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Moray stripes film12/5/2023 The image of the cushion sea star in the Maldives was shot on film and digitized. The sea star was loaded with spots! I thought getting very close would isolate the elements of the sea star. Using a single strobe held at a low angle would accentuate the contrast and add depth.įor me, part of the rewards of underwater photography is identifying what I photograph. Gear: Canon F-1 camera, Canon 50mm FD f/3.5 macro lens, Ikelite housing, single Ikelite DS-125 strobe. These commensal shrimp reside exclusively on bubble coral. The adjustment brush tool in Photoshop was used to darken some of the overexposed bubbles. I like the bold stripes of the shrimp against the muted, striped pattern of the bubble coral. In the image of the bubble coral shrimp taken at Anilao, the shrimp appears to be looking at the viewer. This anemone species is typically found in sandy areas, where the anemone can withdraw completely into the sand. The spots on the large tentacles are nematocysts (venomous, stinging capsules). The image was cropped to make it more pleasing. I like this image because the radial symmetry of the surrounding soft coral complements the radial pattern of the anemone. There is no color to distract from the repeating pattern of stripes and spots.Īt a dive site in Puerto Galera, Philippines, I noticed the interesting pattern of spots and stripes on the Haeckel’s anemone, which varies in color. The image almost looks as if it has been converted to black and white. To improve the composition, I rotated the image 90 degrees and then cropped it. In the original image, the shrimp and the crinoid arm were in a near vertical position. I chose this image from Negros Island in the Philippines to illustrate how beautifully camouflaged this small shrimp was. The commensal crinoid shrimp are well camouflaged as they expertly match the colors and patterns of their host crinoids. The shrimp occupy a cleared area that shows part of the urchin test or skeleton.Ĭrinoids, also known as feather stars, occur in many colors. The shrimp neither benefit nor harm the urchin, which is an example of a commensal relationship. The colorful and venomous fire urchins provide protection for the shrimp. Female Coleman shrimp are larger than the males. Because I moved in close while shooting, minimal cropping was used for the image.Ĭoleman shrimp are found in pairs and occur on only one or two species of fire urchin. I was drawn to the intense coloration of the fire urchin, the unique shapes and arrangement of its spines, with the bonus of shrimp! Shooting downward captured the interesting patterns. I sometimes discover another species, situation or pattern that I did not notice when I was taking the image.Īnilao’s Secret Garden dive site in the Philippines includes a relatively steep, muddy slope that has an amazing number of variable fire urchins with Coleman shrimp. So, when I am back home, I use Lightroom and Photoshop to highlight compositional elements such as color and patterns. While I sometimes previsualize an image, and in the words of Sam Abell, “compose and wait,” things often happen quickly underwater. I try to photograph behavior for that is another part of the story. I photograph species in their habitats, for that tells a story. Regarding the creative process, I aim to tell a story while celebrating the uniqueness of marine life. Underwater photography helps me identify the subjects in the images that I take. (To see all the images in the article, please scroll down and download the PDF)
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