Learning Sessions - Photography & Photoshop Post Processing

I have been asked by many new photographers why I don't offer instruction in photographic techniques and principles.  For whatever reason, I have never managed to get around to putting together a basic short course that I believed warranted attention. 

I finally have taken the time to put together a course which is to be offered on a 1:1 basis or in very small groups. You can read about the two learning sessions by clicking the LEARNING tab in the menu.

• Photographic Techniques & Skills

• Post Processing Techniques,  Image Management & Skills

Each course is thorough in its content and is designed to make you a better photographer, either from behind the camera or computer screen.

Rhinopias - Diving The Wallace Line, Western Indonesia

There are parts of Indonesia that are special places, especially those that fall along what has been named by biologists as the Wallace Line.  This imaginary line (actually it is defined geologically) separates the ecozones between Asia and broadly-speaking Australia.  Along the line the biodiversity is exceptionally high and there are many rare, uncommon and distinctly unusual species. 

In April 2011, I spent a tad over 3 weeks diving several areas along the Wallace Line n search of some of these species.

LEFT: A purple phase Weedy Scorpionfish (Rhinopias frondosa) although brighly coloured is highly camouflaged amongst the surrounding coral rubble.

The water will be cold - I had been told....

I’d been warned that the water would be cold.  Despite the warning, I still gasped as I fell from the boat into the 21 degree water.  Considering I was diving in Indonesia, which straddles the equator, it was surprising to be almost suffering heat exhaustion on the surface and then to be exhibiting the mild symptoms of hyperthermia 10 minutes later.

LEFT: A purple phase Weedy Scorpionfish (Rhinopias frondosa).  It's interesting that many fish cannot see colour, but can define tones.  So, why is Rhinopias coloured so brightly.

I was diving in the region of Alor and Flores in search of unusual fish and nudibranches.  In particular I was hunting (photographically speaking) a relatively uncommon and rare fish with the spectacular name of Rhinopias.  I’d only seen fish belonging to this genus a couple of times when diving in Papua New Guinea, and on these dives I was unfortunate to not have my underwater camera with me.

Rhinopias sp. - An Unusual Fish Species

Rhinopias means “long nasal septum”  and comes from the Greek and Latin translation.  All species belonging to this genus have this same characteristic -  a long slender snout leading to a huge cavernous mouth.  What separates the different species is subtle characteristics such as the type and number of appendages, and size of pectoral fins, and the locations in which the fish is found.  Colour and size, which can be controlled by food supply and environment. have no direct relationship to each species.

 Cold Water & Muck Diving

The water was mind-numbing cold and despite wearing a full wetsuit, I found it increasingly difficult to maintain my vigilance searching along the muddy bottom for the prized fish.  This area was not a beautiful reef in  brilliantly clear sunlit water, but rather rocky substrate adjacent to a village populated by a few thousand Indonesians living an almost “hand to mouth“ traditional lifestyle.  The visibility was limiting due to silt and debris entrained within the water column, and the bottom strewn with silt-covered boulders.  This was one of the favoured habitats Rhinopias; this style of diving is what has been named by the diving community as “muck diving”.

LEFT (2 images):  A Paddle-flap Scorpionfish (Rhinopias eschmeyeri).  Note the different colour hue and the lack of white "highlighted" eyebrows to that of the same species in upper photograph; variation is common amougst Rhinopias sp.

Muck diving came of age after intrepid divers decided to begin to explore the not so often dived areas adjacent to bridges, rivers, marshes, wetlands and villages.  You won’t the usual reef dwellers here, but you are liable to find the unusual, the ugly, and the strange.  You may also come across the juvenile forms of many of the more common reef species, as these backwaters are a safer habitat for small fry.

To add to discomfort a chilly thermocline had developed at a depth of 25 meters and I was reluctant to sink into the shimmering layer as the water here was colder than the warmer water above.  The shimmering water meandered its way across the rocky slope enveloping me for a minute or so before moving deeper; it was like going from a warm bath to a bath with floating ice cubes – then back again.

