Patterns, textures and colors ! Underwater Macro Photography by Shawn Miller

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Admin11

Okinawa offers some of the best Scuba-Diving in the world. I really enjoy the Art of Underwater Macro Photography. Macro subjects can always be found, it just takes some imagination and good framing to create beautiful underwater abstracts. Pattern’s, textures and vibrant colors generally stand out in underwater photography.

Equipment used

Camera: Canon 70d with Canon 100mm&60mm
Housing: Ikelite underwater housing
Stobes: Ikelite DS160 & DS 200
Modeling lights: Light&Motion Gobe 800, Sola 3800 and Sola 1200
Specialized lights: Light&Motion Sola Nightsea

All images were taken in the beautiful waters of the Ryukyu Islands. Underwater Photography by Shawn Miller.

Cushion starfish (Culcita novaeguineae) 100mm

Cushion starfish (Culcita novaeguineae) © Shawn Miller

Coral (Favia sp) © Shawn Miller

Deep water coral (Tubastrea micrantha) © Shawn Miller

Pedum spondyloidum- coral scallop © Shawn Miller

Feather star © Shawn Miller

Stichopus variegatus sea cucumber- 100mm

(Stichopus variegatus) sea cucumber © Shawn Miller

Sea fan (Annella mollis ) © Shawn Miller

Favia sp coral closeup © Shawn Miller

Feather duster worm (Sabellastarte sanctijosephi) © Shawn Miller

granulated sea star (Choriaster granulatus) © Shawn Miller

Crocea clam (Tridacna Crocea) © Shawn Miller

(Pachyseris speciosa) Ringed plate coral © Shawn Miller

Razor coral © Shawn Miller

Striped triplefin (Helcogramma striata) on coral © Shawn Miller

coral of okinawa © Shawn Miller

Bubble coral (Plerogyra sinuosa) © Shawn Miller

Dive safe and have a great day!

Asian grass frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Admin11

The Asian grass frog ( Fejervarya kawamurai) is found on Mainland Japan and most of the Ryukyu Islands. The warty frog is fairly common on Okinawa. It’s biggest threats are pesticide exposure and habitat loss.

Scientific name: Fejervarya kawamurai
Common name: Asian grass frog, marsh frog and common pond frog
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands and Mainland Japan
Habitat: Rice fields, ditches, marshes, parks and farm fields.
Diet: Insects
Average size: 45mm-75mm
Color: light brown with a white belly

Asian grass frog – Canon 70d * 60mm macro

Wide angle macro – Canon 70d *Tokina fisheye

Asian grass frog- Macro

Asian marsh frog – drainage ditch

Asian marsh frog

Asian grass frog feeding

Asian marsh frog – Okuma resort

Asian grass frog -MYN

Egret feeding -the last goodbye

Have a great day!

Light-painting with the nightsea by Shawn Miller

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Admin11

Light painting is the artistic technique of moving a hand held-light source while taking a long exposure. The purpose is to illuminate the subject with constant lighting to create a powerful image. It takes a steady hand, patience, trial and error and imagination. Using a specialized blue light (nightsea) will allow you to capture fluorescence. The images will be enhanced with beautiful bright vibrant colors.

Most plants and animals fluoresce under blue light. Below are some of my favorite long-exposures photographed using the Nightsea and a Canon 70d. I also included some comparison photos under white light.

Beautiful cherry blossoms under blue light, Okinawa-Japan

Cherry blossom under blue light

Psychedelic cherry blossoms

Cherry blossom |white light

Sunflowers show some fluorescence under blue light, Okinawa-Japan

Sundflower under blue light

Sunflower under white light -zoom panning

The animal must not move in order to get a sharp image during a long-exposure.

Rhinoceros coconut beetle under blue light

Rhinoceros coconut beetle under white light

( Onomustus kanoi ) fluorescence photography

Cicada under blue light by Shawn Miller

Cicada under white light

The Rosy gypsy moth (Lymantria mathura) Under blue light

The Rosy gypsy moth (Lymantria mathura) Under white light –

More flowers painted with the Light & Motion Nightsea

Flowers under blue light

Flowers under blue light

Cactus under blue light

Mochi leaf flower under blue light

Flower under blue light

Light-painting with the Nightsea and Sola 600 red light

Light-painting Okinawa

Blue light comparison (450nm) with UV (385)

Blue comparison – 450nm vrs uv 385nm

Equipment used

Light&Motion Sola Nightsea or Gobe blue light
Modeling light Gobe 700 wide (white light) to lock in focus
Camera with Manual capabilities and macro lens (Canon 70d *60macro)
Manfrotto Tripod and remote
Barrier filter (block the reflected blue light )

My above water camera setup for fluorescence

Fluorescence photography setup -Shawn Miller

The Light & Motion Nightsea Dive light.

