Study of a frogfish

[Hank49]

Justleesa,
I think those are great shots. Antenareus (sp?) are almost impossible to even find, much less get a good, descriptive photo. Does this one always hang out near the same place? Most I've seen are pretty regularly in a small area. Finding one "out of the blue" is a real treat. And a guy told me that when these eat, it's the fastest recorded movement of any living animal. They eat fish as large as themselves. Awesome. Hank

 

[louisianadiver]

OK, first of all -You're not nitpicking! You are helping me to improve! Thanks for the tips
I must say that I have zoomed in on him, but in most pictures it jus looks like a blob with an eye...lol...all the contours are over grown and in most cases he is in perfect camouflage. But I'll keep trying!

I think the pics might be improved by adding some contrast and brightening. It's a tough subject, and I've given some thought as to what I would have done. The hairiness of the animal makes it doubly tough to make distinct, and my examples were easier shots than what you faced. I put 3 possibilities up at http://claycoleman.tripod.com/id195.htm in case you know where this fish is and want to have another go at him. There are 3 pics on the page, and you'll have to scroll down to see them. I think this subject is worth a few dives to really get. -Clay

 

[justleesa]

I think the pics might be improved by adding some contrast and brightening. It's a tough subject, and I've given some thought as to what I would have done. The hairiness of the animal makes it doubly tough to make distinct, and my examples were easier shots than what you faced. I put 3 possibilities up at http://claycoleman.tripod.com/id195.htm in case you know where this fish is and want to have another go at him. There are 3 pics on the page, and you'll have to scroll down to see them. I think this subject is worth a few dives to really get. -Clay

Would you say with the software or when taking the picture?
I will try working on them again tonight...today we are doing the Corsair....YES! And maybe I'll get the croc. eel that is supposed to live out there. ...The Sea Tiger won't be on the menu until either Thursday or next week....I'll take a few more, given he is in a good spot.

And yes, the frogfish has been there for a long, long time. Until yesterday he stayed at the top part of the wreck. When we went down on the afternoon charter we found him at the bow....lets hope that doesn't mean he's leaving anytime soon....The plus is the baby...let's hope they both stay.

 

[louisianadiver]

Would you say with the software or when taking the picture?
I will try working on them again tonight...today we are doing the Corsair....YES! And maybe I'll get the croc. eel that is supposed to live out there. ...The Sea Tiger won't be on the menu until either Thursday or next week....I'll take a few more, given he is in a good spot.

And yes, the frogfish has been there for a long, long time. Until yesterday he stayed at the top part of the wreck. When we went down on the afternoon charter we found him at the bow....lets hope that doesn't mean he's leaving anytime soon....The plus is the baby...let's hope they both stay.

I'd bracket to a full stop over the present ones in half stop increments. I think the ones in the can could be improved with software. The baby is intriguing. I don't know much about Pacific fish, but male frogfish around the Caribbean are only a fraction of the size of the females. The large fish could be a female, and the "baby" could actually be a suitor. Keep an eye on them; you might get something really special. -Clay