Scorpion fish

Greetings,
Just to share my first foray into underwater photography. A lot more to learn on lighting control. Tips and comments please. Enjoy...

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Without the eyes being there I would have no idea this is a fish. I would've thought it's just a pile of seaweed. The camouflage on the fish works for it, but not for you. I think pulling back to reveal the whole fish or put it in context with it's environment would've helped you here.

Also the lighting is very flat. If the flash wasn't straight on it might help create some shadows for more contrast.

I think the composition might benifit if the eye was placed in the right upper thirds of the frame. The shallow DOF, I personally feel, removes the detail on the otherwise fascinating skin.

Greetings,
Thanks for the comments. Enjoy...

is that a reflection of you in the eye??? if so that is cool.. i cant even take a pic of my fish... seems i cant get it right...

interesting shot

Great camouflage

Congrats on the shot! As a budding u/w photographer, could you share some tech info? Which housing, flash, aperture,White Balancing did you use?
thanks,
Herman

desperoadie wrote in post #11403626
Congrats on the shot! As a budding u/w photographer, could you share some tech info? Which housing, flash, aperture,White Balancing did you use?
thanks,
Herman

Greetings,
I'm also a very new underwater photographer. I take what the technique I use on land into the water. I'm using Ikelite 5D housing and Ikelite strobes. EXIF for this picture is f/11, 1/125s and 4800K. Always shoot RAW. Enjoy...

TeleFragger wrote in post #11378712
is that a reflection of you in the eye??? if so that is cool.. i cant even take a pic of my fish... seems i cant get it right...

Big difference shooting through tank glass than in the open water,..... helpful hint get as close to the glass as possible if not right on it ....make sure your glass is spotless and make sure to shoot directly straight into the glass not at an angle. I used to shoot my fish often it takes practice but its very doable .

George Chew wrote in post #11375327
Greetings,
Just to share my first foray into underwater photography. A lot more to learn on lighting control. Tips and comments please. Enjoy...

I've taken a number of scorpionfish shots, and it still took me a second to figure out what I was looking at. I agree with the others- recomposition / reframing would have done wonders here. Especially with fish, you'll want them to appear to be entering or looking into the frame - here, it appears that the fish is about to leave the frame (even if it's just sitting there).

My C&C for this picture:

- Shift framing so the fish is on the right, looking left. Use the negative space behind the fish.
- Make sure your focus is always on the eye.
- Lighting is good, but consider moving your strobe(s) farther to the sides, to create a more dramatic effect. Shadows from the fish's "frilly bits" would go a long way.

Otherwise, I say you're off to a great start. Most people don't understand how difficult underwater photography is - there's a lot going on, in a strange environment, with unpredictable creatures and demanding technique. But it's also very rewarding!

I don't have any good scorpionfish shots to show as an example, but here's a Grey Angelfish shot I took in Belize that is similar. Note lighting, focus, and framing.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …157624329143314​/lightbox/

Greetings.
Thanks for your tips and encourage Chris. I still have a lot to learn in this area. Problem for underwater photography is that we can just go and shoot anytime, therefore, I think it take much longer to learn than on land photography. I like your example. Very good lighting and contrast. Enjoy...

Greetings,
My 1st scorpion fish vs recent scorpion fish. C&C welcomed. Enjoy...

Very nice! That's quite an improvement from your previous one. What did you change (other than composition)? Looks like better lighting. What lens are you shooting? 100L macro?