Stunning Sea Turtle Photography Guide

Alex Mustard focuses his consideration on that diver favorite – the ocean turtle – specifically the hawksbill and the inexperienced species, that are mostly encountered. Photographs courtesy of Alex Mustard

Sea turtle pictures information: A grand complete of 5,312 logged dives in the past, I used to be fortunate sufficient to be in South Male Atoll in Maldives. I hadn’t but executed my GCSEs, however my thoughts was way more targeted on one other examination – my first diving certification.

Although a good few years have handed, I can bear in mind so many particulars of these first few dives. Our early underwater experiences are so intense, overloading our senses with new sensations, that they go away us all with indelible reminiscences, whether or not you noticed whalesharks or the Canadian pond weed in Stoney Cove.

My spotlight was spending my security cease watching a hawksbill turtle, gently swimming up the drop-off. I bear in mind being so excited after the dive, fully in awe that I’d been so near an incredible marine reptile.

If, like me, you dive commonly within the tropics, you will have seen so many turtles that you just’ve began to take them with no consideration.

I hope that this month’s column will redress the steadiness and allow you to seize successful pictures to have fun these exceptional creatures, which have been within the oceans since earlier than the occasions of T. rex.

Hawksbill and Green Turtles – Key Differences for Photography

When it involves turtles, our lenses are mostly targeted on two species: the hawksbill and the inexperienced.

Hawksbills are the particular reef turtle, feeding on sponges and gentle corals. Although they’re classed as critically endangered, a stage extra extreme than tigers, we’re lucky to have the ability to encounter them commonly, on reefs from the Caribbean and proper throughout the Indo Pacific.

Green turtles are additionally discovered on reefs, however not all over the place. They feed on seagrass and use reefs as locations to sleep and, in sure areas, to breed.

There are many well-known locations for seeing numerous greens collectively: Sipadan Island in Malaysia, Tulum in Mexico, Marsa Alam in Egypt, Bunaken in Sulawesi, and Tenerife within the Canaries, to call only a few.

Green turtles additionally collect in nice numbers at nesting rookeries, maybe most spectacularly at Raine Island within the northern Great Barrier Reef, the place over 50,000 fill the shallows in mating season.

Photographically, inexperienced and hawksbills provide distinct photographic alternatives, so it’s useful in your pictures to have the ability to inform them aside. Lots of individuals give attention to particulars to distinguish them.

But for me, utilizing scale patterns to inform them aside is like saying you’ll be able to inform your mother and father aside as a result of one has a much bigger nostril! Greens and hawksbills have variations proper throughout their our bodies, and it’s a lot better to be taught recognise them due to how they give the impression of being, slightly than specializing in the small print.

Respectful Approaches to Close Turtle Photography

Before we dive into the completely different picture ops, there’s a useful rule to recollect for each: whenever you see a turtle, flip your strobes down! The motive for that is that we don’t often bounce within the water anticipating to shoot turtles. We are usually capturing wide-angle scenics once we spot a shelled buddy.

This is the rationale that again and again I see photographs of turtles fully overexposed across the face. The lightcoloured faces, chests and flippers of turtles are much more reflective than the reef. And if we don’t change our settings, we’ll over-expose them.

So, whenever you spot a turtle, merely keep in mind that to cut back your strobes by a few clicks.

Turtles are often fairly simple to strategy, so long as we’re respectful. Race in and we’ll spook them, however shut the hole slowly, utilizing a zigzagging course, so we’re not swimming immediately in the direction of them, and we’ll often get in very shut.

I’ve additionally discovered that if we are able to minimise eye contact, we will probably be more likely to achieve success.

Once we’re shut, they often keep relaxed. They don’t thoughts us shut, however they don’t like us closing them down, if that is smart! Also relaxed turtles give higher photos.

Capturing Feeding and Behavioral Shots

I a lot want turtle pictures the place each entrance flippers are in a symmetrical place, exhibiting it’s not attempting to spin round and keep away from the photographer. Hawksbills feed on the reef and that is at all times a precedence shot after I see one.

A turtle is just going to eat when it’s relaxed, so these pictures are a reward for that respectful strategy. They eat quite a lot of encrusting invertebrate species, which makes for attention-grabbing photos.

In the Caribbean they primarily chomp on sponges, whereas within the Indo-Pacific they feast extra on gentle corals, corallimorphs and coral polyps.

Good feeding pictures don’t come immediately, so endurance is essential for following a turtle, as highlighted on this sea turtle pictures information. Stick with a feeding turtle and look forward to it to feed on vibrant meals for extra engaging photos. Try to time the pictures for when the mouth is open for probably the most drama.

Both hawksbills and greens eat jellyfish and on occasion this makes them very all in favour of our domeports! This offers some glorious picture alternatives with the turtle within the blue, trying straight within the lens and typically even with the mouth agape.

I’ll tip my digital camera upwards, so the dome catches the sunshine and due to this fact the attention of the turtle.

Green turtles predominantly eat seagrass and seaweeds, which is an attention-grabbing, if messy, behaviour to seize, however not as photogenic as hawksbill feeding pictures.

Also, if we encounter a inexperienced on a reef, there is no such thing as a level following it hoping it is going to begin munching on crimson gentle corals. Fortunately, greens provide different alternatives. They have very characterful faces and portraits are simple to take when they’re resting on the reef.

Classic Top-Down and Portrait Turtle Photography

The coral reef can also be a superb place for greens to get a clear, with algae-eating fish, like surgeonfish and blennies, choosing at their shells. The finest location for these pictures is Hawaii, the place sensible yellow tangs act as cleaners.

But, arguably, the basic picture of a inexperienced turtle is one which breaks most of the guidelines of portraiture, as a result of it’s shot from behind, trying down. The most-famous model of this picture was a winner within the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest and brought by Malcolm Hey within the Nineties.

At the time it was up in nearly each tube station in London!

To bag this basic, keep in mind that not all inexperienced turtles have engaging shells and if you’re in a spot the place there are a number of greens, make investments time in search of the very best shells. Usually, it’s the youthful turtles which have the cleanest shells with probably the most lovely patterns.

The top-down shot is finest taken with a non-fisheye broad angle as a result of the distortion of the widest lenses are inclined to make the carapace dominate the body with quick flippers protruding the perimeters. A tighter lens creates a more-attractive composition.

Finally, bear in mind to border your turtle towards clear blue water for iconic photos, a core tip in each sea turtle pictures information.

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This article was initially revealed in Scuba Diver UK #82

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