What makes an image a really good one is certainly a question, that, at some point, troubles the mind of every image maker. Is it about the subject, or is it about that specific moment captured? Is it about color, or about techniques used?

Got some old slides and negatives of underwater images that you wish you could revitalize and process in postproduction? John A. Ares describes in detail how one can convert film into digital files by using a DSLR camera and a macro lens.

We asked our contributors to share their favorite underwater images showing variations on the theme of “Opposites,” and they came back with a diverse range of color and black-and-white photos featuring marine life from large whales to tiny nudibranchs and fellow divers on reefs and wrecks, in caverns and cenotes as well as open waters.

The transition from analog to digital cameras has been a boon for photographers, granting them unlimited shots and freedom of movement. These circumstances lend themselves well to the technique of shooting sequential stills. Underwater photographer Claudio Ziraldo shares his insights and tips on taking sequential shots underwater.

We asked our contrib­utors what their favorite images were, captured using ambient light only, and they came back with a diverse selection of photos featuring sublime underwater scenes from a variety of dives on reefs and wrecks, in caverns and cenotes, as well as with interactions with marine life. Here, X-Ray Mag contributors share their favorite images from the tropical waters of French Polynesia, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Egyptian Red Sea, Mozambique, Bonaire, the Bahamas, Mexico and the Galapagos Islands, to the temperate waters of South Africa, Newfoundland in Canada, the US East Coast and California.

When immersing ourselves in the underwater world, we experience a flood of emotions—both in relation to the depths and to being in an environment that is not our own, in which we can almost fly. But our encounters with marine life excite us even more, especially with sharks, dolphins and huge shoals of fish, but also small and colourful nudibranchs, or microscopic shrimps. Cristian Umili shares his insights and tips on how to capture emotions in underwater photographs.

We asked our contrib­utors what their favorite epic underwater images were and they returned with a diverse selection of photos capturing epic adventures and interactions with marine life in the underwater world. Here, X-Ray Mag contributors share their favorite images from the tropical waters of French Polynesia, Pulau, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Egyptian Red Sea, Mozambique, Bonaire, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Mexico and Hawaii, to the temperate waters of South Africa and the US East Coast.