Psychedelic Spiders of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Admin11

I have been photographing fluorescence for over five years now. Mainly underwater but lately I have been testing the technique on land. I often find insects, spiders, and plants that fluoresce using a specialized Light&Motion Sola Nightsea light. Some of the micro-spiders fluoresce brightly under blue light, the challenge is to get an acceptable photograph.

Below are some comparison photographs of spiders. The first photograph was taken under blue light and the second under white light using on-camera flash. All the spiders were photographed in their natural habitat on the beautiful Island of Okinawa.

Jumping spider -Fluorescence © Shawn Miller

Jumping spider – flash © Shawn Miller

Yanbaru jumping spider

Spider and fluorescence© Shawn Miller

Spider under white light © Shawn Miller

Onomustus kanoi © Shawn Miller

Onomustus kanoi & shadow © Shawn Miller

The custom Light & Motion fluorescence setup for these land-based subjects.

Fluorescence photography setup © Shawn Miller

The giant wood spiders (Nephila maculata) of Okinawa fluoresce under UV light.

giant wood spiders (Nephila maculata)

Giant wood spiders (Nephila maculata)

I used my nauticam underwater setup with NIGHTSEA’s fluorescence excitation filters to photograph the wood spiders.

Nauticam Fluorescence setup

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Light&Motion exploration lights – https://www.lightandmotion.com/the-perfect-light

Thousands of Blue button jellyfish washed ashore Okinawa

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Admin11

Thousands of Blue button jellyfish ( Porpita porpita ) washed ashore on a local beach today. These beautiful animals have stinging cells called nematocysts. They can cause skin irritation but generally are not a threat.

Blue button jellyfish

Washed ashore

Button Jellyfish -Gobe 700

Button Jellyfish – Gobe 700

I collected a few specimens to photograph in the studio. I was curious to see if this animal would fluoresce under blue light. I used my underwater setup as my lighting studio. I took a few photos using the Light & Motion Nightsea Blue light.

DTM -Studio setup

The round disc fluoresced bright orange under blue light.

fluorescence

Have a great day!

Capturing fluorescence – Fluorescence enhancement photography by Shawn Miller

Featured

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Admin11

All photographers experience a time when their work becomes redundant and lose vision. The Light & Motion Sola Nightsea has opened up a new style of photography for me. Recently I have been blending the Light&Motion Nightsea blue light with ambient light underwater and getting beautiful vibrant results.

Some of my Fluorescence enhancement coral images were featured in The Blue Planet 11 publication. It’s always nice to see years of hard work finally pay off.

Underwater fluorescence – Shawn Miller featured Blue planet 11

Here are some basic lighting examples using different techniques.

Fluorescence techniques © Shawn Miller

Here are some of my favorite images using this fluorescence enhancement technique. All Images I used Light&Motion Sola lights to achieve these beautiful vibrant results.

Fluorescence enhancement © Shawn Miller

Underwater fluorescence © Shawn Miller

Fluorescence photography © Shawn Miller

Nightsea and Sola 600 blended- fluorescence© Shawn Miller

My fluorescence camera rig for underwater

Shawn Miller fluorescence setup © Shawn Miller

Friends and supporters – Save 20% off your first Light & Motion purchase https://prz.io/648x6bGC1

Know your nature with Shawn Miller

Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle, Yanbaru forest

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Admin11

The Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda japonica) is an endangered species found in Northern Okinawa. This turtle is decreasing in numbers due to poaching, deforestation and roadkill. The turtle is highly valued in the pet trade market and needs to be protected. It has been designated as a National Natural Monument of Japan and is currently on the IUCN red species list as endangered.

Scientific name: Geoemyda japonica (Fan, 1931)
Distribution: Okinawajima
Habitat: Leaf littered wetland forests
Diet: Worms, snails, insects, crustaceans, and fruit
Average Size: 140mm- 160mm

The Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle in its natural habitat.

Black-breasted leaf turtle – up close

Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda japonica)

Black-breasted leaf turtle – up close

The endangered turtle was featured on the cover of science workbooks. These workbooks are used for the junior high public school system in Okinawa, Japan.

Science workbooks

This leaf turtle was not painted red or yellow. I photographed it using specialized blue lights and filters. The shell fluoresced bright yellow and the algae grow fluoresced bright red.

Leaf turtle fluorescence

Ryukyu Leaf turtle fluorescence

Take a close look, yes those are tortoise ticks. Photographed August 9th, 2014. I have been finding more turtles infested with ticks.

Yanbaru forest Ticks on the Black-breasted leaf turtle

Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle infested with ticks

Tortoise ticks of Yanbaru

I usually find the Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle crossing the road at night or early in the morning.

Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda japonica)

Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda japonica)

All the roads in northern Okinawa have specialized wildlife steps for the animals that get trapped in the drainage ditch. These steps allow the turtles and other animals to crawl out safely using the steps.

