Indonesia Angel and Tunicate please critique all aspects

Six-banded angel, Pomacanthus sexstriatus and an unknown tunicate. Somewhere N of Flores. Canon S50, angel: 1/60, f3.2, ISO 100; tunicate: 1/60, f4, ISO 100. I'd like to know opinions of composition, exposure, color rendition. Please be sharp! Thanks all.

Both nice. I'd try to have the angel more head on, less running away (ideally going to the blue or lighter background where the dark face would stand out better; but I can understand that getting an angel to pose at all is a hassle.) I'd try to do something different with the direction of the wire coral; the top corner part is good, but the dropping through the middle of the frame makes my eye wander weird. It would probably involve lots of rotating around to get it across the diagonal, or one of the 1/3 lines. Color and exposure are nice on both.

I would disagree with the colour being ok ... (besides spelling) The scond photo especially shows off a washed out mirky back ground.

two choies when the background looks bad

shut down the exposure so you have a black background

or shoot more upwards to let the sun create a nice gradient of colours.

The strobe in the second looks like it is mostly covering the left of the image .. check strobe alignment regularly on your dive they can get nudged out of shape every once in a while .. do you know how to check your strobe is pointing in the right direction ? (there are many ways but holding your camera out and pretending to take a photo of yourself you should without moving your head be able to see the lens and the strobe pointing directly at you .. the 3ft arm length rule, old school but works)

I do agree with a more pleasing shot would have been one where the angel fish appears to be loving the camera but I also like action shots like this where you see the fish eating .. its great behavious .. and a great time to play with taking photos of the angel fish as this is the one time they will ignore you to eat .. if people didnt know Angel fish love spnges but find it hard to eat them so you will often find them feeding with or just after a turtle has broken the hard exterior skin.

The first photo hmm .. it is ok .. would be nicer cropped in on the subject .. and adding some contrast ... if you had perhaps angled the strobe differently and lessened the power you would be able to see more of the spherical shape of the subject .. the whole image looks a bit flat .. and also again washed out a little .. so maybe a little over exposed .. I dont know how you took the first photo but it kinda looks like you were zooming in and quite a distance from the subject ... either way .. just remember to get as close as you can on macro .. first for composition .. then as close as your focus will allow.

Looking at the settins you used I would have to say that they are the reasons they look kinda washed out in the background .. It is very rare for me to ever drop below F5.6 and my shutter speed is often on 1/200 but rarely slower that 1/100. On Macro I also like to shut down my F stop to F 10 and SS to about 1/400 or faster .. but that is personal preference. I would try some simple steps next time of faster shutter speeds smaller F Stops (play with the f stop for background exposure) also for wide angle get in nice and close like 3 - 4 ft ... I hate being text book about things .. but it really is a great place to start. Also .. another text book rule for wide angle .. shoot up .. it makes the sea or ocean look much nicer or at least how we see it with our eyes)

I may have written a lot .. I just wanted to give you more information from my Opinion as thats what you asked for .. but these are nice shots and nothing to be ashamed of, my hints are just some tips to take your photos from snapshots to stunning. If you want to learn more about the basics and the rules and things to do an UW photo course always works well .. just because digital gives us the ability to review our own work and try agian easily doesnt mean we will get great results on our own. You may even have read a book on it .. but you still won't get those same results. Physically having someone show you how its done is still the fastest way to learn, not that I recommend a PADI UW photo course .. I would just take a digital course myself nowadays one that maybe includedpost processing.

Appreciate the comments, both of you. I forgot to tell that this is an internal strobe only, and Giles is correct, it's on the left. I have a love/hate relationship with angelfish, most of them are not cooperative and so this one was swimming away as I held the camera at arm's length and fired. I have a whole series of failed shots leading to this one. Usually I set it for shutter priority 1/125 when I know I'll be shooting fish, but I had it on aperture priority for some reason, probably narced. I agree with the tunicate, focus was good but overexposed a little. I'll darken in PS.

I know what you mean about shutting down exposure to blacken bkgrnd; but, how can one change settings quickly while pursuing a fish? I usually just spray and pray.

Scubaskeeter

ok well the backscatter is hard to help with internal flash

but if you have a fully manual mode give that a try .. rather than A or SS priority .. you will find you can create much more consistent results in full manual than in and sort of automatic camera decisions. Cameras even when they have an underwater mode just don't quite get it .. so take full control to get the best of your images .. you will love the results

the draw back .. it takes longer to adjuct settings per shot ... so random snapping will be taken away ... but random snapping rarely gives great shots .. UW photography is very much like studio photography in that you must set up every shot even if it is of the same thing in the same place .. conditions can change with a cloud going over head.

Chasing fish is near impossible ... watch the fish .. and learn their behaviour ... they are all territorial to reefs .. even larger palagic animals when they come in have routines ... watch and learn then you will be able to place yourself and wait for the ideal snap !!! sounds risky but it is the best way ... read some behaviour books too ... learning your subject can only help.