Sola NightSea underwater blue light

My underwater setup for photographing fluorescence.

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

I want to thank Light & Motion and Nightsea for all their continuous support over the years.

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!

Testing the Venus Laowa 60mm F2.8 macro lens underwater

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Admin11

Dive Team Miller Underwater set-up with Canon 70d Laowa 60mmn f2.8 macro lens- Ikelite housing with 8inch dome port, 1 ikelite 160 strobe , 1 ikelite 200 strobe, 1 sola 600 and 1 gobe 700 focus light.

The Venus Laowa 60mm macro lens is a technical lens with great optics. The specialized lens is manual focus and manual aperture selection. I had to use my wide angle dome port since this was the only port I had the lens would fit into. I preset the lens to a 1:2 ratio and used an aperture setting of F8. I went with the aperture setting of F8 since it was an overcast day and I wanted to see my subject through the viewfinder in the low light. I used two modeling lights to add artificial light, which allowed me to see through the viewfinder at a depth of 100 feet. The focusing distance was already preset on the surface, so all I had to do was to move the camera until I saw the subject was in focus and take the shot. It was very difficult to use with subjects that were moving. This was my first dive using this lens underwater and have more testing to do. Here are some of my images using the Venus Laowa 60mm macro lens underwater at Maeda point, Okinawa-Japan.

Tomato anemonefish -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Cushion starfish underside abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Clark’s Anemonefish – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Coral abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Canthigaster coronata -Laowa 60mm macr0 F8

Bubble coral -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Coral abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Test dive two, I set the aperture to F11 with a focus distance between 1:1-1:2. It was challenging working with all moving subjects. The dome port was to close for comfort for moving subjects such as fish. Stay tuned for more images later this week!

Coral abstracts -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Sea anemone -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Cushion star -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral abstract -Laowa 60mm macro F11

July 8th 2017, I took the Loawa 60mm out for another spin. This time I did not use underwater strobes. I set the Aperture on F5.6, shutter speed 1/200-1/640 sec and ISO settings 400-2500. I used the Light&Motion Sola 3800 and Sola 1200 to provide beautiful fill light.

Underwater setup – Laowa 60mm

Mushroom coral -Sola 1200 red

Octo coral- Laowa 60mm

Bubble tip anemone – Laowa 60mm

Stag horn coral – Laowa 60mm

July 9th 2017, I did some more testing using two Ikelite strobes and the Light&Motion Sola 3800 modeling light. I set the sync speed at 1/250sec, Aperature at F8 and Iso 100.

Finding Nemo Okinawa

Brittle star on coral -Okinawa

Scythe triggerfish -Laowa 60mm macro

If you plan to purchase any Venus optics please click on the Affiliate link below * http://www.venuslens.net/ref/40/?campaign=OkinawaNaturePhotography

Have a great day!

Light and Motion macro field setup – Constant lighting by Shawn Miller

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Admin11

Light and Motion lights produce constant lighting with studio quality output. This light configuration is convenient while shooting macro photography at night. The camera, tray, arms and lights are combined into one lightweight unit. The light output can be easily adjusted with a touch of a switch. Having the lights on loc-line arms allow simple light angle adjustments.

The custom Light and Motion macro field setup consists of

Sola Tray kit with extention tray and arms
Third custom loc-line arm mounted
GoBe 700 wide light
Sola 600 light
Sola 1200 light
Canon 70D with 60 mm macro lens and strap

Light and Motion macro field setup by Shawn M Miller.

I was fortunate to have beautiful weather both nights testing the constant lighting setup in northern Okinawa. Six of the animals below are endangered species listed as threatened on the IUCN red list. All of these night dwellers are decreasing in numbers due to deforestation.

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko -Red list

Namie’s frog (Limnonectes namiyei) – Red list

Okinawa tree frog (Rhacphhorus viridis)

Ryukyu Tip-nosed frog -Red list

Anderson’s crocodile newt- Red list

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko -Red list

Ryukyu brown frog -Red list

Holst’s frog ( Rana holsteri ) – Red list

Ryukyu Kajika frog

If you would like to learn more about these lights, check out the site!

http://www.lightandmotion.com/the-perfect-light

Have a great day!

