Resting Seahorse

Gallery: WildlifePosted June 22, 201023,293 views5 comments

This is from my trip to the New Britain area of Papua New Guinea last year and was taken somewhere in the vicinity of Kavieng. I have a number of pictures of this seahorse in a more conventional upright position but somehow none of them work for me the way this one does. Curious what you think about the horizontal pose. We watched this fish for a long time. When it wandered away from its small patch of algae it tended to stay low and horizontal like this. When it was back close to the cover it went vertical again. Not 100% sure of the species but I believe this is Hippocampus kuda. I've also considered cloning out the dark area behind the head but eventually decided it didn't bother me.

Nikon D200 in a Subal Housing. 105mm AF-S VR Micro, Dual Sea and Sea YS350 strobes.
ISO 100, f/13, 1/250th, strobes at half power

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on June 22, 2010 at 2:21 AM

Really cool shot, and I think that the horizontal comp and pose definitely work here - excellent!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Sandra Hendrikse on June 22, 2010 at 2:47 AM

A lovely image, Clinton.The horizontal comp works well here. The only minor nit is the dark area behind the head, which is a bit distracting imo.

Registered on January 23, 2008, 48 Posts, 769 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on June 22, 2010 at 1:40 PM

I am always looking forward to seeing your underwater work Clinton because you always show us species we do not see in this Gallery very often and because it reminds me of my own dives (years ago...). I like this for the detail and the fluorescent colors; simply amazing. Not sure if I would prefer this over the more classical pose without seeing it though. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on June 23, 2010 at 1:29 PM

Thanks for sharing another exotic bit of fauna. I never knew sea horses came in this color. I think I would prefer the more traditional upright pose, because if most folks are like me with little knowledge of the natural history, this posture raises the question of whether this individual is healthy. The dark area is fine as posted, but if you were tweaking this for a print I can understand removing it.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on June 24, 2010 at 7:09 AM

I'm with Lon, it's great to see this kind of exotic fauna here at NPN Clinton.
I have no idea of the challenges one encounters in underwater photography, so it's very hard to be critical..
I imagine it's not feeling safe out in the open, thus the pose?
I'd remove the dark patch if it was mine, easy enough to do.
Great post & thank you for your comments on "Buddies"

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments