Red Indianfish

These fish are masters of camouflage and they blend perfectly with the orange sponges that inhabit our reefs and coat the sea tulips. As they are rare and hard to spot they are most often discovered when they are on the sand near sponges. The challenge to produce this image was to find and capture an image of one among its sea tulip habitat. I also had to be patient and wait for the fish to raise its distinctive dorsal fin which resembles the feather head-dress of a Sioux Indian Chief.

Photo Data: Location: The Docks, Jervis Bay, NSW Australia. Genre: Macro. Photo Data: Nikon F5, Nikkor 60 MM lens, Fuji Velvia film ISO 50, Dual Sea & Sea Strobes, Manual Exposure Mode. Exposure f22 @ 1/125 th second. Image by Kevin Deacon

Photo Hints: Use of dual strobes eliminates unwanted shadows created by just one. A small aperture (F22) provides greater depth of field so more of the background habitat remains in focus. Spending more time quietly observing the subject always provides better photo opportunities when the animal relaxes and displays more natural behaviour.

Interesting Facts: The Red Indianfish is unique to our southern Australian waters and our diver masters only find these fish in a small number of NSW dive sites. They seem to prefer estuary headlands protected from North East swell. Dive 2000 Divemaster, David Young, is the master at finding Red Indianfish.

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