Photography in Focus: Alex Tattersall & Saeed Rashid Workshop
For everyone at Lembeh Resort, underwater photography is a passion, a profession, and an endless source of inspiration. Home to North Sulawesi’s only Backscatter-Authorized Photo Center, staffed by our resident photo pro and a dedicated support team, we provide a knowledge hub for photographers from all over the world.
For this reason, many of the industry’s finest underwater photographers regularly visit Lembeh Resort for documentary assignments, to expand their portfolio and, in some special cases, to share their knowledge with our guests. Over the years, we have formalized this arrangement into a series of regular workshops, led by top-tier professionals and tailored to the aspirations of guests with an eye for a photo, whatever their level of experience.
The most recent workshop, led by Alex Tattersall and Saeed Rashid, was held in July. In this blog, we take you behind the scenes for a closer look at how photography workshops at Lembeh Resort unfold.
Two Iconic Dive Destinations in One
From 25-31 July 2026, Lembeh Resort hosted the Alex Tattersall & Saeed Rashid Underwater Photography Workshop; an immersive, skills-focused week of theory and practice, hosted by two acclaimed pro photographers in one of the world’s most venerated locations for underwater image making.
A total of 12 participants (11 photographers and one fun diver) signed up for this event, an intimate and exclusive opportunity to learn from two of the industry’s most experienced professionals, along with our own team of photography experts and enthusiasts at Lembeh Resort.
Before arriving in Lembeh, the trainers and their students had already enjoyed a week of learning and exploration in Bangka, hosted by our partners at Murex Resorts, where they developed their wide angle photography skills among the many coral reefs, pinnacles, and ocean mounts dotted around the island.
By combining Bangka and Lembeh into a single workshop, participants were able to explore two distinct dive destinations in North Sulawesi, while learning how to capture underwater images in these environments from the experts.
A Blend of Theory, Practice, and Experimentation
Throughout the week in Lembeh, participants had the opportunity to hone in on different photographic techniques, covering everything from basic camera settings and depth of field to backlighting, strobe lighting techniques, and the creative use of motion blur.
Every day, Alex and Saeed outlined the theory behind some of their most trusted techniques, during explainer sessions held in our brand-new rooftop bar. Then, the trainers set assignments that put participants’ newfound knowledge to the test during practical dives.
This combination of theory and practice helped the group get familiar with a new set of skills and then implement them in an environment that is packed with potential subjects. With the Lembeh Strait on their doorstep each day, workshop participants and trainers alike were never short of inspiration for their next shot!
The Journey Continues…
This year’s Alex Tattersall & Saeed Rashid workshop may be over, but at Lembeh Resort, the learning never stops! The next major underwater photography workshop in our calendar will be in September 2026, when Lembeh Resort welcomes Alex Mustard and Nick More back to the strait for another week of expert-led learning and exploration.
This event is already fully booked, but if you’re interested in continuing your learning journey with Lembeh Resort then don’t despair—we still have places available at our flagship workshop, the 13th annual Capturing Critters in Lembeh Workshop, which will be led by Marty Snyderman and James Emery and is scheduled for January 2027.
For more information, and to secure your spot at CCiL 2027, click here.
A Day in the Life of a Photography Workshop Participant
On a typical day during the week-long workshop, participants enjoyed a fresh and delicious breakfast in the restaurant at around 7 AM, before heading out for the first of two morning dives (returning to the resort during the surface interval to replace or recharge camera batteries). During morning dives, they practiced the skills learned in the previous day’s theory sessions.
Then, after a nourishing lunch buffet, the group were recharged and ready for the next theory session, back in the rooftop bar. In one of these tutorials, Alex Tattersall demonstrated creative lighting techniques, helping participants move beyond the standard ‘even / flat’ lighting styles which are so common in underwater photography, to experiment with shadows and create more dynamic images.
The third and final dive of the day, setting off at around 2:45 PM, gave participants a chance to put theory into practice while the material was still fresh in their minds. After that, an image review session in the early evening gave them a rare opportunity to get feedback on their photos from two professional photographers, Alex and Saeed.
Making Memories, Capturing Moments: Reflections on the Workshop
“I think it was a very successful workshop,” noted Lawrence Watkins, the resident photo pro at Lembeh Resort, after an action-packed week of learning. “The critters were out in full force, meaning there was no shortage of interesting subjects for every kind of photography.”
Lawrence also highlighted the classroom sessions with Alex and Saeed as being especially informative: “the insights they shared on difficult-to-achieve techniques generated lots of excitement, with participants eager to get in the water to put them to use.”
One of the trainers, Alex Tattersall, also shared his thoughts at the end of the week. “I can say it’s been a great success in pretty much every respect,” he explained, adding that he had seen a noticeable uptick in the quality of participants’ photos as the week progressed: “the results we saw in the final slideshow were just incredible, really.”
As the workshop came to a close, and the group neared the end of their learning journey, Alex reflected on the week that was. “It’s been a real pleasure spending time with these lovely people and seeing how they develop, take on new ideas, and embrace the challenges and tasks we give them; it’s been fantastic, and I’m actually quite sad it’s coming to an end.”
