MOTIONOGRAPHY – Creating motion in still photographs by Shawn Miller

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Admin11

As a photographer, there will be a time when you feel all your photographs look similar and you might lose interest for a while. Creating motion in still photographs will definitely give you a new challenge and purpose. The goal is to try to show some type of motion in a still photograph. The photographs emphasize the energy, power and or speed of the subject moving. Dramatic motion images will provide depth and variety to your portfolio.

Try panning or dragging the shutter

Move the camera in sync with the moving subject while the shutter stays open. Slow shutter speed will be necessary to achieve this.
Once you understand this technique try adding flash at the end of the exposure to freeze the motion of the subject.
Get creative and add a spin the camera

Motion + Photography = Motionography

Panning can be frustrating at times. Keep practicing and eventually, you will get a few selected photographs. Below are some of my favorite outdoor panning photographs.

Koi Art

Wings spread

Ryukyu Tigers

Birds in flight

Egret on the move

Swoosh

The landing! Black-faced spoonbill –

Golden light

Yanbaru forest

Splash -Maeda flats

If certain colors are distracting in your photographs try converting them to black & white. This can enhance the mood and sometimes make the photograph more dramatic.

Okinawa photographers

Ie Island Lilly festival

Surfs up

The strider

Most importantly have fun and get your friends and family involved in your projects!

Round and around

The Race @ Round1

Basketball

Araha beach race

Roller derby event

Beach excavation

Slow down

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

Searching for the Ryukyu Ghost Crab by Shawn Miller

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Admin11

Ghost crabs are one of the fastest terrestrial crabs on the planet. They live in burrows underneath the sand on the coastline. They are found scavenging for food early in the morning and late in the evening to avoid predators. These sand crabs can change colors to adapt to their environment. In Okinawa, we have two species of Ghost crabs, the Horn-eyed crab (Ocypode ceratophthalmus) and the Smooth-eyed ghost crab (Ocypode cordimanus).

Horn-eyed ghost crab at Maede flats

Ghost crabs have three ways to avoid predators.

Stay close to their burrow and retreat into it quickly.
Escape into the surf zone and burrow underneath the wet sand.
Stay still and slowly dig into the beach sand

Ghost crab burrow

Elusive ghost crab

These crabs have the ability to fold their eyes into grooves for protection.

Ghost crab - Fill flash and back-lighting Stella 200

Ghost crab & Stella 2000

This large ghost crab tried to intimidate me with its large claws and scary shadow.

The sand dwelling hunter

These crabs were photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours Biodiversity Project. The project is dedicated to connecting people worldwide with the wildlife in their communities. All images are used for conservation awareness and educational purposes.

MYN Biodiversity Project Japan.

Juvenile – Ocypode sp

The Juveniles can be extremely colorful depending on their surrounding environment. I have been finding more and more trash washed on the shoreline. Could the crabs possibly be adapting to the colors of the sounding marine debris washed ashore?

the Smooth-eyed ghost crab ( Ocypode cordimanus)

All ghost crabs are scavengers, mainly feeding on seaweed, fruit, seeds, other crabs, turtle hatchlings, and insects.

feeding on beetles

Feeding on a hermit crab

Feeding on a shrew

These crabs are beautiful creatures and hopefully, you will get the opportunity to see one in the wild.

Pink ghost crab

People often ask me what is the purpose of conservation photography? Having the ability to affect some form of positive change in the environment and make a global difference with the photographs. Hopefully, the images will inspire people to care more about nature and make a positive difference in the environment.

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

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

House Dwelling Huntsman Spiders of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Admin11

Have you ever been bitten by a spider?

In 2014, I was bitten by a large huntsman spider (Heteropoda ventoria) in my apartment. It was completely my fault, I failed to check my clogs before putting them on. All spiders are venomous and I was fortunate not to have an allergic reaction to the bite.

Natural habitat

The Huntsman spider is the most common spider on Okinawa. It is often found in houses, workplaces, gardens, parks and sometimes inside vehicles. They are fast moving and are capable of jumping at fast speeds.

Spiders have tiny hairs called setules. These hairs allow the spider to cling to slippery surfaces and vehicles traveling at high speeds. You can’t shake this spider!

Spider on the windshield

I have heard stories of them being as big as a basketball, but these were all just exaggerations from people terrified of spiders. The largest specimens get about fist size.

Large huntsman spider

They feed on a variety of insects, frogs, and other spiders.

Heteropoda simplex

The female huntsman handles her egg sack with extreme care.

Huntsman spider

Stayed tuned! I’ll share the best way to safely catch and remove the huntsman spider from your living space.

Spider shadow

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

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.

The benefits of changing your colors by Shawn Miller

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Admin11

How cool would it be to have the ability to change colors in a matter of seconds? In the beautiful waters of Okinawa, we have a few fish that are capable of changing color quickly.

