Using a longer focal length macro lens, such as the 100/105mm, allows a photographer to more easily fill the frame with shyer, smaller eel subjectsĮels are one subject that often make excellent candidates for a portrait orientation, meaning you’ve rotated your camera to make the image vertically longer. For eels buried in the sand, another valuable piece of equipment is a snoot, which may be used to selectively illuminate only the animal and not the bland background. However, for larger eels or to capture an image of them free-swimming on the reef, adding a fisheye wet lens will limit the amount of water between you and the subject.Īdditional equipment considerations include a focus light-since many eels live in coral holes-as your camera might otherwise have difficulty focusing. The fixed lens on most compact cameras will be sufficient for photographing medium-sized eels. For larger subjects, a fisheye or wide-angle zoom lens will allow you to fit the whole subject in the frame, while also including some of the surrounding environment. A mid-range zoom is also a good choice for capturing eel portraits. For interchangeable lens cameras, a macro lens (55–105mm) is a good choice for the smaller and shyer species, such as ribbon eels and snake eels. The equipment needed to photograph eels is as diverse as the subjects themselves. These can be more difficult to spot, and a knowledgeable dive guide will be your best chance.Įels live in an array of locations on the reef, from the sandy rubble to colorful coral, as in the case above Other species of eels are sand-dwellers, meaning they bury their back-ends deep in the sand with only their heads protruding. Keep an eye out for their heads poking out from the reef, with mouths open to help facilitate breathing. The most common tropical eel category, the moray, can often be found hiding in cracks in the coral reef, or amongst large rocks. In temperate and cold waters, the wolf eel is a prized photographic subject.Įels can be found in a variety of sizes and colors, helping diversify your photography portfolio Having said that, there are some common eels you are likely to encounter on tropical dives: morays (chain, green, giant, etc.), ribbon eels, snake eels, and even the shy garden eels. That’s why it’s important to have a game plan for producing great images, no mater what species you may encounter. There’s hardly an underwater photography destination that doesn’t feature one (or many more) species of eels. Likewise, some eels blend into their environments, while others, like ribbon eels, feature electric colors and patterns. The smallest eels can be only a few inches long, while giant morays can reach up to 10 feet long. Here’s your guide to producing stunning images of eels.Įels come in a variety of sizes, colors, and temperaments.
And best of all, they’re found in almost every tropical, temperate, and cold water destination in the world. Fisheries that harvest octopuses, urchins, and crab may remove prey resources that wolf-eel depend upon" (Jaglio 6).Eels-love them or hate them, they make for awesome underwater photography subjects. There were no wolf-eel present when surveyed.
Trawler nets, which many fishermen use, are particularly damaging because they destroy rocky reefs where wolf eels reside. Conservationists and scientists suggest using alternative method of logline traps which won't damage the reefs.Īccording to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife "the wolf eel appears to be a species that is sensitive to harvest and may be affected by competition with Pacific giant octopus and with fisheries During 1999, one area in the harvest zone was surveyed that once contained a large wolf-eel colony. Because wolf eels make their home in rocky reefs their homes are susceptible to damage from storms, pollution, trawler nets and other factors.
Human pollution can affect wolf eel habitat, degrading it and making it uninhabitable. Wolf eels are often caught in crab traps or fishing nets.
#WOLF EEL IMAGES SKIN#
About two thirds were speared by skin divers and most of the others were caught by skiff fishermen. Crey's article discusses a breeding and release program for VPA.Ī survey from 1957-1961 stated that sport fishermen took an estimated 200 wolf eels a year. There have been efforts to restore wolf populations in some areas. Local populations of wolf eels have been wiped out in waters of many metropolitan areas as a consequence of fishermen and aquarium collectors as well as habitat destruction, pollution and accidental catching once eliminated from a site wolf eels will not return naturally (Creys).
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