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It took a little while to learn this about underwater photography, but photographs taken from above get boring after a while. It’s the natural position of a scuba diver: hovering above the reef or wreck or sand, watching the action from that superior vantage point. But there’s a lot more to see, and a lot more perspective to be gained, if you get down to the level of the creatures you’re looking at. Here are some of my favourite photos, taken from an eye level perspective.
Sea anemones extend their tentacles into the water column to feed. This one is hungry and actively looking for something to eat, hence the crown of straight-up tentacles! The visibility on the day I took this photo was something special, but even if it’s not, you can often trick the camera into giving you a spacious perspective if you put it down parallel with the ground and focus on something small.
Hungry sea anemone at Long Beach
I take a lot of starfish photographs – they’re very common, move slowly and are often colourful – but taking them from above gets boring unless you zoom in really close to capture the texture of the starfish’s body. Putting the camera down next to them gives the creature a sense of grandeur and scale that it doesn’t really have otherwise!
Spiny sea star on the sand at Long Beach
Tony and I love warty pleurobranchs. They’re not pretty creatures, but have very cute, blunt faces and barrel through the sand like tiny bulldozers. Here’s a large one bulldozing right towards me at Long Beach.
Warty pleurobranch at Long Beach
Long siphoned whelks (and many other molluscs) have beautiful bodies that you can’t see if you just view their shells from above. Here are two long siphoned whelks, with their bright pinky orange feet on display. The first photograph was taken in fairly dodgy visibility, but you can see that there’s still a sense of space because the photographic subject is quite small.
Long siphoned whelk at Long Beach
Long siphoned whelk at Long Beach
Here’s another whelk on the move, also at Long Beach.
Whelk at Long Beach
We have a lot of wonderful interactions with klipfish on our dives – they have so much character and often a great willingness to have their chin scratched or to sit in one’s hand. This photo is from one of my most memorable dives ever – it was an ordinary day at Long Beach with some of Tony’s students, but while they were doing CESAs on the cable I was playing with this gorgeous green klipfish.
Super klipfish at Long Beach
(It was already an incredible dive by the time we left my new friend, but shortly after that we found a giant short-tailed sting ray on the sand, resting in amazing visibility, and the dive became one for the record books!)
Here’s another gorgeous little klipfish who stared directly into the camera like a professional model.
Klipfish at Long Beach
Shysharks are quite docile and almost sleepy sometimes, and will often let you lie down close to them for a photo. Here’s a very beautiful dark shyshark on the sand at Long Beach.
Dark shyshark on the sand at Long Beach
And finally, sometimes getting at eye level with your dive buddy also yields interesting photos!
Tony being a clown
107 Comments
tony
17 Mar 2011 08:03 am
Not me being a clown, just getting down to eye level with the photographer
jaredblakedicroce
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Plus, if you were right side up, the bubbles would be obscuring your face :-)
Khanum
17 Mar 2011 03:03 pm
really awesome! i love the way pictures are giving a soft yet exciting touch to this post! thnks for sharing
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Thank you for your visit!
lillsister
17 Mar 2011 03:03 pm
I like the green fish! I am sure he likes green plants… it is safer there.
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
He has rusty red-brown relatives who like to hide in the brown kelp - their camouflage is very impressive. And I am sure the green fish would like you :-)
Sharp
17 Mar 2011 03:03 pm
wow that looks great!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Thanks :-)
livvy30
17 Mar 2011 03:03 pm
Lovely shots Clare!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Thank you so much!
Mikalee Byerman
17 Mar 2011 03:03 pm
…I believe that Super Klipfish at Long Beach is looking into my soul. Bizarre…
Great photos!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
I love those fish - they are very friendly (and wise, I am sure!)
The Simple Life of a Country Man’s Wife
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Brings back memories of scuba diving during our honeymoon. Thanks for sharing the photos! Looked like fun.
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
I hope you get to scuba dive again sometime... There's nothing quite like it! Thanks for your visit!
jaredblakedicroce
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Makes me long to get back into scuba classes
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Do it! Don't delay! The sea is calling...
