Flying Gurnard

One golden rule of underwater photography is `never shoot down’ but there is always an exception to the rule! The beautiful pectoral fins of the flying gurnard appear like an exotic Chinese fan as the fish flees across the seafloor. Hovering above the fish I break a cardinal rule but realistically, this is the only angle that does justice to this spectacular display. Reviewing the image later it seems my decision is vindicated.

Photo Data: Location: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Genre: Macro with Twin Strobes. Photo Data: Nikon D800 camera, Nikkor 60mm Macro Lens, Seacam Housing with Seacam Strobes. Manual Exposure Mode. ISO 100 Exposure f18 @ 1/125th second shutter speed. Image by Kevin Deacon.

Photo Hints: I find if I spend more time interacting with a subject my images get better. More often than not, the best images are not among the first few frames. During my photo courses I always encourage photographers to shoot more and change angles often. Study the subject and think about other possible compositions. Often a better image of your subject will come to mind once the excitement of capturing the first few images has passed. And yes, break a few rules, art is always evolving.

Interesting Facts: Flying Gurnards don’t fly like a flying fish; they always stay close to the seafloor. However they are among a number of fish that walk across the bottom using their pelvic fins. They can also produce sounds and I have noticed this same ability from a number of other fish species. The Silent World first mentioned by Jacques Cousteau is in fact, far from silent! Common names. Flying Gurnard. Sea Robin Latin name. Dactyloptena orientalis

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