Cryptic fish, Comets and Stars by Shawn Miller

The Comet (Calloplesiops altivelis) is a type of marine betta found in the beautiful waters of Okinawa. They hide in caves during the day. At night they come out to feed on small crustaceans. They are a mysterious fish and can be challenging to photograph. Comets are uncommon, yet very little is know about the behavior of these cryptic animals.

  • Scientific name:  Calloplesiops altivelis
  • Common Name: Comet (Marine betta)
  • Distribution:  Ryukyu Islands
  • Habitat: submarine caves
  • Diet:  crustaceans and fish
  • Average Size:  20cm 
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Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

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Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Look close, can see the resemblance between the comet and the spotted moray eel?

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Gymnothorax meleagris © Shawn Miller

When threatened the comet will stick its head into a hole and expose its tail end, which mimics the head of the a dangerous moray eel.  The caudal fin also has detailed white lines that resemble the razor sharp teeth. 

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Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Having trouble getting close to marine life during your night dives? I recommend using the Light & Motion Sola 1200 red light feature. This feature enables the user to photograph marine life during the night without disturbing them. Most marine animals do not see the color red or react less to the red light.

Underwater setup with sola 600

Underwater setup with sola 600

 

 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 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.

 

The Art of Wide-Angle Macro Photography by Shawn Miller

Wide-angle macro photography is popular with wildlife photographers. The technique allows the photographer to document the animal in its natural habitat and show the full scene it lives in. The photographs have great impact and deliver a bug eye perspective using a wide angle lens. I generally use off-camera flash with a custom soft box to make these photographs. Lately, I have been testing a variety of on-camera flashes to achieve a different perspective. One of the biggest challenges is lighting the subject evenly with soft diffused lighting.

The most popular lenses used for wide angle macro photography ( WAM )  

  • Tokina fisheye 10-17mm f3.5-4.5
  • Nikon fisheye 10.5mm f2.8
  • Sigma fisheye 15mm f2.8 E
  • Venus Laowa 15mm f4 –    (Manual focus only)

The Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye is my favorite lens in my bag and has been my go-to lens for the project “Crabs with Beach Trash Homes” 

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Tokina fisheye lens

Below are some of my favorite wide-angle macro images photographed in Okinawa-Japan.

Fighting pose - Preying mantis, IPhone 6s

Fighting pose – Preying mantis, IPhone 6s © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs of Okinawa

Hermit crabs of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Geograpsus grayi with eggs

Geograpsus grayi with eggs © Shawn Miller

Ishikawa's Frog

Ishikawa’s Frog – The most beautiful frog in Japan © Shawn Miller

Horn-eyed ghost crab at sunset

Horn-eyed ghost crab at sunset -Nikon 10.5mm © Shawn Miller

Searching for the Ishikawas frog

Herping in the yanbaru forest © Shawn Miller

Crabs with trash homes - Sesoko

Crabs with trash homes – Sesoko © Shawn Miller

Golden habu - WAM

Golden habu on a fence © Shawn Miller

Ghost crab - Nagahama beach

Ghost crab – Nagahama beach © Shawn Miller

Pryer's keelback feeding on a white jawed frog

Pryer’s keelback feeding on a white jawed frog © Shawn Miller

Baby loggerhead leaving the nest

Baby loggerhead leaving the nest © Shawn Miller

coconut rhinoceros beetle

Invasive insects – Coconut rhinoceros beetle © Shawn Miller

Blue rock-thrush with wings spread

Blue rock-thrush with wings spread © Shawn Miller

Princess habu -Yanbaru

Princess habu -Yanbaru © Shawn Miller

Kuroiwa's ground gecko crossing the road

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko crossing the road © Shawn Miller

Okinawan green tree frog

Okinawan green tree frog © Shawn Miller

Giant stag Beetle (Dorcus titanus)

Giant stag Beetle (Dorcus titanus) -Ie Island © Shawn Miller

Okinawa tip-nosed frog ( Rana narina )

Okinawa tip-nosed frog ( Rana narina ) © Shawn Miller

Hermit crab at sunset

Hermit crab at sunset © Shawn Miller

Land crab crossing the road  at night

Land crab crossing the road at night © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs with beach trash homes

Hermit crabs with beach trash homes © Shawn Miller

on the move- Black-breasted leaf turtle

On the move- Black-breasted leaf turtle © Shawn Miller

Asian long horned beetle

Asian long-horned beetle © Shawn Miller

Crabs with trash homes-Yomitan

Crabs with trash homes-Yomitan © Shawn Miller

Road dweller- Namie's frog- Stella 2000

Road dweller- Namie’s frog- Stella 2000 © Shawn Miller

Praying mantis

Praying mantis @Hedo Point

zanpa lighthouse and hermit crabs

zanpa lighthouse and hermit crabs

If you would like to learn more about this technique I recommend                                          Wide-Angle Macro: The Essential Guide by Clay Bolt and Paul Harcourt Davies   https://www.e-junkie.com/shop/product/482943.php