Tiger Flathead

Blogged by Simon on March 05, 2010 4:26pm | Last updated by Irene on March 05, 2010 5:35pm | Category: Underwater Photography | Get a Print Get a Print |

Tiger Flathead (Neoplatycephalus Richardsoni)Just when I thought I had seen the bulk of local marine life, everything changes again. Last night was a very productive dive with great photo opportunities, despite the (at best) mediocre conditions. Also, if I finally learned something about underwater photography, then it is that visibility does not matter.

Tony, Caz and me dived what could be described as a mixture of potato and pea soup in Sydney Harbour. While it initially put me off taking photos, I discovered that if I just stay close enough, move the flash upwards to avoid backscatter, and properly white balance, visibility doesn’t matter, even under somewhat extreme conditions. Have a look at the Tiger Flathead (Neoplatycephalus richardsoni) and decide for yourself.

I have never seen this species before, but the bright red spots are a good key to identification. There are several brown, blotchy flatheads listed in Australian Marine Life, Graham Edgar, but only one with this feature.

Camera settings: Nikon D300, 60mm macro lens, f/20 for 1/500s. I post processed this for white balance, contrast and saturation. The vignette filter was applied in Color Efex Pro for Aperture to darken the corners, and I modelled a tiny amount of shadow with dodge&burn.

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