Mike
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Very nice photographs! I haven’t gotten the knack of underwater photography yet, mostly because I haven’t invested in a housing for my good camera yet. You’ve motivated me to think about it again.
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Ah I haven't gotten the hang of it either - I am more prolific than I am skilled! And practising is lots of fun. Unfortunately the housings are often more expensive than the camera. I have a cheapish Sony Cybershot point and shoot, for which a Sony housing is available (DSC TX5 and MPK-THJ housing).
didiwright
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
Nice photos, you’ve captured the tranquility of the underwater world really well. I’ve always loved water, and I wish we lived by the sea and had the opportunity to take up diving as a hobby.
I found your post very informative, too, it’s like a trip to the aquarium!
Didi
Clare
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
I am so glad to be of assistance :-) Thanks for the visit!
bandsmoke
17 Mar 2011 04:03 pm
I’m a dry land kind of girl so thanks for the great pics and congrats on FP
Clare
17 Mar 2011 05:03 pm
Hey! Thanks! And hello fellow South African!
tinkerbelle86
17 Mar 2011 05:03 pm
wow… gorgeous photos!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 05:03 pm
Why thank you :-)
Lorna
17 Mar 2011 05:03 pm
Congrats on being freshly pressed, fellow South African!
Lovely pics – I was always disappointed diving in CT, but you have inspired me to try again… (Disappointed because of cold water, bad visibility, and fewer tropical fish and bright colours than further north.)
Clare
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
Baie dankie! It is cold diving here, but if you do False Bay in winter and the Atlantic in summer you can have very decent visibility! We haven't had a good run the last few months... Too much southeaster :-(
Elizabeth
17 Mar 2011 05:03 pm
I’ve never been scuba diving before (and don’t even really like snorkeling!), so the creatures you photographed look really amazing! Thanks for also sharing little tidbits about them (especially the klipfish!).
Clare
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
Thank you for visiting, I am so glad you liked the post!
shashipal
17 Mar 2011 06:03 pm
Liked the under water pictures.really aw some………….
Clare
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
Thank you!
eva626
17 Mar 2011 06:03 pm
reli cool pictures!!!! i would love to go scuba diving!!!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
You must try it - highly recommended :-)
James R. Clawson
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
Snorkeling is on of my favorite things to do especially in Laguna Beach CA. One of the best spots I have found in So. Cal. Thanks for sharing!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
I have just been reading about some of the marine life in your part of the world - sounds wonderful! Thanks for the visit!
notesfromrumbleycottage
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
I have never gone diving but your pictures are inspiring. Congrats on being freshly pressed.
Clare
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
Thank you! I can highly recommend diving, or even snorkelling to start with!
jaredwinn
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
Nice Blog, Keep it up.
Jared Winn
http://jcwinn.com
sarahnsh
17 Mar 2011 07:03 pm
I absolutely love the pictures, especially of the fish, they do seem to have a lot of character and just stare right into the camera. I love swimming in the ocean, and though I’ve never scuba dived I have snorkelled and I would always free dive and get as close to the bottom as I could and that my lungs would allow. Thank you for sharing!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Shoo - free diving looks amazing but my lung capacity is pitiful! It lets you get closer to the fish than scuba I think, because you aren't making such a noise and exhaling such loud bubbles! Thanks for the visit!
spiceblogger
17 Mar 2011 08:03 pm
Wow. Fantastic shots! Thank you so much for sharing.
Clare
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Thank you! And thanks for the visit!
stylistnc
17 Mar 2011 08:03 pm
Wow. How unbelievably lucky to be able to do that. I’ve always loved those underwater pics of the sea creatures. Something we don’t get to see too often.
What kind of a camera do you have?
