Figi 2001

Orange-fin anemone fish (Amphiprion chrysopterous Cuvier) in aurora anemone (Heteractis aurora), Tetons, South Save-a-Tack Passage, Namena Island, Fiji.

Aurora anemones are about the size of a salad plate, and the tentacles are dense and short. There's really no way your standard two-stripe anemone fish can get himself much protection amongst the tentacles. So, when frightened, the fish dives right into the mouth of the anemone, like you see here.

There was a nice aurora anemone at E6 in 1998, and I tried to get this shot then, but the fish was too confident, and when I got to the right distance with the 105, he wouldn't hide in the mouth. I guess, E6 being the high-profile dive site that it was before the 2000 coral bleaching, the fish just got so many people sticking cameras in his face that he wasn't very frightened. However, this fish dived right into the mouth when he saw me coming.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, PK-14 (14mm) extension tube, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Popcorn shrimp, up close and personal, on an adhesive anemone, The Nai'aborhood, Vula reef, south of Vanua Leva, Fiji.

You've probably seen many shots of popcorn shrimp from the side. There are several on this site. For this dive, I tried something different. I had heard of an adhesive anemone in the Nai'aborhood (the folks on the Nai'a carry branding pretty far), and I took along the 200, planning on a head shot. After trying for about ten minutes, I began to see why these kinds of pictures are thin on the ground. The popcorn shrimp seems to want to be at right angles to you, or to show you his tail. My guess is, even with the 200, he finds looking at the bubbles to be unpleasant.

There was a pretty good current running, and I was tired on holding myself in position, and was getting ready to give up when a diver taking a picture of something else began to beat me about the head and shoulders with his fins. I swam away from the anemone, circled around, and waited for the other diver to finish. When he did, I went back to the anemone, and found a spot that I'd missed before that allowed me to get out of most of the current. When I settled in, there was the popcorn shrimp posing like you see him here. Conscious of the shallow depth of field and the fact that probably his face and the two claws weren't going to be in the focal plane most of the time, I popped off about 20 shots, which didn't seem to bother him at all.

Nikon F4, 200mm f/4 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Hermit crabs in Christmas tree worm holes, Vu Ya Passage, south of Vanua Leva, Fiji.

When he found out that I was set up for 2:1, one of the photographers on the boat suggested that I try to get a picture of one of these little hermit crabs with an out-of-focus Christmas tree worm in the background. That's not what you see here. The reason is that I failed completely. While I think it's a great idea, the hermit crabs seem to like the worm holes that are recessed into the boulder coral, not the ones that stick out, and it's really hard to shoot across the boulder coral and have much crab in the picture. I'll keep working at it, but I don't think I'll have enough time on target to have much chance of success.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100. Approximately 2:1 on the negative.
Poison bristle nudibranchs, Lighthouse, Vatuira Channel, Fiji.

I don't know what the heck these animals are doing. They danced around on the reef for quite a while, and spent much of that in a tïte-ï-tïte similar to what you see here.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, PK-14 (14mm) extension tube, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Garden Eel, Nigali Passage, Gau Island, Fiji.

Similar to the picture from the '98 trip to Fiji, and taken in the same place. I think I captured the pugnacious quality better this time.

Nikon F4, 200mm f/4 Auto Micro Nikkor, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Tomato Clown, Two Thumbs up, South Save-a-Tack Passage, Namena Island, Fiji.

I think he would prefer it if I were someplace far, far away.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Thorny oyster mantle, Two Thumbs Up, South Save-a-Tack Passage, Namena Island, Fiji.

With apologies to Salvador Dali.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Leaf scorpion fish, Wakaya, Fiji.

When you take pictures of these fish from the side, they look mostly like a leaf. After you look closely, they look like a leaf with eyes. I've made several pictures from the standard angle, and never printed any of them. This seems to be the trip for head shots, so I thought I'd try the leaf fish from the front. Because of limited depth of field (this is a tiny animal -- maybe an inch and a half long, and thus slightly larger than life on the negative), I had the choice of getting the eyes in focus or the mouth, and I went for the mouth. I shot from a slightly high angle so you could see his back, blurry though it is.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/32, Fuji Reala 100.
Hydroids, Cat's Meow, Fiji.

At the very end of what appeared to be a great dive (although none of the other pictures made the cut), with very little film left, I saw a photographer taking pictures of this huge hydroid. Normally, I'm kinda snobbish about glomming onto another photographer's subject just as soon as his fins disappear into the distance, but this was a really nice hydroid, and it was immense, and, well, I just couldn't help myself. I shot it wide open to make it more dreamy and diaphanous. I wanted to go back with a fresh roll of film, but that was our last shot at this dive site.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, Fuji Reala 100.
Baby Blue ribbon eel, Wakaya, Fiji.

In the past, I have considered these things unphotographable; the black is just so deep that I've never gotten any detail. By cranking the exposure compensation way up, and having a darkish background that turns bright when all that light hits it, I managed to get some texture, but I still don't have the measure of these eels.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Puffer eye, E6, Fiji.

What do you suppose that green stuff is in the lower rear of the eye?

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Lion Fish, Wakaya, Fiji.

I find the "lures" over the eyes fascinating. Notice that the spots aren't symmetric about the center of the lionfish: they're both on the left side of the centerline.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Yellow gobies, Wakaya, Fiji.

Nikon F4, 200mm f/4D AF Auto Micro Nikkor, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Pipefish, Grand Tetons, South Save-a-Tack Passage, Namena Island, Fiji.

I can show you lots of pictures of pipefish butts. Also out-of-focus pipefish of all descriptions. You want pipefish on ugly green algae? I've got that, too. Finally, a pipefish facing the camera on something pretty. Next trip, I'm going for a a pipefish smile!

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Brittle starfish, E6, Fiji.

Brittle stars are great hiders. Normally you see only a tendril or two peeking out from the shadows. That's why it was so surprising to see this tiny animal almost all exposed. The divemaster on the boat thought it was a baby crinoid, not a brittle star. What do you think?

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/22, Fuji Reala 100.
Hydroids, Cat's Meow, Fiji.

At the very end of what appeared to be a great dive (although none of the other pictures made the cut), with very little film left, I saw a photographer taking pictures of this huge hydroid. Normally, I'm kinda snobbish about glomming onto another photographer's subject just as soon as his fins disappear into the distance, but this was a really nice hydroid, and it was immense, and, well, I just couldn't help myself. I shot it wide open to make it more dreamy and diaphanous. I wanted to go back with a fresh roll of film, but that was our last shot at this dive site.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/2.8 AF Auto Micro Nikkor, TC-14 tele-extender, 2 PK-14 (28mm total) extension tubes, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite 200 strobes, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, Fuji Reala 100.

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