Why Are Rhinopias Special

Rhinopias is a genus of scorpionfish (Scorpanidadae) containing six species, and like other scorpionfish, utilise camouflage to blend in with their surroundings;  I’ve always found it odd that a bright red, pink, yellow or purple fish can be almost invisible as you swim over it.  Even when photographing the Rhinopias, I often find myself searching for the animal after swimming off a distance before making another run to take photographs - so good is nature to have provided such as tantalizingly beautiful veil of deception.

LEFT: A yellow phase Weedy Scorpionfish (Rhinopias frondosa) showing detail of the lure appendage over the cavernous mouth.

Rhinopias are rare fish, and sometimes appear in the aquarium trade, where they fetch high prices.  They are lie and wait predators and generally are not fast swimmers.  Their camouflage is unusual as the fish are brightly coloured over an often dappled base colour.  This bright colouring however, doesn’t appear to offer any resistance to their reputation of being exceptionally dangerous bottom dwellers.  To add to their concealment, are variously sized appendages which assist to breakup the visual outline of the fish and help disguise the large lips and mouth.

The appendage above the head of Rhinopias is used a lure and is often waved about like a small worm on a hook.  Any interested passer by, stopping to investigate the waving appendage is quickly consumed as the fish opens its mouth and lunges quickly forward.  The movement and opening of the mouth is enough to create a vacuum which sucks into the mouth any unsuspecting small fry.

Photographing Rhinopias

The most difficult part of photographing Rhinopias is actually finding the fish.  Because this species often resides in silty and muddy environments, ensuring that the water remains as clean as possible is a photographer’s first task.  Inappropriate fin movement and hand placement can completely envelope you and the fish with silt removing any opportunity you may have had to produce a good photograph.  Therefore, good diving practices are required and neutral buoyancy must be maintained at all times; a somewhat trying task when swimming in a current.

Visibility was quite poor during this particular dive and despite being slack tide, the tidal current carried  copious volumes of silt and debris from a the mouth of a nearby stream.  Backscatter was a major concern and to minimise this backscatter (seen as bright spots in a photograph) accurate strobe placement is essential.  I wanted the light from the twin strobes to just touch the fish and not illuminate the background water and entrained silt. 

The photographs were taken with a Canon 5D MK2 in a Subal housing.  The camera and strobes were set to manual to allow complete control over shutter speed, aperture and exposure.

Jostling With the Current

The current, heavy camera housing and twin strobes conspired against me as I jostled for a suitable shooting position.  Several times I had to float past the fish, turn and swim back up-current for another run, because I was not in the correct shooting position.  Everything from strobe placement, shooting angle, aperture and exposure had to be pre-visualised so as to acquire a successful photograph. 

The prize photograph is a Rhinopias lunging with its mouth open, but despite repeated attempts none of the fish I observed appeared interested in doing this for the camera, despite being offered a few tender morsels as a reward!

In my next post dealing with this visit to Indonesia, we’ll look at some of the other bizarre creatures encountered whilst diving: crocodile eels, rare nudibranchs, colourful morays and frogfish. 

If you have liked this post, why not let me know in the comment field below.

Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), Falkland Islands

Magellanic Penguins

Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) are widespread in the Falklands and I found them on every island I visited. Unlike the other penguins in the Falklands, magellanics live in burrows. They are very shy and photographing them is not easy as they are apt to scarper quickly into their burrows if approached too closely.  However, you can get quite close to them if you maintain a low profile, avoid eye contact and approach them very slowly and carefully.

Although the magellanics form large breeding colonies intersected by underground tunnels, many breed away from the colony either solitarily or in small groups.  During the breeding season the penguins collect leaves or other vegetation to line the confines of their burrows constructed in the peat or sand.

Two eggs are laid deep within the burrow and incubation lasts 39–42 days, a task which the parents share in 10-15 day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed every two to three days. Normally, both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally only one chick is raised.  Magellanics are monogamous and the male returns to the same burrow every year to re-connect with his female partner.

