[UW Photo A190] Vivid colors of Busselton
[UW Photo A190] Vivid colors of Busselton
Photo was taken in 2020, beneath the Busselton Jetty in Western Australia, more than 200km south of Perth. Jetty was built in 19th century, and you find amazing variety of sub-tropical marine life beneath the structure. Dive was challenging due to cold water which would easily cause hypothermia. I literally had to cancel the second dive since I was almost shivering. Ironically, land temperature was 40+ celsius and some beach dwellers who didn’t know I had just dived were puzzled to see me shivering and try to make my body wrap with all the clothes I could find. It was a memorable dive!
Photo was taken in 2020, beneath the Busselton Jetty in Western Australia, more than 200km south of Perth. Jetty was built in 19th century, and you find amazing variety of sub-tropical marine life beneath the structure. Dive was challenging due to cold water which would easily cause hypothermia. I literally had to cancel the second dive since I was almost shivering. Ironically, land temperature was 40+ celsius and some beach dwellers who didn’t know I had just dived were puzzled to see me shivering and try to make my body wrap with all the clothes I could find. It was a memorable dive!
These corals are exceptionally vivid in colors, hence though of post process to darken the background to emphasize the same.
[UW Photo A187] Scorpionfishe
[UW Photo A187] Scorpionfishe
Capturing camouflaged wildlife consist of few different challenges. It’s a job you need to do carefully especially when the creature is venomous, just like this scorpionfish. Interestingly, I face completely different challenge in post processing. If I present the creature within its background, as it is, viewer may not see the creature. So, I am pushed to make a subtle foreground to background contrast for the benefit of the viewer. Honestly, still I don’t know the correct balance of this exercise.
[UW Photo A185] Bait ball
[UW Photo A185] Bait ball
This is a bait ball observed near Cargo Wreck, off the coast of Colombo. Bait Balls are formed by thousands of small fish as a defensive mechanism against a predator. Spherical shape of the bait ball usually changes very fast while moving entire ball to different directions. This movement is dramatic to watch but may not last long. If you want to capture it, you must be prepared and act very fast. I am happy I was equipped with a wide fish-eye lens that helped me include entire ball to the frame from a close range.
[UW Photo A182] Life in full motion
[UW Photo A182] Life in full motion
Kind of bait ball of fishes are found one in a while. Taking a photo of such event has a couple of challenges. First one is you should have good visibility of the water to capture it with clarity. Second one is you need to act quickly. This time in I was lucky to find and shoot this at my wreck dive at Medhufaru at Colombo.
[UW Photo A174] The hope
[UW Photo A174] The hope
I may have said before that I am serious about the aesthetic value of an UW photo.
This photo doesn’t have any rare creature or phenomenon, but this is a typical example for a recreated art. This is simple and unique.
This is an example for a photo I captured in very poor sea conditions. Water was murky and current was strong that lead me think photography is the last thing I would consider doing.
[UW Photo A173] Dwarf Hawkfish
[UW Photo A173] Dwarf Hawkfish
Hawkfish is not difficult to capture because they stay still for a while allowing you to get a photo if approach gently. In this case, I am particularly pleased with the diverse background colours those add something more to the image.
