A tiny yellow goby, Lubricogobius exiguus, living inside an abandoned can on the seafloor; Suruga Bay, Japan
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Image Gallery: The Perfect Underwater Photo
For nearly 35 years, National Geographic photojournalist Brian Skerry has been immersing himself in the big blue to get the perfect underwater photograph. He admits that there will never will be a "perfect" photo, but there are tricks to make a photo appealing. He sees himself as an artistic interpreter, swimming in waters all over the world to shoot ocean images that capture animal behavior, stunning seascapes, and the graceful gestures and fluidity of his subjects.
In his second blog post for the Smithsonian Ocean Portal, "The Perfect Underwater Photo," Skerry shares some of his secrets of the trade.
Yellow Goby
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.com
California Market Squid
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.comTwo California market squids (Loligo opalescens) mate in the waters off of California's Channel Islands. While spawning, the male's arms blush red as he embraces the female, a warning to other competing males to back-off. Find out how and why squids and other cephalopods change color.
Florida Manatee
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.comA Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, swims down a narrow channel into a freshwater spring late in the day.
Coral Hermit Crab
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.comA coral hermit crab, Paguritta harmsi, about the size of two grains of rice, living in coral in the waters of Japan's Ogasawara Islands.
Moray Waits for a Meal
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.comA yellow moray eel, Gymnothorax prasinus, inside of a sea sponge in the waters off of Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand. Photographer Brian Skerry takes an artistic eye to his underwater photography, such as the blurred yellow illuminating the otherwise well-hidden eel. In his book Ocean Soul, he wrote, “I believe my most important role remains as artistic interpreter of all that I see. I need to understand the science, but I want to capture the poetry.” Read more about taking the perfect underwater photo in Brian's blog post.
Butterflyfish and Wrasse
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.comA wrought iron butterflyfish, Chaetodon daedalma, being cleaned by a small wrasse in the waters of Japan's Ogasawara Islands.
Blue Cod Amongst Sea Pens
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.comA blue cod and sea pens, a unique type of cnidarian, speckle the seafloor in New Zealand's Fiordland region.You can see more beautiful underwater photos from Brian Skerry in his image gallery.
Yellowfin Surgeonfish
Credit: © Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.comA school of yellowfin surgeonfish, Acanthurus xanthopterus, feed near dusk off Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands, one of the world's largest marine protected areas.