January 23, 2005
Being ambush predators, lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) are relatively
tolerant of curious photographers. However, a fish that just sits on the bottom
often makes for a pretty boring picture. Thankfully, lingcod behavior is rather
predictable. With a little luck, one may be able to steer a ling into a desired
posture. This is one of my more successful examples of this. The biggest
challenge with such shots is getting the focus point correct. I have drawers
full of blurry lingcod pictures that I'm not going to show you. Another
difficulty when taking this kind of shot is that you usually only get one
chance. After that, the subject is sufficiently annoyed that you're going to
have a hard time getting close enough.
"East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
January 23, 2005
Bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis), whose odd name derives from an Italian
description of their strange looking mouth, have suffered greatly from
overfishing. It is somewhat unusual for divers to see them, and quite unusual to
see two together like this.
"East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
January 23, 2005
