BatCavePhotography

Hawksbill

An adult Hawksbill turtle delights divers as it swims along the coral and fans off the coast of Nassau, Bahamas.

An adult Hawksbill turtle delights divers as it swims along the coral and fans off the coast of Nassau, Bahamas.
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Canon PowerShot G16

settings

Aperture 56/10 ISO 500 Shutter 1/60 Focal Length 6827/1000

upload_date

Sep, 2016

Views

691

Likes

+82

Awards

People's Choice in Coral reefs Photo Challenge

Peer Award

+18

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Superb Composition

Genius

Superior Skill

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

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Top 20 rank

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Top 30 rank week 2

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Behind The Lens

Location

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 meters down, a short boat ride from Nassau, Bahamas, this curious Hawksbill sea turtle came cruising past our dive group as we explored the beauty of the local coral reef.

Time

An early morning of packing up dive gear, catching the shuttle down to the docks, and boarding the dive boat all lead to being in the right place at the right time for this spectacular encounter with this critically endangered animal. Morning dives are always a great time to catch the flurry of activity that comes from the nocturnal wildlife bedding down, the daytime wildlife starting the days hunting, and the overlap of the two that almost always makes for exciting encounters.

Lighting

The barest bit of external strobe was used for just a hint of fill for this image that is predominantly natural light.

Equipment

I shot this image with my standard rig for vacation diving; a Canon G16, a FantaSea underwater housing, and a single off camera strobe triggered by fiber optic line.

Inspiration

I love exploring the underwater world and sharing it with people who have never experienced it, so when I came across this gentle creature that so few ever get to see, I knew it was something I had to capture. I am always in awe of the beauty and grace that sea turtles embody, and still get giddy as a school boy when I encounter them in the wild. If my photos can inspire even one person to aid in their conservation then it was all time well spent.

Editing

I try and keep my post processing to a minimum usually, and this photo was no exception. I did boost the contrast a bit and run a slight high pass filter over this image to make the details pop.

In my camera bag

For my underwater shooting I have a Canon G16 in a Fantasea housing, off camera strobes for shooting below 10 meters, and of course a GoPro strapped to my wrist just in case.

Feedback

Shooting underwater is all about buoyancy control, the better your buoyancy is the easier you'll find your photography to be. I try to stay a bit negatively buoyant when I'm shooting underwater, so when I've located a clear patch in the sand to position for a shot I can frame up, blow out all my air, and snap the picture.

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Hawksbill