Behavior shots

[Clay Coleman]

An illuminating shot of a small critter is good; an illuminating shot of a small critter doing something unusual is better. I thought I was taking a picture of 2 cryptic teardrop crabs standing unusually close together. It wasn't until I looked at the resulting photo through a loupe that I realized that it was actually a crab standing by its recently molted shell (too bad I didn't get there a few minutes earlier). Let's see some behavior shots of little beasts. -Clay
http://claycoleman.tripod.com/ab7bcd30.jpg

[Jonathan Bird]

Wow, that is cool! I have always wanted to photograph some kind of an arthropod in the midst of a molt, like Howard Hall's fantastic shots of a Spiny Lobster molting.

Anyway, here is one of my favorite invert behavior shots. A Ruby Brittle star spawning. This is a female releasing her eggs, which happened on the same night as the coral spawn on St. Lucia a few years ago.

Jonathan

[Clay Coleman]

Wow, that is cool! I have always wanted to photograph some kind of an arthropod in the midst of a molt, like Howard Hall's fantastic shots of a Spiny Lobster molting.

Anyway, here is one of my favorite invert behavior shots. A Ruby Brittle star spawning. This is a female releasing her eggs, which happened on the same night as the coral spawn on St. Lucia a few years ago.

Jonathan

Man! Talk about the decisive moment. Very cool.

[Jonathan Bird]

They were spawning all around, so I picked one that was moving into position and waited. I got about 3 frames and this was the best. Man, that was a night where I needed a digital camera. There was action everywhere you looked!

Jonathan

[Clay Coleman]

Does the spawn there occur on a certain night after a full moon? How hard is it to predict when it will happen? -Clay

[Jonathan Bird]

Yes, they have it down to a science in many places. I can't remember the exact thing, something like 7 days after the full moon. The only trick is the month. If memory serves, it is Sept or Oct and you can never be quite sure which!

[Clay Coleman]

Frogfish behavior is pretty easy to document with a little patience. The simple act of a frogfish fishing fascinates many viewers. I once spent a week documenting a frogfish every day. It moved in a predictable pattern through the day, always ending up at the same "perch" at certain times. I caught it moving one day. It sort of trundled/crawled up the reef. It rarely actually swam, but I was ready when it did. -Clay

[Clay Coleman]

Speaking of frogfish behavior (we were, weren't we?), the simple act of blending in is a behavior. Don't forget some close focus wide angle when shooting these subjects. I use this shot as an intro to frogfish when I give general presentations, and I ask the audience to find the fish. They usually do pretty quickly, but they get the point. -Clay

[solanaboy]

heres a mantis shrimp trying to eat the hermit crabhttp://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/DiveSolana/mantis.jpg

[Jonathan Bird]

Cool! Man, we tried to get the mantis shrimps to do SOMETHING interesting on camera when I was there with you guys last year and they were completely uncooperative!

[pasquale]

Frogfish behavior is pretty easy to document with a little patience. The simple act of a frogfish fishing fascinates many viewers. I once spent a week documenting a frogfish every day. It moved in a predictable pattern through the day, always ending up at the same "perch" at certain times. I caught it moving one day. It sort of trundled/crawled up the reef. It rarely actually swam, but I was ready when it did. -Clay

Clay
I was just talking last night, one of my next 'wants' of a shot is a fish just about to bite the frog's lure, before being inhaled by the frogfish.
that blue water shot is awesome with the frogfish just sitting and blending in.
ciao
pasquale

Wow, that is cool! I have always wanted to photograph some kind of an arthropod in the midst of a molt, like Howard Hall's fantastic shots of a Spiny Lobster molting.

Anyway, here is one of my favorite invert behavior shots. A Ruby Brittle star spawning. This is a female releasing her eggs, which happened on the same night as the coral spawn on St. Lucia a few years ago.

Jonathan

Jonathan, this is awesome, I never even knew they spawned. time and place is the luck in my attitude of
'better to be lucky than good' sometimes.

[allison finch]

How about mating behavior? These ornate ghost pipefish in Lembeh were in the act of fertilizing eggs. Unlike seahorses, the female broods the eggs. The brood pouch (actually, her fins interlock to hold the eggs) sometimes opened enough to get a peek at the mass of eggs. The small male was being very attentive.

