Why I love macro photography: Surprises

Leather coral with tiny fish, Celebes SeaAbout a month ago I said I love macro photography (ultra close-ups) for the fine details that are revealed. The example I gave then was a photo of a tiny hermit crab with hairy legs and turquoise eyes. Neither of those features could be seen with the naked eye -- much less by a pair of eyes behind the faceplate of a dive mask! Those details only became visible when the photo was enlarged.

The photo at right is another example of the kinds of surprises that sometimes appear when macro photos are enlarged. I shot this image of a mushroom-shaped leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.) -- a type of soft coral with a sort of rubbery skin -- because it caught my eye as a perfect specimen, in miniature. Only when the photo was enlarged did we notice the face of the tiny little fish that was hiding under the edge of the leather coral. Click on the photo to enlarge it even more.

This coral specimen was maybe two inches (5 cm) high, so the little fish was too tiny to see clearly. (For the photographers out there, this is a 1:2 image.) We have no idea what species the little fish with the great big eye is, but we surmise it's a juvenile of a reef species. We love the way he's hiding, but peeking out curiously, too. The image was shot during a night dive in the Celebes Sea.

13 comments:

  1. Only two inches high - and that little pink fish eye - WOW!

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  2. Another amazing shot! The fish below really just put's it over the top.
    He does look somewhat terrified though ...

    Zarquon

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  3. Hi Kathy & Zarquon - Thanks for visiting The Right Blue again.

    @ Kathy - When I was preparing to post this photo I was thinking that it reminded me a it of your macro photo of the mushroom with the insect surprise.

    Bobbie

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  4. Bobbie - two totally different environments with their mushrooms but it shows they are really so much alike - right down to their surprises! I love how you bring the beauty of the underwater life to us.

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  5. Maybe its just me, but I want to fry that thingy and eat it ;)

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  6. Yes Kathy, I guess the tiniest critters take shelter wherever they can find it, on land and under the sea.

    Thomas - Are you referring to the little fish or the mushroom thingie? (Or both?) I don't think there's much meat on that fish, and I don't think that the leather coral would be too tasty. Probably salty, eh? :-D

    Bobbie

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  7. What a great find! You have some beautiful photos in your blog. Thanks for coming by mine!

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  8. Thanks, Mandaroo. I enjoyed yours blog, too.

    Bobbie

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  9. Neat image Bobbie, I love the beauty of the ocean, nice work.

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  10. Thanks very much, Bernie.

    Bobbie

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  11. amazing capture of the mushroom and having the tiny fish was a wonderful surprise!

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  12. Hi JAZEVOX - Thanks for stopping by. Yes, it was a wonderful surprise.

    Bobbie

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  13. Turtle skull pics are amazing - startling and a little caricature-ish, but what a find...

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We welcome your comments and invite your questions. Dialogue is a good thing!

Bobbie & Jerry