Lionfish patrolling Wakatobi Reefs

To break the rules one must first master them! (Background sunlight exposure has been reduced to highlight glass fish school). The traditional technique with images like this is to choose a combination of shutter speed and aperture to expose the background water column accurately. However I wanted the bright silver bodies of the fish school in contrast to a dark blue background by reducing the background exposure! Thus achieving an image with more visual impact in the foreground and background.

Photo Data: Location: Wakatobi Genre: Wide Angle Macro. Photography Data: Nikon D200. Nikkor 10.5 MM Full Frame Wide Angle Lens. Seacam housing with dual Seacam Strobes. ISO 100 1/125th @ F9 Image by Kevin Deacon.

Photo Hints: First determine the exposure for the water column via your cameras light meter, then increase the shutter speed or aperture setting to underexpose the water column. Then adjust strobe power on one strobe to ensure correct exposure on the foreground subject (LionFish) and the second strobe power to ensure correct exposure on the background subject (Glass Fish school). Yes I know it is like juggling three balls in the air at once but with lots of practise you can achieve it. BTW, I actually can also juggle three balls in the air!

Interesting Facts: The lionfish has many common names depending on what country one encounters them. Some examples are, Butterfly Cod, Firefish, Turkey Fish & Volitans Lionfish. They have been introduced to the Caribbean in recent years where they have become a major invasive species that threaten many unique Caribbean species. Scientific Name: Pterois volitans

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