multiple large, friendly groupers,
including characterful Nassau, mean-
looking black groupers and ginormous
Goliath groupers.
For me, grouper are all about faces,
the personality that comes through from
their large eyes and botoxed lips. And
the friendlier the fish, the better we will
be able to capture this character.
Thankfully the Jardines has plentiful
inquisitive groupers, but to get the best
encounters we still need to be as quiet
as possible in the water.
The best technique is close-focus wide
angle, and we should set up our strobes
tight to the housing before we move in,
to avoid unnecessary flapping around
that will spook even friendly souls.
Then we just have to wait for thatdivErNEt.commoment of peak eye contact or, if we’re
really lucky, a yawn.T
HE FORGOTTEN STARSof Cuba’s
reefs are the macro subjects.
Although many photographers think of
this place as a wide-angle destination,
these rich reefs are great for macro too.
Furthermore, since most macro
photography is done in South-east Asia,
Caribbean reefs offer plenty of rarely
photographed subjects. My favourites
are some of the common reef fish,
especially the spectacularly coloured
purple and yellow fairy basslet and its
rare cousin, the almost entirely yellow
golden basslet.
These Jardines reefs are also a great
location for two of the most photogenic
Caribbean blennies – the hydrodynamic
arrow and the cheeky spinyhead. The
latter in Cuba often lives in old barnacle
shells covered in richly coloured
sponges, creating a stunning shot.S
HARKS ALSO THRIVEon these
reefs and are permanently popular
photographic subjects. On the shallow
reefs, butch Caribbean reef sharks
dominate, while silky sharks, big and
small, can be encountered at the surface
above the deeper sites.
I’ve shot Caribbean reef sharks in
many places, not least the Bahamas, so
in Cuba I’d recommend focusing less onAbove: A dappled sunburst
lifts a silky portrait.Taken with a Nikon D5 &
Nikon 28-70mm with
Nauticam WACP. Subal
housing. 2 x Seacam strobes.
1/100th @ f/11, ISO 400.PHOTO TECHNIQUE
divEr 36
ADVANCED TIP
I’ve seen many photographers
produce splits-shots of the silkies
here, particularly at sunset,
although I have not had the chance
myself. The trick to these shots is
to fix your focus under water and
use a small aperture to maximise
depth of field to get everything in
focus.
Next, expose for the sky with
your shutter speed and adjust your
flash power for the sharks.MID-WATER TIP
Friendly grouper are fabulous
subjects for close-focus wide angle,
but don’t make the mistake of
focusing only on your foreground.
As with all wide-angle shots, you still
need a background to create a
pleasing image.
Frame the subject against some
attractive reef, or wait for other
grouper, sharks or divers to swim
into frame to give you a secondary
subject.portraits of this species and instead
using them within beautiful reef
scenic shots.
I start by watching for their typical
route, and then plan a shot around a
pretty section of the reef in their path.
First, I’ll perfect my composition and
set up my lighting, then I’ll try and hide
as much out of sight as I can and wait for
a close pass, springing up at the last
moment to grab the shot.
Silkies are pelagic, and backgrounds
are harder to come by. The main options
are the boat, other divers, other sharks,
surface or attractive sun rays, although
this last one is possible only when the
sun is out and it isn’t windy. The silkies
are inquisitive, and if you’re patient
you’ll get those winning images.