Crabs With Beach Trash Homes – Okinawa, Japan

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Admin11

Crabs with beach trash homes is a series I am currently working on. I photograph Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus) that have begun to use beach trash as their home. The crabs are photographed in their natural environment and also on white for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project. The images are used for environmental awareness and educational purposes.

Crabs with beach trash homes © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs are commonly found on local beaches in Okinawa. Most crabs are blue but occasionally have color variations of purple, pink, orange and or gray. They prefer to have a seashell as a protective home but when no shell is available they adapt.

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) with a seashell © Shawn Miller

Before plastic caps filled our shorelines, hermit crabs adapted using tree nuts if no shells were available.

Hermit crab and tree nut © Shawn Miller

It’s becoming more common to find crabs with beach trash homes. I have friends combing local beaches in search of more crabs for my series. While these are cute images, our trash is becoming a serious problem to the ocean and the animals that call the shoreline home. I often find hermit crabs using a variety of plastic caps from twist top pet bottles, laundry detergent containers, small propane tanks, sports water bottles and beauty supplies.

Possible reason why Blueberry crabs adapt with beach trash

Limited number of available shells causing them to make due with the best homes they can find. This is a good example of adaptive behavior.

Hermit crabs are very social animals and often fight over shells. Having a protective lightweight shell that covers the abdomen (soft parts of the animal) is crucial for survival.

Hermit crabs fighting over prime real estate © Shawn Miller

Battle over real estate © Shawn Miller

A close-up of the sensitive abdomen (photographed using the MYN technique)

Naked hermit crab © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs are scavengers and take advantage of any food washed ashore. They mainly feed on dead fish, barnacles, other crabs, algae, insects, plants, fruit and various seeds. The screw pine (Pandanus odifer) is one of their favorite foods. I imagine long ago these vital plants lined our shorelines in abundance. Numbers are decreasing due to deforestation.

Pandanus odifer © Shawn Miller

Eventually the fruit drops to the ground and the sweet smell attracts the hermit crabs

Hermit crab feeding © Shawn Miller

The hermit crabs feed on the the fresh keys and help with seed dispersal. They both benefit in this relationship. The Pandanus tree provides shelter, shade, food for the hermit crabs.

Hermit crab and Pandanus © Shawn Miller

Eventually the keys dry, turn brown and litter the local beaches. The dispersed keys provide a perfect environment for hermit crabs to blend in with.

Where the treeline meet the beach © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs prefer to be in a shell that protects the entire body from predators. Sometimes they have to temporarily adapt with a much smaller shell. The retracted hermit crab tightens up to protect itself. Ball up, play dead and blend into the environment, minimizing the risk of being preyed upon.

Could this be a form of masquerading or just coincidence ? It resembles (mimics) the shape of the screw pine seed to possibly avoid detection from potential predators.

Hermit crab and screw pine seed © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs have the ability to ball up tight to protect their eyes. (Transformers)

Hermit crab retracted © Shawn Miller

Below are some of my favorite images photographed on a portable field studio board (MYN Technique). The crabs are safely placed on a white studio board, photographed and released back into the natural environment (MYN Technique).

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) with cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic tube © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic top cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic top cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab- Ryukyu Islands © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab – Okuma, Okinawa © Shawn Miller

It’s important to photograph the hermit crabs in their natural habitat. I prefer to photograph them using a wide angle lens to achieve a unique perspective.

Meet zori -Wide angle macro © Shawn Miller

Hermit crab- Plastic pollution © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab, Wide angle macro © Shawn Miller

Meet scoop- Quaker © Shawn Miller

Meet shady – Worldwide trash problem

Hermit crab in a glass bottle- Yomitan, Okinawa.

Meet cassette -CWBTH © Shawn Miller

Airplane -Senaga Island ,Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Land hermit crab, Onna-Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Meet sparky- using a plastic cap from a cassette gas tank © Shawn Miller

Energy drink home- Trash homes © Shawn Miller

The rock climber -Northern Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Sunset Time – Yomitan ,Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Beach pollution- CWBTH © Shawn Miller

Tree climber- © Shawn Miller

Plastic pollution – beach trash © Shawn Miller

I also photograph the hermit crabs using a dedicated macro lens. I mainly use the Canon 60 mm or 100 mm macro lens to concentrate on the subject. These crabs are fairly small and it’s important to have a lens that will focus close and deliver high quality sharpness.

