Taking NorCal Pictures, a Discussion... I hope

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Well, last night I was planning on being on a towel in the sun for my SI after a beautiful dive at Monastery right now. However, my dive buddy is sick and stuffy and therefor I am here doing the next best thing to diving -- playing on scubaboard. I was looking at other people's pictures and it got me to thinking about shots I take when I dive and what I look for, I'm hoping others that are far better than me *cough*Larry C*cough* will chime in also with thoughts.

Everyone that dives in NorCal and shoots inevitably has pictures of nudibranchs, they're slow, pretty and fun to take pictures of, however there are some subtleties and fun ways to shoot other than top down. One example that was recently posted was to make them glow with your camera, or to shoot them "flying" in the water column.

Opisthobranch of the Week is Tritonia diomedea

Opisthobranch of the Week is Tritonia diomedea


I also like to take the "I'm coming for you shot" when available, which is usually when a nudi is in the sand, I'll nestle my housing in their path and shoot away as they head for me. This gives the nudi's personality and determination which are crucial to adding depth to your shots.

This is my favorite shot of mine using that technique because it looks like a hermissenda crassicornis train headed my way:

Another example:

Another nuance that I learned as I shot nudibranchs was that some types will retract their gills (frilly plumes on their backs, very scientific I know!) when they are intimidated. Anytime I see someone's shot of a nudibranch that does this, I make sure to look for extended gills, this implies the photographer took the time to get the shot and didn't disturb the animal too much, or (s)he got a very brave little slug to shoot!

Gills in:

Gills out:

I find that different species also have very different personalities which it helps to know before you try to get a shot of that animal. In my experience, black eyed gobies are pretty flighty, whereas I have accidentally bumped a cabezon with my camera and he still didn't move.

Ling cods also tend to be pretty uninterested in moving, presumeably because these fish are larger predators and therefor it takes more to spook them, as opposed to gobies who are low on the food chain.

This isn't always true however because I have found that the shrimp all along breakwater are very happy to sit and let you shoot them.

Different species, different personalities. Speaking of species traits, I think knowing a species' behavior and tendencies will not only get you better shots but anyone who knows that species will also appreciate the shot that much more. For example, Rainbow nudibranchs (Dendronotus iris) feed on tube anemones. They get up on the tube and the tube touches them saying "Hi, you're my food now... wow you're big! Oh wait, you're really big! Oh no! Abort! Abort!" and when the tube retracts, the anemone dives on in with it and feasts. Knowing that, I took my time to watch a rainbow nudibranch cruising around a tube anemone and was awarded with a video of it attacking:
Video of Rainbow nudibranch attacks tube anemone - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

and also got one of my favorite shots of all time, the reason I love this shot is because, as you all now know, tube anemones and rainbow nudibranchs don't get along very well and I feel like in this picture, you can see the revulsion the anemone is feeling by it's tentacles as the Dendronotus iris stares it down:

I've also found a recent affinity for taking those sun burst shots. We are fortunate enough to dive in an area that lends itself to these pictures as we've all seen those beautiful pictures of sunlight filtering through the kelp. This technique can also be applied to animals and I've found if you can get yourself lined up just right with the animal between you and the sun, you can come up with some cool pictures:

Anyway, those are my ramblings. Really what I'm interested in is you guys though! What kind of shots do you enjoy taking? Sunburst? Personality? Macro? Fish? Nudis? What behavioral insight can you lend to help us get better shots? Show us some that you have taken that you enjoy and tell us why! The ultimate goal here is for me to steal your picture ideas and try them for myself Let's have fun and see those pictures!

 

[matt mattison]

Those are some awesome pics, keep them coming !

 

[dhammer]

I agree! Aside from some of the basic rules of good photo composition, you've covered some good tips. What I'm always on the lookout for these days is creatures interacting (or seeming to), whether it's as prey/predator, symbiotic, or simply accidental.
And, I'll reiterate avoiding the "top-down" shot. Typically, these are boring and two dimensional. Whenever possible, I try to get down on their level, or "be the creature".
I take mostly macro, but occasionally spot an irresistible "enchanted forest" or "sunburst" shot. And of course, there's the large creatures that demand your attention, and some quick adjustments.
And be flexible. On my last couple dives. I discovered that my normal Programmed macro modes had somehow been changed, and I wasn't going to take the time to try and recover them during a dive. So, I decided to go with the flow and shoot some wide angle and video.

 

[Brewski]

I like silhouettes too

 

[Brewski]

And then composing the shot with multiple subjects.

 

[Brewski]

and lately I like seeing the strobe of another photographer fire when triggered by mine, when positioned right it adds to the shot.

 

[dhammer]

How long did it take Robin to figure out what was making his strobe randomly fire?

 

[marcus8]

heee heee....I love pissing off my dive buddy by setting off his strobe like that. It never gets old for me, but that's me I guess.

Seriously, some lovely shots here folks. As far as nudi's go, some good tips thus far, but it's particularly nice when they are hanging/dangling(from some grounded object) in the current and show off more of their bodies. I'll scrounge around for some samples but those are my best nudi shots. It gets more challenging the more photos you shoot so I appreciate this conversation as it's always good to compare notes with a larger cross section.

Keep em coming.

Mark

 

[rhlee]

As far as nudi's go, some good tips thus far, but it's particularly nice when they are hanging/dangling(from some grounded object) in the current and show off more of their bodies

Agreed. Here are some of my more dynamic recent slug shots:

 

[Coll]

As far as nudi's go, some good tips thus far, but it's particularly nice when they are hanging/dangling(from some grounded object) in the current and show off more of their bodies.
Mark

I agree Mark, although I've found it uncommon to find them acting that way. Rhlee, those are awesome shots, I love seeing subjects that I shoot a lot but done better, case in point that nobilis! Your slugs really seem to glow in those shots, I like it. The only standing slug shot I have is when I got lucky with a good spot by my buddy on this shot:

One thing I was going to write in the original post which I forgot was, I can't for the life of me get a picture of a crab that I like. I'm not sure if I just can't find a good focal point or scenario. The only one's I've ever taken that I remotely like are kelp crabs hanging on some kelp although most of my crab shots come out flat like :

Those multiple subject shots I find really difficult also Brewski. That snail and urchin shot is great though! I can't seem to find a good balance that serves both subjects justice. Thanks for joining the fun guys and keep up those shots!