The Arrow Bulleye (Priacanthus sagittarius) is a stunning dark ruby red when its hiding from predators. It stays close to the coral reef and blends in well.

Red Bigeye ( Pricanthus sagittarius )

When the Arrow Bullseye is threatened, it flees into open water and changes to a lighter color.

Red Bigeye ( Pricanthus sagittarius )

It eventually changes to silver in a matter of three seconds

Red Bigeye ( Pricanthus sagittarius )

Another example of color change happens at the cleaning station. A cleaning station is a designated location where fish come to get their skin, fins, eyes, mouth, teeth, and gills cleaned by cleaner fish. This is an example of Mutilism. The cleaner fish gets fed fresh parasites and the client gets cleaned. All fish swim into the cleaning station and patiently wait to get cleaned.

The blue-lined surgeonfish and rabbitfish (video below) pull into the station and immediately turn dark in color. The purpose of this is so the cleaner fish can spot the parasites easier and speed up the process.

Fish cleaning station

They naturally change back to their lighter color when the exit the cleaning station.

Nice and clean

Check out this rare event in nature, that few will ever see in the wild.

Could the increase in tourism contribute to fish disease and parasites? Is it possible the cleaner fish can’t keep up?

Isopods and copepods are bloodsucking parasites commonly found at Maeda point. In the recent years, tourism has increased and some days thousands of snorkelers enter the water. Parasites occur naturally but with the increase in tourism, I believe they are becoming more abundant.

One possible reason is due to guided fish feeding tours. They often feed the marine life large amounts of fu (harvested wheat rolls) and other manmade items. In the past, it was popular to feed the fish processed sausage. I have been diving Maeda point since 1992. I have observed a decline in healthy coral colonies and other marine life. I have also seen more fish with skin disease and parasites in recent years. Below are some fish with parasites photographed at Maeda point.

Isopod- Renocilla bollandi

Rhabdamis sp

Filefish with tiny parasites

Twin spot lionfish and parasites

Pennantfish and parasite

Firefish with parasites

Butterflyfish and parasites

Parasite infestation

Damselfish with parasite

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

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

When The Red Tractor’s Arrive The Egrets Will Thrive

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Admin11

Reflections of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

On Okinawa, we have six species of Egrets (Great, Intermediate, Cattle, Little, Chinese, and Pacific Reef Egret). Egrets spend most of the day foraging on food in the grasslands. They are opportunistic hunters and have learned a new behavior. They follow a tractor as it plows the field and food rewards are given in large amounts. The tractor plow exposes insects, worms, snakes, eels, mice, and frogs. The payoff is great, a large amount of food in a short period of time.

Plowing the field © Shawn Miller

Farming on Okinawa © Shawn Miller

These specialized birds are beneficial for local farming fields. Egrets also feed on grasshoppers and caterpillars that can devastate farmers crops in a matter of days.

Egrets feeding © Shawn Miller

One of the egret’s favorite food is the Japanese marsh frog. The last wave goodbye.

Goodbye © Shawn Miller

All you can eat buffet © Shawn Miller

Frog legs © Shawn Miller

Egrets can also be found huntings in wetlands and the shorelines on Okinawa. Here they spend many hours patiently hunting with small rewards of food.

Wings spread © Shawn Miller

Striking a pose © Shawn Miller

I have observed these birds hunting for hours on many occasions and the majority of the time they miss their prey in the wetlands.

The miss © Shawn Miller

Nature and waste © Shawn Miller

The sad truth is our waste is a serious problem for all animals worldwide.

That’s not food © Shawn Miller

Let’s work together to make a difference.

Birds in motion © Shawn Miller

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

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

Dinah’s Goby – living in glass homes by Shawn Miller

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Admin11

Brightly colored gobies are popular subjects for underwater macro photographers in the beautiful waters of Okinawa. The Dinah’s goby (Lubricogobius dinah) adapts by using man-made objects as a protective shelter. Discarded glass bottles and cans are prime real-estate for a variety of Marine life in the Ocean.

Scientific name: (Lubricogobius dinah)
Common Name: Dinah’s goby
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Sandy bottom, living in shells and bottles
Depth: 20-50meters
Diet: Plankton
Average Size: 25mm

You will need a designated macro lens to photograph this beautiful Goby. Approach slowly and avoid any sudden movement.

Goby glass bottle © Shawn Miller

When threatened, the Goby will retreat into the glass bottle.

The Dinah’s goby © Shawn Miller

I was fortunate to have the goby pose for a photograph.

The Dinah’s goby © Shawn Miller

I used the Light&Motion Sola Nightsea to light up the mouth of the bottle to create this beautiful image.

The shy goby in a more natural home.

Know your nature with Shawn Miller. Have a great day!

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

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

Frogfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Admin11

Frogfish are found throughout the Ryukyu Islands in shallow water. They are popular subjects for underwater macro photographers in Okinawa. They are masters of camouflage and mimicry so they can be difficult to find. The juveniles resemble toxic nudibranchs, tunicates, seaweed, algae, soft corals, and sponges.

