Searching for The Blue Ringed Octopus at Maeda Misaki -Okinawa

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Admin11

The Blue Ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) is one of the most beautiful marine animals in Okinawa. It’s only the size of a golf ball, but extremely venomous.

- Scientific name: Hapalochlaena lunulata

- Common name: Blue-ringed octopus

- Distribution: Ryukyu Islands

- Habitat: Tide pools and shallow water coral reefs

- Diet: Crabs, shrimps, and fish

- Average size: 8-12cm

Color: Golden-yellow with blue rings

Blue Ringed Octopus © Shawn Miller

Interesting facts about octopuses in general

Yes- you got it. The plural of octopus is octopuses.
They are capable of producing a dark cloud of ink to escape from predators
They have a parrot-like beak used for eating prey
Octopuses have eight arms and are capable of regrowing them
They use jet propulsion to move quickly through the water
The Blue-ringed octopus can kill a human with one bite

I first photographed the Blue-ringed octopus at Maeda point in 2011. This intense octopus was published on National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen.

Blue-ringed octopus -Nat Geo © Shawn Miller

They are hard to find due to their small size. Persistence, patience, luck and a diving with a buddy with good eyes will increase your chances.

Blue-ringed octopus © Shawn Miller

Blue-ringed octopus on a shell © Shawn Miller

Blue-ringed octopus blending in © Shawn Miller

Blue Ringed Octopus © Shawn Miller

Blue-ringed Octopus spread out © Shawn Miller

Mating season occurs in the summer months. A rare event that happens quickly.

Octopus mating © Shawn Miller

People often ask me what is your most memorable experience underwater. Definitely swimming along the reef with a Blue-ringed Octopus.

Blue-ringed octopus swimming © Shawn Miller

The difficult part is locking on focus and photographing it when the moment happens.

Blue-ringed octopus in open water © Shawn Miller

Cephalopods can produce a cloud of ink to confuse and escape from predators when threatened

Cephalopod ink blob © Shawn Miller

My dive & jive buddy spotted this Blue-ringed octopus feeding on a crustacean during a night dive recently.

Blue-ringed Octopus feeding © Shawn Miller

The two-part parrot-like beak cephalopods use for feeding.

Cephalopod Beak © Shawn Miller

The single Blue-ringed Ocellated octopus (Octopus ocellatus) is scarce in Okinawa. I have seen and documented only one live animal.

Ocellated Blue-ringed Octopus © Shawn Miller

If you would like to increase your chances of getting better photographs of Cephlapods, I recommend using the Light & Motion Sola 1200 underwater modeling light. The red light feature allows the user to get in close without disturbing the marine life.

Underwater setup with sola 600

Anyone in Okinawa that would like to try a Light&Motion Sola light, I will gladly let you test one of my personal lights on a night dive.

Learn more about the Light & Motion Sola series. http://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/sola

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

Nudibranchs – Colorful sea slugs of Okinawa

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Admin11

Nudibranchs are shell-less gastropods. They are some of the most bizarre-looking underwater animals found in our oceans. They can be challenging to find due to their small size and confusing patterns. Nudibranchs are slow-moving, delicate and lack a protective shell. Some are extremely distasteful and bright colors warn predators that they are toxic. Some even have the ability to ingest stinging cells and use them as a form of protection.

The best way to find sea slugs: Move slow! Search around sponges, hydroids, sea squirts, anemones, soft coral, rocks and reef ledges.

Train the eye: They can be challenging to find, I recommend tagging along with experienced divers that already have an eye for finding them.

Below are some of my favorite images of sea slugs. Photography by Shawn M Miller.

Chromodoris willani © Shawn Miller

Phestilla melanobranchis© Shawn Miller

Phyllidia varicosa© Shawn Miller

Roboasta gracillis© Shawn Miller

Chromodoris aureopurpurea© Shawn Miller

Aldisa albatrossae© Shawn Miller

Tritonospsilla alba© Shawn Miller

Phyllidia elegans© Shawn Miller

Gymnodoris nigrocolor – parasite© Shawn Miller

Chromodoris kuniei© Shawn Miller

Chromodoris annae© Shawn Miller

Chromodoris sp -space odyssey© Shawn Miller

Janolus sp© Shawn Miller

Noumea angstolutea© Shawn Miller

Chromodoris coi© Shawn Miller

Phyllidia coelestis© Shawn Miller

Flabellina rubrolineata© Shawn Miller

Glossodoris cruenta© Shawn Miller

Chromodoris annae -Ryukyu flare© Shawn Miller

Learn more about the beautiful sea slugs of Okinawa. Check out Dr. Bolland’s Website!

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

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!

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.

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.

Nightsea and Sola 600 blended- fluorescence

My fluorescence camera rig for underwater

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

Know your nature with Shawn Miller

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!

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: light and motion underwater lights

Searching for The Blue Ringed Octopus at Maeda Misaki -Okinawa

Nudibranchs – Colorful sea slugs of Okinawa

Thousands of Blue button jellyfish washed ashore Okinawa

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

Capturing fluorescence – Fluorescence enhancement photography by Shawn Miller

Featured

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

Light & Motion – The ultimate flashlight for wildlife photographers.