LEFT:  Just before dusk a Magellanic comes ashore

Magellanics construct their burrows wherever the earth is soft.  As such, it's not uncommon to find burrows in the sand dunes and in the peat bogs.  Those penguins that move into the peat bog seemingly take on the appearance of the bog and their white chests are quickly covered in mud.

The penguins feed on a variety of seafood including: crustaceans, krill, sardines and squid.  Although this species is not endangered, climate change is affecting their food source

Penguins Stop Military Landing

During the Falklands War in 1982, the British decided not to launch an amphibious attach on one of the beaches that was occupied by magellanic penguins, as they were concerned that their vehicles and soldiers would become “bogged down” in the many deep burrows and tunnels that these penguins construct. 

LEFT:  A magellanic Penguin stands outside its burrow with flippers outstretched warming itself in the morning light.  The burrow is cconstructed within peaty soil.

If your keen on penguins and want to see more images of these delightful creatures, navigate to either my FlickR page or web gallery page.

In my next post we'll have a look at the most outrageous of all penguins - the rockhopper!  Then we'll change tact and examine one of the most majestic birds found in the Falklands, the black-browed albatross.

Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua), Falkland Islands

Gentoo Penguins

Gentoos are the second largest penguin species and are recognisable by the white stripe extending across the top of their heads like a bonnet. They breed in large colonies which can be situated a kilometre or more inland. Each morning the penguins make the long journey down to the sea where they eat fish and crustaceans. In the afternoon they return to the colony to feed their chicks.

LEFT:  Gentoo penguin parent flaps its flippers and brays, so its offspring can identify itself with the parent and obtain a feed.

Breeding Time and Nesting

January is breeding time for the gentoos and many youngsters in advanced stages of growth continually chase one another and their mothers around the colony braying and squawking in an attempt to receive additional food.  During this cat and mouse chase the personal space of other individuals is breeched enlisting further ruckus as verbal protests are made.

LEFT: Gentoo penguin rests on egg from a nest made from sand, beach debris and small stones.

Life can be tough as a gentoo youngster and on several occasions I witnessed skuas diving on the colony in an attempt to separate a youngest from its mother.  Once separated, the skua would capture the fledgling in its strong beak and carry it away from the colony to provide food for its own young.  Witnessing events such as this is when you realize that when we (humans) make a mistake more than often we learn from the event, however, when wildlife make a mistake they often loose their life.  As such, evolution ensues that only the strongest and most resourceful animals survive to pass along genes to the next generation.

Gentoo penguins make a small nest surrounded by stones and lined with whatever material can be found.  Stone stealing amongst mothers is common place and its amusing to watch one parent steal a stone for its nest only to return from another stone steeling mission to find that the original owner has stolen the stone back for its own nest.  Stone exchanges can go on for hours.  Once a gentoo has enough stones it will lay its egg within the stone arrangement and incubate the egg by lying on top of the egg.  After birth, the youngster will be protected within the stone circle by its mother and only be left unattended when the mother penguin goes to sea to capture food for the youngster.

Let’s Surf…….

Watching the gentoo penguins surf in to land on the beach is a sight that needs to be seen to be fully comprehended.  Penguins, fresh from fishing, group together outside the breakers for their amphibious beach landing.  They group together mainly for protection as other animals such as sea lions, elephant seals, killer whales and leopard seals patrol the outside breakers searching for penguins on which to feed. 

ABOVE:  Gentoo penguin breaches the surf, stands and walks toward dryer sand.

By grouping together the penguins hope to confuse any potential predator by sheer numbers, speed and agility.  Eventually, a penguin will make a move toward the beach and the group will follow, porpoise through the swells and surf until reaching the sand.  Here they will stand and make their way out of the water to briefly preen before moving up onto the dry sand.

Gentoos are smaller in size than king penguins, however, this lack of superior size is outclassed by their agility, raucous behaviour and shear numbers of individuals within a colony. 

