I love the challenge of underwater photography—even when some challenges ultimately fail. I’ve been an above-water wildlife photographer for most of my life, but an underwater photographer for only nine years. Those nine years include about seventy times in the water and three different cameras. Each time, I feel like I’m getting better at my art. Fish move in and out of scenes too fast for image-by-image settings adjustments, but knowing the camera’s effective range, how to compensate for light refraction, trying to stay steady in waves or currents, and numerous other items come into play.
And then there are fish, like this beautiful royal angelfish that refuse to cooperate—keeping their distance and seeming being attracted to cloudy water. Try as I did, I still don’t have a frameable royal angelfish photo. This mediocre one is my best so far. But hey, failing to capture a perfect image gives me a goal for a future outing.
(Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)