We asked our contributors to share their favorite underwater images that feature multiples of the same species, subject or element, and they returned with an intriguing selection of macro to wide-angle shots featuring diverse marine life, from anemonefish eggs, skeleton shrimp and flamboyant cuttlefish to dolphins, tiger sharks and whale sharks.
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(To see all the images in this article, please scroll down to the end and download the PDF.)
Here, X-Ray Mag contributors share their favorite images from the tropical waters of French Polynesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Egyptian Red Sea, the Bahamas, Mexico and Malpelo to the subtropical and temperate waters off the US East Coast.
Marine Life Multiplied
Text and photos by Anita George-Ares, Ph.D.
I had the amazing experience of snorkeling with a large pod of spinner dolphins at Sataya Dolphin Reef in the Egyptian Red Sea. Photo 1 shows some members of the pod. I counted more than 80 dolphins in another image of the pod taken during the same encounter. It was not until later that I realized I had also captured an image of two dolphins mating (Photo 2). The images were converted to black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 and Adobe Photoshop CC software.
Striped eel catfish juveniles form dense schools during the day and swarm over the sea bottom in search of food. The adults hunt for food at night and hide under coral ledges during the day. While diving in Dumaguete, I found a group of densely packed adults under a ledge (Photo 3). These fish are not aggressive, but contact with their venomous spines should be avoided.
In Photo 4, two male flamboyant cuttlefish compete for a female. The female ignored them and continued to walk and feed. She would occasionally flatten and camouflage herself in the sand. I did not stay in the area long enough to learn the outcome of the menage a trois. Visit: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100016947967639
Multiple Creatures
Text and photos by John Ares
Seeing a rare species by itself can be a total rush. Encountering more than one individual of a species can be even more thrilling. Whale sharks, nurse sharks and moray eels can get you sweating inside your wetsuit.
Seeing five whale sharks at once is one of those amazing, once-in-a-lifetime encounters (Photo 1). In the Philippines, Oslob is one of the few places in the world where you can see whale sharks on a regular basis. Even so, to see five whale sharks together here was unusual.
In places such as the Maldives, tawny nurse sharks can occur in numbers of over two dozen. Although they can bite, they tend to be very docile, seemingly just asking to be photographed. One sat on the sand in front of me for about five minutes while I shot its picture (Photo 2).
Photo 3 was shot at a place called the Tuna Factory (also known as Chicken Island or Fish Tank1) in the Maldives. Three species of moray eels are shown. The dive site is now closed because the factory that released fish scraps here has reportedly closed. As with the ban on shark diving at Guadalupe Island in Mexico (due to conservation concerns2), closures can keep us from diving in some spectacular locations. If there is a place you want to dive, do it now before it closes. Visit: JohnAres.com
REFERENCES: 1EURO-DIVERS.COM, 2CNN
More Is More
Text and photos by Sheryl Checkman
In the design world, less is more. But underwater, sometimes more is more. Seeing one beautiful fish is great, but seeing multiples of the same species at once is even better. It is awe-inspiring to see a school of fish turn together as one, creating a ribbon of movement. Some fish swim together for protection or camouflage, while others do so as a hunting strategy.
While diving in Alor, Indonesia, I saw a pack of striped eel catfish (Photo 1). They look like they are wearing striped pajamas, so it is fitting that I took this photo on a night dive. Juveniles tend to school in groups of up to 100 individuals in order to protect themselves from predators. Adults tend to be solitary or travel in groups of about 20. The spines on their first dorsal fin and each pectoral fin contain a dangerous venom. The individuals in the photo look to be larger juveniles, based on their black coloration with two pale stripes from head to tail.
Another interesting species of schooling fish that I saw in Alor, during the day this time, were jointed razorfish, also known as coral shrimpfish (Photo 2). They swim together vertically in a head-down, tail-up position as a way to camouflage themselves and blend in with their surroundings.
Because they need sunlight to sustain algae-like zooxanthellae in their tissues, the millions of golden jellyfish that inhabit Jellyfish Lake in Palau are constantly moving during the day, following the sun’s arc across the sky. Snorkeling in the midst of these non-stinging jellyfish is an experience I will never forget. Visit: Instagram.com/SherylCheckman
Stunning Spectacles
Text and photos by Larry Cohen
In the underwater world, some fish travel in schools, primarily for safety. The sheer numbers of these fish can confuse predators, and their collective eyes can detect threats sooner, providing a sense of security. Traveling in a school also increases the likelihood of finding and accessing food and breeding successfully. Schools of fish take advantage of greater water displacement, which reduces drag and makes swimming easier.
As an underwater photographer, a school of fish is not just a subject but also a visually stunning spectacle. The Sipadan Mermaid wreck at Mataking Island is an artificial reef that was sunk a few weeks before I dived on it. The wreck had already attracted a large number of marine species, including a substantial school of glassfish.
Diving off Malpelo Island, Colombia, is an adventure in itself, due to its strong and challenging currents. These currents, however, bring in large numbers of fish, creating a thrilling diving experience. When I spotted a school of blue runner jacks, I was immediately drawn to the unique pattern they made in the water, which added to the excitement of the dive.
While diving at Mullaway Reef in Tufi, Papua New Guinea, I encountered a school of red snappers. The repetitive red color pattern was a stunning sight, and I had to capture it on camera. Visit: liquidimagesuw.com
Focusing on Multitudes
Text and photos by Matthew Meier
For the topic of multiples, it was easy enough to find images of schooling fish or similarly large numbers of sea creatures in the frame, so I tried to select images where the focus was singularly on the subject in question.
I ended up with a mix of macro and wide-angle shots where the content was unambiguous and in your face, filling the frame and orienting the camera in such a way as to eliminate any distractions from the subject matter.
In the photo of the skeleton shrimp, directional lighting and snoots over my strobes were also used to eliminate unsightly backgrounds and make the critters pop against a black backdrop. I hope you like my selection. Visit: MatthewMeierPhoto.com
Capturing Aggregations
Text and photos by Brandi Mueller
What could be better than one cool subject to photograph? Having many of that subject to photograph! Many species of fish live in schools or groups, but it can sometimes be challenging to keep schooling groups together because one cannot get them all to move in the same way at the same time.
Schools of striped eel catfish in the Philippines are always a favorite to try to capture. They dig in the sand to stir up prey, moving very quickly and sometimes erratically. They never seem to move altogether. They will also divert course and swim away from the camera when it is placed in their path. Their stripes and whiskers make them particularly photogenic.
Cardinalfish can be seen solitary or in schools and often move quite slowly, allowing for their photo to be taken. In my image from the Philippines, dozens of cardinalfish were stacked next to one another, forming a dark, immobile cloud underwater. Looking closely at their faces may reveal eggs being guarded in the safest way possible—in their mouths.
Seeing a flamboyant cuttlefish is always a treat, but one morning off Dumaguete, Philippines, I was lucky to see three at one time. A large female was roaming about, hunting for food, while two smaller males stayed right on her trail, following her every move. Visit: brandiunderwater.com
Multiples: Wild Beauty in Numbers
Text and photos by Gary Rose, MD
Throughout the animal kingdom, we see numerous examples of animals living and traveling together. If they are hunters and apex predators, they often travel in small packs, working together to increase the success of the hunt. If they are lower on the food chain, they gather in large groups, sometimes of multiple species, as herds or schools, to increase their safety in numbers. Having been a diver for over half a century, I have observed these behaviors countless times and have never lost my fascination for the balance and equilibrium of this “wild beauty” of the underwater world.
Coming up to the surface, I came upon a hunting pack of lemon sharks (Photo 1). This point-of-view photo, shot from behind, completely captures what I was feeling at that exact moment—like I was as one with this hunting pack as they soared forward into the clear teal water. Shooting from behind with open water ahead produces a strong feeling of forward motion.
Most divers think of nurse sharks as solo travelers on shallow reefs or buried within some nook or cranny hidden in the reef. However, from time to time, I have come upon “herds” of nurse sharks resting on the sand in shallow water (Photo 2). They greatly remind me of land-based herding animals. Resting in numbers provides protection and relative safety. If you look very closely, you will see a lurking predator in the background—a great hammerhead shark. Although great hammerheads will hunt and eat smaller sharks, nurse sharks are not on their menu.