King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), Falkland Islands

Penguins are the most conspicuous residents of the Falkland Islands with five penguin species calling the islands home.  Although penguins are members of the class Aves and are similar in many respects to their aerial cousins, they cannot fly and when on the land they cannot help but appear a little ungainly.  This ungainliness ceases once they become waterborne and to witness dozens of penguins porpoise through the water is an amazing sight.  Beneath the waves they are graceful as any of their aerial relatives as they use their strong flippers to propel themselves through the water.  Their tails are used as rudders and it is quite astonishing to see the flexibility in movement made by these animals when on the move.

LEFT: A King Penguin stand erect flapping ots flippers in the morning sun.

Penguins can dive to astonishing depths to feed on small fish and cephalopods and are exceptionally adapt at capturing their prey.  To aid in the capture of prey, the beaks of some species have serrated teeth (saw backs) which are reverse positioned.  Any fish or squid captured cannot escape forwards out of the beak because its body is pushed against the direction of the teeth.

King Penguins

The King Penguin is the largest of the penguin species found in the Falkland Islands and is aptly named as it exudes a grace similar to that of royalty.  The exceptionally attractive colours of this penguin define themselves in the penguin world as upper echelon; a king penguin will stand royally either alone or in a small group, occasionally stretching itself to full height to bray.  Rarely do the kings run, but they walk very quickly.  They have an average weight of around 17 kilos and stand at a tad over a meter in height.   

I was lucky to be able to share for a few days,  the house belonging to the conservation officer responsible for the colony, and as such was able to spend an unlimited time observing and photographing the kings as they went about their daily business. 

Poor Weather and Challenging Photographic Conditions

The weather wasn’t the best and dappled light would present itself between cloudy overcast conditions as rain squalls passed through the area.  The light wasn’t an issue for me but the wind was!  For much of my time in this area gale force winds blew ensuring that photography was very challenging. 

LEFT: A King Penguin adolescent undergoes its first moult.  Traces of the long hairs found on juvenile animals is still evident.

Using a long lens was problematic due to the wind causing excessive vibration of the lens, and using a lens close to the sand was painful as entrained sand entered every crack and crevice of a lens and camera body – even if covered with a protective cover. I could have increased the ISO to achieve a faster shutter speed to counter against the wind vibrating the lens, but I wanted the photographs to be as noise free as possible.  It was a matter of waiting for a brief lull during wind gusts and optimizing this time for picture taking.  But the weather didn’t seem to bother the kings who grouped together in a tight colony protecting the females with eggs and youngsters within.

LEFT:  Obtaining a good vantage point to shoot downards into the colony is difficult, however this image shows you the density of penguins in a small section of the colony.

Moulting

The Kings were in various stages of development.  In the center of the colony were the mothers with eggs and very young day old chicks, whilst intermingled throughout were the youngsters and adolescents , the former still sporting long hairy down coats.  Some individuals were part way through their first moult and the striking colours and pattern which is prominent on this species of penguin were only beginning to show.

To Swim or not to Swim

At the beach, despite the frigid and windy conditions, a small group of kings moved along the high tide mark, waddling to and fro seeking guidance from the lead penguin who was searching for an appropriate place to enter the surf zone to swim.  Other penguins nearby hunkered down in the blustery conditions seeking rest and I was amazed that they could even think of sleep whilst being continually sand-blasted.

LEFT:  A group of King Penguins waddle along the beach waiting for the leader to decide whether it's safe to enter the water.  You can see the windblown sand that was nearly always present in the first metre above the ground.

Occasionally an argument ensured between the individuals waiting to swim, but rather than verbal exchange, each penguin used their exceptionally powerful flippers to maintain personal space or settle the disagreement.  As a flipper from one bird struck another you could hear the swak of the impact.  The behavior reminded me of a New York City policeman clubbing a felon with his truncheon or baton.

The penguins were not worried about my presence and after several hours observing and photographing them I almost felt like an honorary member of the colony.  But, although for the most part approachable, they are still wild animals and it's not prudent to get too close as this stresses the animals unduly.

In my next Falkkand Islands post, we will look at some of the other smaller penguins that live in islands.