Laundry detergent cap - Northern Okinawa

School project ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” My family and I collected trash on a local beach in Onna village. This is just a small portion of our beach trash findings. The kids did a great job creating a project with impact.

Otis Brunner found this hermit crab flattened on a beachside parking lot. As you can see the plastic doesn’t provide much protection.

Behind the scenes photograph ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” I have documented over sixty crabs with beach trash homes. If you would like to see more images check out my Flickr account.

Shawn Miller – Crabs with beach trash homes. Photographed by David Orr

June 10th, 2010 was my first experience seeing a hermit crab with a trash home.

My series ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” has been featured on World Wildlife Fund, Petapixel, Business Insider, National Geographic, Atlas Obscura, Global citizen, Plethorist, Daily Telegraph, Little things, 15minutenews, Roaring earth, Hyperdojo, News.com.au, Follow news, Neotorama, BoingBoing, Insider, Activist, Now100fm and varies Scientific websites.

Planet or Plastic June 2018 featured

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations. – If you would like to join my journey, check out my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/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.

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens – Birds Of Okinawa

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Admin11

The Canon Ef 400mm f/5.6 USM lens is a light weight high performance prime lens. The auto focus system is impressively fast without hesitation. It performs best when photographing birds in flight and animals on the move. This is a very sharp high quality lens and would recommend purchasing it if you are on a limited budget.

The Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is one of my favorite birds to photograph with the the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens.

Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

A beautiful Ryukyu hawk owl spotted during daylight.

The Ryukyu hawk owl (Ninox scutulata)

The Black Faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) is a common visitor in Southern Okinawa.
The Spoonbill is critically endangered and has an estimated population of less than 3000.

The Black Faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor).

The Pryer’s woodpecker (Sapheopipo Noguchii) is the prefecture bird of Okinawa and designated as a natural treasure of Japan. It is a rare species only found in the northern part of Okinawa.

Pryer’s woodpecker (Sapheopipo Noguchii) Yanbaru forest

A Wiskered tern (Childonias hybridus) shaking away – Kin, Okinawa.

Wiskered tern (Childonias hybridus)

The Japanese wood pigeon is listed as near threatened on the IUCN red list of threatened species. A very difficult bird to photograph.

Japanese wood pigeon

The Rudy kingfisher is a summer visitor. Another bird hard to photograph

Rudy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda)

The Japanese white eye (Zosterops japonicus) is popular to photograph in January. The green and yellow feathers compliment the pink cherry tree blossoms.

Mejiro – Japanese white eye

The Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) is a flightless bird only found in the northern part of Okinawa. It is a protected species and declared a living natural monument. It is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species. In 2012 populations of this endemic bird were estimated at 1500 by the Environment Ministry.

Okinawa Rail ( Gallirallus okinawae)

The Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a rare visitor in Okinawa. Nature Photographers travel from Mainland Japan to photograph this beautiful bird.

Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

The male Japanese sparrowhawk ( Accipiter gularis ) has stunning bright red eyes. This bird can pluck the feathers off a sparrow within minutes.

Male Japanese sparrowhawk ( Accipiter gularis )

The Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) dive bombing a fish. This bird is a spectacular hunter.

Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) dive bombing a fish

Check out more Images of Birds of Okinawa-

All Images were photographed using the Canon 70d with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens.

Canon 70d with 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Have a great day!

Marine Life Washed Ashore – Typhoon Vongfong

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Admin11

Super Typhoon Vongfong was considered to be to be the strongest storm of the year. We were very lucky the strength of the storm died down before it landed on the Island of Okinawa. The typhoon brought heavy winds and rough sea conditions. A fair amount of marine life could not cope with these harsh conditions.

All images were taken on the western portion of the Island using the Canon 70d.

Have a great day!

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!

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: canon 70d

Patterns, textures and colors ! Underwater Macro Photography by Shawn Miller

Asian grass frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands

Light-painting with the nightsea by Shawn Miller

Thousands of Blue button jellyfish washed ashore Okinawa

Testing the Venus Laowa 60mm F2.8 macro lens underwater

Light and Motion macro field setup – Constant lighting by Shawn Miller

Crabs With Beach Trash Homes – Okinawa, Japan

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens – Birds Of Okinawa

Marine Life Washed Ashore – Typhoon Vongfong

Light & Motion – The ultimate flashlight for wildlife photographers.