Wildlife steps

Watch your speed and pay close attention to crossing wildlife.

Wildlife crossing warning signs

watch out for crossing turtles -Kunigami village

The truth is I have seen more of these turtles dead than alive. Watch your speed!

Black-breasted leaf turtle – up close

Roadkill

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Light & Motion – The ultimate flashlight for wildlife photographers.

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Admin11

I have been using the Light & Motion Sola underwater lights for over two years now. I take them on all my adventures to include scuba diving, river trekking, caving and nature photography trips. These lights provide constant beautiful lighting and are extremely reliable, which is why they are the perfect light for me.

I recently purchased the Light & Motion Sola compact tray with the extension kit and one GoBe 700 wide light. I have been using this setup with the Canon 70D to document the wildlife in Okinawa. The flexible Loc-line arms are an awesome advantage. They are easy to move while having full control over the constant lighting.

Light & Motion field setup Photograph courtesy of Ross Gallardy

A photograph of a Ryukyu kajika frog in northern Okinawa using the Light & Motion field setup

Ryukyu Kajika frog ( Buergeria japonica )

The Light & Motion Sola 600 has a built in feature most people do not take advantage of. The light has a red light function which allows the user to get close to land and marine subjects without disturbing them. This red light is very effective and I highly recommend using it.

My underwater rig with the Light & Motion Sola 600 – Ikelite housing and strobes

The Light & Motion Nightsea Sola light can also be used on land. I am always searching for animals that fluoresce in the Yanbaru forest in northern Okinawa. You never know what you will find!

Light & Motion Sola Nightsea Blue light - Riukiaria falcifera

Light & Motion Sola Nightsea Blue light Millipede – Riukiaria falcifera

If you would like to know more about the Light & Motion Sola series visit. https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/sola

Have a great day!

Fluoro-diving in Okinawa, Japan -Underwater Fluorescence by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Admin11

The Light & Motion Sola NightSea blue light will enhance your night diving experience like nothing before. It Is an underwater blue light that allows you to see fluorescence. The NightSea blue LEDs cause proteins and minerals to fluoresce brightly underwater. If you want to photograph fluorescence you will need a yellow barrier filter over your camera lens. The barrier filter will block the reflected excitation of light and transmit the fluorescence to deliver a psychedelic experience.

Underwater fluorescence by Shawn Miller

Below is a photograph of my underwater rig. This is the setup I use to capture the underwater fluorescence in Okinawa. I am currently using one Light & Motion Sola Nightsea and one GoBe nightsea blue light.

Below is a photograph of the Light & Motion Sola NightSea Underwater blue light photographed in the studio. I wanted to capture the blue light rays coming out of the light. No previous photos displayed this and I had to do it.

Some cases the fluorescence is so strong it can be photographed during the day without any specialized lights or filters. This red heart coral was photographed at a depth of Seventy-five feet.

In 2017, Some of my fluorescence enhancement photographs were published in Blue Planet 11.

Underwater fluorescence – Shawn Miller featured Blue planet 11

Most of the marine life will fluoresce a beautiful green. I photographed this sea anemone in a submarine cave at Maeda Point, Okinawa. (Nightdive)

Sea anemone (Dofleinia armata) Okinawa- Japan

Corals that fluoresce orange are much harder to find here in Okinawa. (Nightdive)

Corals that fluoresce red are scarce in Okinawan waters. (Nightdive)

Bio fluorescense - Coral of Okinawa, Japan

I decided to experiment using the nightsea and custom filters over my strobes to give it an original look. I call this technique fluoro blending.(Nightdive)

Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus)

More fluoro blending using the nightsea and custom filters. (Nightdive)

Large mouth triplefin (Ucla xenogrammus) on coral

I had this eel in my aquarium for a long time and had no idea it fluoresced until I exposed it to the Sola NightSea light.

The NightSea also provides a beautiful background color to complement the marine subject. This technique is becoming very popular in Japan.(Nightdive)

Glowing hydroids were recently discovered in 2015 by marine researchers in the Red Sea. I photographed these fluorescing hydroids in Okinawa-Japan.

Vexillum exasperatum with glowing hydroids

If you would like to know more about the Light & Motion Sola series visit. https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/sola

All underwater images were photographed using an Ikelite underwater housing. Check out my previous post on why I use an Ikelite Underwater housing.

Have a Psychedelic day!

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: light & Motion sola nightsea

Psychedelic Spiders of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Thousands of Blue button jellyfish washed ashore Okinawa

Capturing fluorescence – Fluorescence enhancement photography by Shawn Miller

Featured

Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle, Yanbaru forest

Light & Motion – The ultimate flashlight for wildlife photographers.

Fluoro-diving in Okinawa, Japan -Underwater Fluorescence by Shawn Miller