[Clay Coleman]

Great shot, Allison! Thanks for sharing. I think Jonathan is planning a trip to Lembeh fairly soon. -Clay

[sorvju-f]

How about mating behavior? These ornate ghost pipefish in Lembeh were in the act of fertilizing eggs. Unlike seahorses, the female broods the eggs. The brood pouch (actually, her fins interlock to hold the eggs) sometimes opened enough to get a peek at the mass of eggs. The small male was being very attentive.

Hi Allison, you have added several nice pics lately, like this one, but let us know what is you set for UW-photographing. ( not included to your public profile )

Jukka

[tarczy]

How about mating behavior? These ornate ghost pipefish in Lembeh were in the act of fertilizing eggs. Unlike seahorses, the female broods the eggs. The brood pouch (actually, her fins interlock to hold the eggs) sometimes opened enough to get a peek at the mass of eggs. The small male was being very attentive.

Ugh!!! Nothing but fish porn!!! ;) :D ;) :D

[allison finch]

Hey!!! What's more fun than fish porn?

Hmmm...how about nudi nookie?

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w162/allisonfinch_photos/Nudis%20and%20snails/Nudilove.jpg

Or, the odd couple

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w162/allisonfinch_photos/Nudis%20and%20snails/emperorshrimpandnudi2.jpg

(actually, that shrimp wasn't amorous, it was looking for a poop treat.) Yuck!

[Clay Coleman]

Very cool shots! -Clay

[Jonathan Bird]

That species of Imperial shrimp must really associate with that species of nudibranch, because I photographed the same combination in Lembeh.

http://www.jonathanbird.net/jpegs15/jbird_uwp8433.jpg

[Robyn C.]

http://www.myfavoritesea-nery.com/gallery/albums/album01/jawfish_burrowing.sized.jpg


I shot this image of a Yellowhead Jawfish doing a little housekeeping when I was in Bimini a few months ago. These jawfish are so energetic and seem to be constantly moving. I never tire of watching them.

Canon EOS 5D, Sea & Sea 5D-DX housing, Canon EF 100mm lens 1:2.8, 2 Sea & Sea YS-90 Duo strobes set to full power, ISO 100, 160sec, f/22

Thanks! Robyn

[sorvju-f]

I shot this image of a Yellowhead Jawfish doing a little housekeeping when I was in Bimini a few months ago. These jawfish are so energetic and seem to be constantly moving. I never tire of watching them.

Canon EOS 5D, Sea & Sea 5D-DX housing, Canon EF 100mm lens 1:2.8, 2 Sea & Sea YS-90 Duo strobes set to full power, ISO 100, 160sec, f/22

Thanks! Robyn
What I undestood from your info that your 5D is rather new one...no need to ask if you are satisfied..yoyr pics starts to be pro level:D

By the way there have been one unofficial jawfish competition...try to find it...I am not able to tell more:rolleyes:

Your homepage gave some advertisement info?

Jukka

[Robyn C.]

What I undestood from your info that your 5D is rather new one...no need to ask if you are satisfied..yoyr pics starts to be pro level

Thanks for your kinds words Jukka. :)
Yes, I'm LOVING my 5D. I started off by just shooting macro and, but now I'm trying some wide angle shooting too. I have some shark dives planned in two weeks. We'll see how it goes! Robyn

[Jonathan Bird]

Robyn,
AWESOME jawfish picture!! Maybe in the next few months we will have to make the unofficial jawfish competition OFFICIAL.

Jonathan

[Robyn C.]

I appreciate that Jonathan! :D R

[allison finch]

That species of Imperial shrimp must really associate with that species of nudibranch, because I photographed the same combination in Lembeh.

http://www.jonathanbird.net/jpegs15/jbird_uwp8433.jpg

Yes, they are fairly common in Lembeh. The truth is a little UCKY! The shrimp hang around to eat the nudi poop as it appears.

[allison finch]

Hi Allison, you have added several nice pics lately, like this one, but let us know what is you set for UW-photographing. ( not included to your public profile )

Jukka


Most of my pictures were taken with an Olympus 5060 in an Ikelite housing with two DS 125 strobes. My new rig os Canon 400D in an Ike housing (60 mm lens and Tokina 10-17 lens) with the same strobes was used in my Belize trip. I will be going to Bonaire in June and I will be spending a month in PNG this coming winter, so I hope to have lots of shots with my new rig.