David Da Costa Wildlife Photography

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Underwater 16 images Created 30 Dec 2010

Underwater imaging is an especially challenging area of photography since it requires very specialized equipment and techniques to be successful. Despite these challenges, it offers the possibility of many exciting and rare photographic opportunities.

The primary obstacle faced is the extreme loss of color and contrast when submerged to any significant depth. The longer wavelengths of sunlight (such as red or orange) are absorbed quickly by the surrounding water, so even to the naked eye everything appears blue-green in color. The loss of color not only increases vertically through the water column, but also horizontally, so subjects further away from the camera will also appear colorless and indistinct.

This problem is solved by combining two techniques. The first is to get the camera as close to the photographic subject as possible, minimizing the horizontal loss of color. The second technique is the use of flash to restore any color lost vertically through the water column. Fill-flash, used effectively, will "paint" in any missing colors by providing full-spectrum visible light to the overall exposure.
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  • The mimic octopus has the abilioty to mimic other creatures. For example, when attacked by damselfish, it appears as a banded sea snake, a damselfish predator. The octopus impersonates the snake by turning black and yellow, burying six of its arms, and waving its other two arms in opposite directions.
    Mimic-Octopus.jpg
  • The coconut octopus is only one of two octopi that exhibit bipedal behavious and use tools for defence.
    DSC_0290-Edit.jpg
  • Closeup picture of Groupers face
    Tiger Grouper1.jpg
  • Longlure Frogfish on soft corals.<br />
<br />
A bottom dweller, it mimics surrounding sponges by varying its background hue to match that of the dominant sponge in the area.  The frogfish uses its stalked pectoral fins and its pelvic fins to slowly "walk" across the bottom.
    Longlure Frogfish1.jpg
  • Large barrel sponge in the Caribbean
    Barrel-Sponge.jpg
  • Leaf Fish
    Leaf-Fish.jpg
  • Hermit Crab closeup
    Hermit-Crab.jpg
  • Old encrusted barrel sponge in the Caribbean
    Old-Barrel-Sponge.jpg
  • Blenny in a brain coral
    Blenny-2.jpg
  • Juvenille Pufferfish in North Sulawesi Indonesia
    Pufferfish.jpg
  • Orange Frogfish on sponge
    Orange-Frogfish.jpg
  • Sailfin Blenny in hole
    Blenny.jpg
  • Closeup of Southern Sting Ray buried in sand.
    Stingray closeup 1.jpg
  • Smallmouth Grunt in the Caribbean
    Smallmouth Grunt1.jpg
  • Scorpian Fish Face
    Scorpian-Fish.jpg
  • Closeup face shot of a Squirrelfish.<br />
<br />
Being largely or entirely nocturnal, the Squirrelfish have relatively large eyes. During the day they typically remain hidden in crevices, caves, or under ledges.
    Squirrelfish1.jpg