Clare
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
It's not a fancy camera - an ordinary Sony point and shoot (DSC-TX5) for which they make a marine housing called an MPK-THJ. The housing and the camera cost about the same - the way of these things! LOTS of fun to play with though!
archiegrrl
17 Mar 2011 08:03 pm
How serendipitous — I was just logging on to post pics of my first scuba adventure when I saw you on Fresh Pressed! After doing a LOT of image manipulation to come up with images that are now mostly teal and purple instead of all blue, I have to ask — how did you get such great colors in your shots? Is it all about the flash, or are you in shallow water (most of our shots were at 40-60 ft deep) so the sunlight can get down to you without too much blue flitration? I’d love to know your secret!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
I have a Sony DSC TX5 (just a little point and shoot) with the corresponding marine housing - not fancy equipment at all. These shots were mostly taken in under 6 metres (hmm - 18 feet?) of water. The camera has a built in flash. On deep dives it's frustrating - I can do macro stuff if I keep VERY still but anything further than about a foot away isn't sufficiently illuminated.
staxxs
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Great post makes me want to go the the beach this summer.
Clare
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Ah winter is coming here in the southern hemisphere so our beach days are numbered! Thanks for the visit!
willbt
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Utterly Cool!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Why thank you!
Emeritus
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Hey Clare, congrats on being freshly pressed! Lovely post – never knew klipfish are so cute. I should come diving with you next time I’m in CT! Hannah x
Clare
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Thank you :-) And please do come diving with us when you're back here. Was lovely to see you last month. Sarah's little boy arrived last week (actually not so little). All doing well! x
evajoy
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
lovely photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clare
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Thank you :-)
faerylandmom
17 Mar 2011 09:03 pm
Amazing photos! Congrats on being freshly pressed today! This post deserves it, for sure.
Clare
17 Mar 2011 10:03 pm
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!
Rick
17 Mar 2011 10:03 pm
My dad started taking me diving at an early age and it has been one of the joys of my life but I haven’t been able to go for quite some time do to health issues but the pictures are beautiful and take me back, thank you.
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
It's a really lovely activity to do with someone close to you - I am glad to have reminded you of some happy memories!
SWK
17 Mar 2011 10:03 pm
These are lovely pictures!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Thank you!!
elenamusic
17 Mar 2011 11:03 pm
I like the super klipfish pic the best. Cute!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
I agree - they have such personality! Thanks for the visit!
mindslam
17 Mar 2011 11:03 pm
Awesome pics…I owned a pet store in the early 90′s…sold salt water fish & kept them at home…have never been diving to see them like that…Thanks for showing them!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
It's wonderful to see the creatures in their natural environment - glad you enjoyed the photos!
crissymoss
18 Mar 2011 01:03 am
Those are some great pics, just makes me want to learn to scuba myself!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Thank you! If you have an opportunity to dive you must try it!
D.A.S.
18 Mar 2011 01:03 am
Man, that looks so pretty. I wish I could look at stuff like that all day.
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
My husband does... He's a diving instructor. I am VERY jealous :-)
sarahsofiayu
18 Mar 2011 01:03 am
Amazing. Fabulous. Gorgeous. Wonderful. Thanks for upload all the pics. You make my day.
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
So glad you like them!
JsQuare
18 Mar 2011 03:03 am
Nice photos out there! I haven’t gotten a camera for my underwater diving yet. Hopefully coming May I would had bought one and shoot some photos at tioman
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Tioman sounds AMAZING - if you take pictures do share them! And enjoy :-)
rtcrita
18 Mar 2011 03:03 am
Underwater pics always amaze me and get my attention. I guess because it’s looking into a part of the world I wouldn’t otherwise see, most likely. I like the one of the green klipfish the best and of the starfish. Thank you for sharing your underwater adventure!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
It's one of the lovely things about diving or snorkelling - you are visting a place that we wouldn't usually see! Thanks for the visit :-)
Jen Uy
18 Mar 2011 04:03 am
great photos! what camera did you use?
i should really learn to dive so i could take photos with this angle.
i can only do this while snorkeling in shallow waters, bumping my knees & elbows to the sea bed
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
I have a Sony DSC-TX5 (point and shoot). It's actually waterproof to 3 metres/10 feet so you can use it while snorkelling without an underwater housing. Thanks for the compliment and the visit!