Scarlet frogfish (Antennarius coccineus)

Painted clownfish (Antennarius maculatus)

They are also known as anglerfish. They spend most of their time staying in one location using a specialized fishing pole and lure to attract prey. They are vicious hunters and are capable of swallowing fish larger than itself.

They move slowly, crawling over the reef with their pectoral fins or by using jet propulsion in open water.

On several occasions, I have seen large anglers the size of a football at Maeda point” Meet Frogzilla ”

Sometimes humans see random faces on natural objects. The scientific term for this is Pareidolia. Can you see the frogfish resemblance?

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.

The Blue Rock Thrush – Birds of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Admin11

The Blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius) is one of the most fascinating and abundant birds of The Ryukyu Islands. They are a common species found in urban areas. I have observed these birds eating food from peoples hands.

Scientific name: (Monticola solitarius)
Common Name: Blue Rock Thrush
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, Parks, and local neighbors
Diet: Butterflies, moths, spiders, caterpillars, and fruit
Average Size: 25cm

The female is all brown with a striped pattern. The male is dark blue with an orange breast and belly.

Breeding season occurs April through July. When the Hatchling emerge the parents are on high alert and become noisy and aggressive defending their young.

This young hatchling left the nest prematurely. It survived four full days roaming the neighborhood wisely on the ground.

Somewhere on its journey, it picked up some fishing line.

These birds are curious and intelligent birds. A wide-angle macro perspective of the male blue rock thrush with its wings spread.

Look close and you can see the nicitating membrane, its used to protect and moisten the eye.

We pulled up to a fight scene. A rock thrush and a praying mantis fighting in the middle of the road. The rock-thrush flew away and the praying mantis stood its ground. Photographed using my iPhone.

Fighting pose - Preying mantis, IPhone 6s

Know your Nature with Shawn Miller.

Crown of Thorns Starfish – Hazardous Starfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Admin11

The crown of thorns starfish (Ancanthaster planci) plays an important role in the underwater world. They generally feed on the fastest growing corals, allowing the slower growing coral to establish ground. They are the coral moderators, the gardeners of the sea and help increase the diversity of coral species on the reef.

Animals that feed on coral are known as corallivores.

In Okinawa, we have a variety of Corallivorous marine snails ( Drupella sp). These small snails have also caused serious damage to coral reefs.

The venomous sea star has sharply pointed spines that deliver a painful sting. The spines inject venom which causes extreme pain, discomfort and nausea. Most injuries occur because recreation Scuba divers cut up the starfish with a dive knife and the spine penetrates the hand. The starfish serves a purpose in the ecosystem so leave it alone. They are a native marine animal of the Ryukyu Islands.

In Okinawa, we have had massive COTS outbreaks in the past. These outbreaks have devastated some of the most beautiful shallow water coral reefs.

Possible Outbreak Causes

A natural cycle of nature
The decrease in natural predators that feed on COTS
Increase in food source caused by agricultural runoff, causing a blooming effect.

Coral crabs are one of the natural protectors of the coral reef. The coral provides shelter and food for the coral crabs. The crabs are on call to defend against the coral-eating starfish and other marine predators.

COTS have many natural predators. Over the last twenty-five years, I have observed marine snails, harlequin shrimp, sea anemones and fish feeding on healthy and injured COTS in the wild. I was not able to get photographs of all of this behavior taking place, many natural observations occurred before I purchased an underwater camera.

The trident trumpet (Charonia tritonis) is sought after by fisherman and shell collectors worldwide. The meat is a popular food source and the beautiful shell is valuable.

These large snails are capable of eating mature COTS. Overtaking has reduced populations of this of this predatory snail. More effort needs to be directed to the protection of this species. I have personally observed populations drastically decline over the years.

The Harlequin shrimp feed on juvenile COTS in the wild and captivity. Harlequin shrimp populations are decreasing as well due to the over-collecting for the pet trade market.

Sea anemones are vicious predators and known to feed on the crown of thorns as well.

Red soil runoff contributes to coral reef bleaching and fertilizers entering the water. Could fertilizers, sewage or pollution really be the cause for a massive bloom in plankton causing an outbreak of healthy numbers of baby COTS?

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

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

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

MOTIONOGRAPHY – Creating motion in still photographs by Shawn Miller

Searching for the Ryukyu Ghost Crab by Shawn Miller

House Dwelling Huntsman Spiders of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

The benefits of changing your colors by Shawn Miller

When The Red Tractor’s Arrive The Egrets Will Thrive

Dinah’s Goby – living in glass homes by Shawn Miller

Psychedelic Spiders of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Frogfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

The Blue Rock Thrush – Birds of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Crown of Thorns Starfish – Hazardous Starfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller