mustard responded with interest, noting the similarity to the Hugyfot D70 design (^[3]).

• Viewfinder modification collaboration: Udo provided essential reference photos and encouragement to Rattus for his custom Inon/Hugyfot viewfinder adapter project, and was specifically thanked in the resulting thread (^[4]).

• Antarctica dive expedition: In December 2009, Udo shared underwater images from a March 2009 dive expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula with Waterproof Expeditions. Notably, he mentioned encounters with leopard seals but admitted they scared him, resulting in no dramatic dome-port shots. The thread drew responses from Mike Veitch and Alex Mustard, with Veitch noting the unusual macro content from Antarctica (^[5]).

• Macro lens comparison: His thread “Which 105mm macro lens” (21 replies) contributed to the community’s ongoing lens comparison discussions (^[6]).

Equipment

• Hugyfot HFN D200 housing (Nikon D200)
• Hugyfot 45-degree viewfinder (Inon manufacture)
• Nikon 105mm macro lens

Activity Profile

• First post: February 2006
• Peak years: 2006–2009
• Threads started: 34
• Article comments: 9
• Last appearance: October 2013
• Forum focus: Hugyfot equipment, photography philosophy, travel and expedition reports, macro technique