Clownfish, Okinawa Japan

Subject
Clownfish

Location

Okinawa, Japan

Equipment

Canon camera with dual in on strobes 

Dive

4 meters (13 feet at depth) during a day dive

Clownfish have a tendency to live in pairs.  The largest of the pair is the female and smaller partner being the male.  If for some reason the female would die, the partner male will turn into a female.  In this photo the lovely couple are pairing up for the camera.  You can clearly see the larger Tomato Clownfish has darker sides with the male by her side.  Once paired they tend to live out their lives together, once they mate.  You usually never see no more than two.  If you do, you can be assured the smaller ones are all non-mating males.  I was able to get a photo of these two because the ocean was very calm and this large anemone, they live in, was near the surface. The light from the surface on a sunny day, helps.  You just need the sun to be behind or above you.  I have tried to get photos of these specific clownfish before but I felt like I was in a washing machine because the current was tossing me around.  Some clownfish are fearless and will come right at your camera.  Others do not want anything to do with you.  Some you will wait for minutes to come out and nothing.  Nevertheless, you have to try.  I always tried to approach these guys very carefully.  If you sneak up on them too fast or get too close, they will never come out.  You figure it out from trial and error.  Getting two clownfish to cooperate in one photo takes patience and some luck.  The sun was behind me, there was almost no backscatter in the water, and I was fortunate to get these two to pose for a family portrait.   

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