Tiger Beach at Grand Bahama Island is famous for the abundance of tiger sharks that reside there (Photo 3). On multiple dives over the years, I have seen a minimum of four and as many as 18 tiger sharks on each dive. Each tiger shark has a name and is easily identifiable by the pattern of their individual bars and stripes. With so many tigers in the immediate area, a diver must maintain complete awareness of each tiger’s location. Fortunately, there are brief breaks in tiger shark activity. It is during these breaks that a diver can appreciate the incredible abundance of Caribbean reef sharks and lemon sharks.
One of the most beautiful and fascinating of the “wild beauty” groups of fish is a school of Atlantic spadefish. If a diver approaches them, they usually glide off just out of reach for a good photo. If approached painfully slowly, a diver can experience one of the greatest joys of diving—being within and a part of the school. They are very curious, as demonstrated in Photo 4. Notice that every eyeball is focused on the dome of my camera.
Whether they gather as hunting packs or in defensive schools (herds), underwater animals live in an environment where there is either increased efficiency (the hunters) or safety (the hunted) in numbers. This delicate balance has survived for hundreds of millions of years. As underwater photographers, we are very fortunate. We get to observe, witness and record this “wild beauty”. Visit: garyrosephotos.com
Photographing Packs
Text and photos by Michael Rothschild, MD
Some creatures are solitary hunters, others (like sardines and humans) are pack animals. For them, evolution has followed the strategy of community, cooperating as a group to increase the chance of survival and reproduction. Unlike the rugged individualists, whose lives depend on the offensive and defensive weapons that they carry alone, these critters band together into groups—known as “flocks”, “schools” or “homeowner associations”—because the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Photo 1 shows the filter feeders that coat the floor of our local inlets by the billions. These blue mussels take in nutrient-rich water through their frilled inhalant siphons, extract a meal, and then send it out through their plainer exhalant siphons—both of which are clearly visible during dinner time. Photo 2 shows a school of freshwater sunfish riding the bow of a wooden shipwreck in the river that runs between Canada and the United States. In Photo 3, lined anemones coat the surface of an artificial reef off the New Jersey shore. And in Photo 4, the density of the sea star pile is emphasized by this close-focus fisheye shot, fading to the surrounding sandy bottom at the borders of the image. Visit: dive.rothschilddesign.com
Glassfish, Leather Bass and Sea Lions
Text and photos by Olga Torrey
In the Celebes Sea at Mataking Island in Malaysia, my dive buddy and I swam to a site where pilings stood pinned to the seabed. The current was strong, so we made a few stops to stabilize our breathing. Then, we entered the area beneath the pilings.
Schools of Asiatic glassfish (from the family Ambassidae) found shelter there, and so did we. The pilings had become an artificial reef that attracted schools of fish. I pressed my back against a piling to stabilize my body, keeping my camera and strobe arms steady, and pointed the lens upward toward the large school of glassfish. The shapes of the school changed with the rhythm orchestrated by the current. Photographing the glassfish was challenging because I had to balance the exposure of their translucent bodies in the bright sunlight with the darkness under the pilings.
Malpelo Island in Colombia is a top bucket-list destination for divers because it attracts a diverse range of marine life. As a photographer, I seized the opportunity to dive at this unique location. I enjoyed swimming alongside large schools of leather bass, also known as marbled grouper (Epinephelus dermatolepis). This fish is active and abundant in Malpelo. The fish patrol the reefs in their backyard steadily and confidently. After adjusting my shutter speed and aperture to achieve the correct ambient light exposure, I added a strobe light to illuminate the front of the school of leather bass.
Sea lions on the reef in Coronado Island, Mexico, are the main point of interest for photographers and divers. My dive buddy and I traveled to the site in the Coronado Islands, where a large sea lion colony lives. Strong winds prevented our small boat from getting any closer. We jumped in and swam against the choppy water, with our cameras in hand, to reach the spot.
As soon as we descended, we were surrounded by a dozen curious and playful sea lions. They were just as excited to see us as we were to see them, which was delightful. Within a minute, the sandy bottom was silted up by the sea lions. It was not easy to photograph these fast-moving animals. I took a different approach, focusing on a small group of animals and using strobes for the foreground. Visit: fitimage.nyc
SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA.ORG
