I feel a sense of accomplishment when I think
about what it took for me to create the photograph
of the whip coral goby (aka wire coral goby) that
accompanies this article. From a technical
perspective, after finding the fish I took a light
meter reading on the blue water in the background to
determine my f-stop (aperture), adjusted the power
of my strobes to match the intensity of the ambient
light as affected by the light meter reading and my
strobe-to-subject distance, composed the shot,
focused and tripped the shutter.
In previous articles I have discussed in greater
detail the step-by-step process involved in
capturing a blue-water background as opposed to
having the background water appear black. My
fundamental point is that getting this image was not
merely a matter of having a good grasp of the
technical issues involved. Knowledge about marine
life and basic diving skills were every bit as
important.
I spent the first several years of my diving career
unaware of the existence of whip coral gobies. After
becoming aware of them I spent the next several
years unable to find and photograph them. Whip coral
gobies can be a challenge to find because they are
low-profile and blend very well with the whip corals
they live on. However, a few years ago a Malaysian
divemaster taught me something. He said the trick to
locating whip coral gobies is to look for an anomaly
- some irregular shape - on the whip coral as you
look up and down the length of the coral. Find a
shape that isn't quite like the rest of the coral,
and the odds are you will be looking at a whip coral
goby.
The importance of having good diving skills came
into play because I had to position myself very
close to the whip coral to compose the image I
wanted, and I had to avoid bumping into the whip
coral and frightening the goby into hiding.
To get blue water in the background I positioned
myself below the whip coral so I could shoot at a
strong upward angle. I had to be careful not to
ascend or drift into the whip coral so I positioned
myself on its downcurrent side, achieved neutral
buoyancy and composed my shot. Being able to hover
in the water column and maintain my exact position
so I could compose, focus and shoot required good
buoyancy control and, without it, there would have
been no chance for success.
All too often knowledge about the marine environment
and mastering diving skills are not given as much
credence as they should be when it comes to
analyzing what is required to consistently create
the great underwater photographs we all desire. The
takeaway message: Now that you have been reminded of
the importance of these factors, do what's necessary
so you are prepared when opportunity knocks on your
door.
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