Fire Crystals
18 Mar 2011 05:03 am
Love your pictures.
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Many thanks!
Sony Fugaban
18 Mar 2011 06:03 am
Informative indeed!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Glad you found it to be so! Thanks for the visit.
Marissa Jean
18 Mar 2011 06:03 am
Sea life is so amazing. I love these pictures, great post
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
I agree - there is just so much to see! Thanks for stopping by!
ahmad arief
18 Mar 2011 07:03 am
wow, it’s cool!!!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Thanks Ahmad!
supersitepk
18 Mar 2011 07:03 am
Amazing and so so beauty full picture
thanks for sharing
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
So glad you like the pics!
richannkur
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
It’s lovely….
Clare
18 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Thank you very much!
Chris Lake
18 Mar 2011 11:03 am
Great photos. You would do wonders diving off Bali with some seriously diverse subjects. Thanks for the blog. Check out “Lake@large: Bangkok to Bali” for some amateur work you could probably improve upon.
Clare
18 Mar 2011 11:03 am
Bali is on my diving bucket list! Will check out your work, thanks :-)
Max Miller
18 Mar 2011 12:03 pm
I love how you reply to each and every post.
Not much of a photographer too but I admire your photos. Scuba diving and taking pictures looks really fun!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 12:03 pm
I try to be polite :-) I appreciate all the comments and visitors! So here is my reply to you: thank you :-)
leadinglight
18 Mar 2011 12:03 pm
This reminds me of the time I went snorkelling in Cairns in the Great Barrier Reef. The pictures give such a lovely dimension to this post. I don’t own a underwater camera D:
I love your photos of the whelks. All of them are so unique in shape and size.
Clare
18 Mar 2011 12:03 pm
Apparently many parts of the Great Barrier Reef are best appreciated on snorkel... Average depth is 5 metres or less in many parts so you don't really need scuba for that. It sounds like an amazing place to visit. When I've been snorkelling I buy those disposable waterproof film cameras at the pharmacy... They can handle a metre or two of submergence and are pretty cheap! Thanks for the visit!
Kim
18 Mar 2011 02:03 pm
This is the first time that I saw a shyshark :O
Didn’t know they exist! Nice pictures by the way
Clare
18 Mar 2011 02:03 pm
Thank you :-) Shysharks are perfect little miniature sharks - 1.5 metres long but usually a lot smaller. They're gorgeous!
Sunflowerdiva
18 Mar 2011 02:03 pm
The pictures of the whelks are so interesting! I also really like the one of the lipfish. And the very last picture of Tony being a clown literally made me chuckle. Underwater photography looks like a whole lot of fun!
Clare
18 Mar 2011 02:03 pm
It is! Glad you enjoyed the pictures...
synbellum
18 Mar 2011 03:03 pm
Wow! That’s a great job, hope I get to do something like this one day. =)
harkheindzel
18 Mar 2011 03:03 pm
Beautiful pictures.
nesha
19 Mar 2011 12:03 am
I just wanted to say Awesome pictures and that Diving seems as if it takes years and years worth of experience in order to become an expert diver. Hell I’m just learning how to swim therefore, I know I’m a long way from diving lol. Great post and thank you so much for sharing.
http://anubianqueen.wordpress.com
Clare
19 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Not necessarily years and years, but it does get better and better the more you dive! You don't need to be a brilliant swimmer to scuba dive but you do need to be comfortable in the water. Good luck with the swimming!
thesecretgirlforever
19 Mar 2011 05:03 am
wow. those are amazing pictures!!
Clare
19 Mar 2011 09:03 am
Thanks so much!!
Rose
20 Mar 2011 08:03 pm
They’re lovely images!
Sajeevs blog
26 Mar 2011 11:03 am
Great underwater pictures! Nice post
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