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Photo of the Week: August 10, 2009
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| GETTING DOWN WITH A LIZARDFISH! | |
| Photographer: Marty Snyderman | POTW: 2009-08-10 |
| Comment: Hi Gang! Last week I shared an image of a gray reef shark, and in part of my commentary I referred to the benefits derived from using the technique of getting close, getting low and shooting at an upward angle. That orientation to your subject often adds dramatic appeal and helps make subjects stand out against their background. While underwater photographers often try to use that approach when photographing creatures the size of gray reefs sharks, turtles, sea lions, and manta rays etc., the technique often gets overlooked when photographing smaller creatures of the reefs. However, getting close and low and shooting up can be a great technique for macro subjects such as the lizardfish pictured here. The keys to being able to compose a photograph of a lizardfish (the one pictured here is probably a sand diver) or any other macro subject with a background of water color as opposed to reef is first of all to look for the opportunity. If you do keep this type of composition in mind the difference between getting an average shot and a special photograph is just going another 18 inches or so and getting down low so you can get level with or even look up at your subject. Second, you have to be a little lucky to get the opportunity. After all, if the lizardfish hadn’t perched itself in a good spot for me there is nothing I could have done about it. In this case, when I saw the opportunity I worked my way around to get the best shooting angle I could, and as I did I saw the lizardfish open its mouth and in jumped a Pederson cleaning shrimp. All of a sudden I had a chance to do something really special! Note: The first word in the common name of this species commonly gets spelled in a number of ways as follows: Pederson, Pedersen, Pederson’s and Pedersen’s. I have no idea if there is such a thing as one correct common name, or which spelling or spellings might be correct or incorrect. Moving ever so slowly so as not to disrupt the behavior I got myself down as low and as close as possible. But before I did I took a light meter reading on the water in the background next to the fish’s head. For my ISO of 200 and my shutter speed of 1/125th of a second, the light meter reading gave me an f/stop of f/16. This meant I needed to dial my strobes down to one-quarter power so I could shoot from a distance of roughly one-foot from the fish. I adjusted my strobes and pre-set my focus, and only then did I settle into place. The cleaner shrimp continued to do its thing, and the lizardfish did not appear to be concerned about my presence. I shot a series of images, and this week’s POTW is the best of my bracketed series. The photograph was taken in the Caribbean waters off Curacao. Approximately forty species of fishes commonly known as lizardfishes occur in temperate and tropical oceans around the world. Described in the family Synodontidae, these cigar-shaped fishes are some of the most distinctive looking of all fishes. They have long bodies and triangular faces that are not easily forgotten. Lizardfishes appear to be the “long lost relatives” of terrestrial lizards, and they bear strong resemblance to lizards when these fishes are resting on the bottom as they prop themselves on their pelvic and pectoral fins. The common name “lizardfish” is given in obvious reference to the similar appearance of these fishes and the land dwelling reptiles we refer to as lizards. The mouths of lizardfishes are located in the terminal position, at the end of the head, and they are filled with needle-like teeth. Even the tongues of lizardfishes are armed with teeth, and this adaptation serves them well in their role as predators. Most species of lizardfishes are no longer than one foot in length. A Caribbean species, the sand diver attains a maximum length of approximately 18 inches, but the majority of individuals are considerably shorter. Lizardfishes inhabit sandy and muddy bottoms, the fringes of coral reefs as well as lagoons. They typically rest on the bottom in relatively shallow areas. The coloration of a given lizardfish often varies greatly depending upon the habitat the fish is in at any given moment. Lizardfishes are voracious carnivores preying primarily upon small fishes such as herrings, sardines, anchovies, silversides, basslets, small puffers and grunts. They also consume significant numbers of squids, shrimps and other small invertebrates. When hunting, lizardfishes sut motionless on the sea floor or bury themselves in the sand or mud with only their eyes exposed. These positions enable them to be mostly hidden while waiting to ambush prey. When prey passes by, a hungry lizardfish typically “launches itself out of the sand” using its tail to rapidly propel its body toward their prey. Their razor sharp teeth and armed tongue assist lizardfishes in grabbing and holding their victim. The entire ambush and capture takes place in the blink of an eye. The Pederson cleaner shrimp (or is that Pedersen et al?) is a very important species of cleaner shrimp that associates with a variety of anemones including knobby, giant, corkscrew and branching anemones. The bodies of these shrimp are almost transparent and they would be difficult to spot if not for their long white antennae and purple, splotched bodies. Pederson’s cleaner shrimp advertise their cleaning services to their clients by waving their antennae back and forth from a prominent location that is usually very close to an anemone. Females hold their pink eggs under their tails until they hatch and the larval shrimp are released into the water column. I hope you enjoy this week’s POTW and the accompanying article. See you next week! | |
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