Underwater Photography

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

Napoleons, or bumphead wrasse, are fish with character. I have yet to meet a diver that doesn’t smile when one of these curious creatures comes in to have a look. With the intricate pattern in their faces, big lips and chameleon-like eyes, these distinctive fish are prime subjects to take pictures of. In locations like the Red Sea, they are fairly commonly found. For the next time you find yourself face to face with these big-lipped beauties, here are some hints and tips for taking better pics.

THE CHALLENGE Napoleons are curious creatures and it is not uncommon for adults to approach divers to investigate. They will even sometimes follow us along the reef. So, getting close to your subject is – for once – not the main difficulty.

This means your main challenges as a photographer are to get good lighting and composition. These are the main areas you should have in mind when an encounter comes along.

If I know there is a good chance to encounter a Napoleon wrasse, I will generally choose a wide-angle lens or even a fish-eye. Curiosity gets them closer to me, making it relatively easy to fill the frame for max impact!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS Mature individuals are probably the best subjects. They are bold in nature and the markings are more pronounced. The swirling patterns on their faces, inquisitive eyes and big mouths are so interesting that is worth spending time working on your composition to get the most out of them. You can even try some abstract shots based on their cheek skin.

I know a couple of dive sites where these wrasses will swim under the boat and check out all the divers. As long as you do not chase them, they will stay in the area and even move from diver to diver to have a look. Sha’ab Claudia in the Southern Red Sea is one of these sites. I always try to visit it during my Southern Red Sea photo workshops. In these cases, I normally get the best results at the beginning or at the end of the dive, when you may have a great opportunity to spend

This is my best shot of a napoleon yawning. This kind of behavioural pics required not only technique but an incredible amount of luck

a long safety stop photographing these gorgeous fish. When there are many divers in the water, these fish tend to be swim away and look from a safe distance. If this is the case, I tend to wait for the group to get on with their planned dive, or to get back on the boat if it is at the end of the dive - at this point, the Napoleons tend to relax and come back under the boat.

It pays to be very patient. When you spot the wrasse, do not swim towards it, let the inquisitive nature work and wait for the Napoleon to come and check you out.

And remember never, ever feed the marine life to ‘encourage’ them to come closer. Long time ago, dive guides used to feed them boiled eggs. This caused loads of health problems to the Napoleons.

This napoleon comes incredibly close to me during a safety stop at the end of a great dive at Shark and Jolanda reef in the Northern Red Sea

Face on picture of a curious napoleon coming to investigate its reflection in my housings dome port COMPOSITION Now think about composition. Use the fish curiosity to get as close as possible. Try to capture the inquisitive eyes. If possible, take the photo when the fish is swimming to you. A face on shot or a 3/4 is always much more interesting than a side-on picture.

When the fish approach, try to position yourself so the reef is behind you. This will allow you to shoot with the blue water behind the fish to help you to isolate your subject and avoid busy and messy backgrounds.

If the Napoleon is hanging around and you have a wide angle or fisheye lens, you can try to get under the Napoleon and shoot upwards covering the sun with the fish to get some lovely sunbeams effect. Remember to expose for the background to avoid overexposing the background

USING AMBIENT LIGHT If you do not have strobes, try to shoot when the sun is high. Stay as shallow as possible to ensure the best possible light and colours, try to keep the sun behind to get most of the light on your subject and try to use a slight downwards angle. I know most of the time I recommend shooting upwards but, in these situations, the bright sun will more likely overexpose the background.

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This shot has a good, clean background, but the side on shot is not very attractive or appealing. Is more an ID picture

I used the big head of the napoleon wrasse to cover the sun and doing so avoided overexposing the background USING STROBES When it comes to shooting Napoleons with strobes, the trick is to avoid backscatter and get enough light on the subject. Keep the strobes far back or at least align them with the handles of your housing - even further back. This will minimize the number of particles being lit and therefore reduce the risk of backscatter. I tend to use a 10-2 position (referencing a clock dial) and if I want to light only my subject, I will use cross lighting. Position your flash guns far apart and back, almost aligned with your head otherwise you will get hot spots and potentially a lot of backscatter, then point them directly to the subject in the centre of the frame.

LOOK OUT FOR! Occasionally bumphead wrasse will extend their jaws as if they were yawning. This is a fantastic behavioural shot I haven’t been able to capture properly – I’m still waiting for that magic moment when fish, kit and time all work perfectly. But if you are patient and are prepared to stick with wrasse, you may have better luck than me.

Napoleons are fantastic subjects and not a difficult one to work with, just remember not to rush and think about all the elements before you press the trigger. n