The Shot Chat | V. Battle of the Palau Spawning Shots

Location: Palau

Author: Richard Barnden

These images were bravely submitted for review by guest star Richard Barnden. We’ve loved having his input for the special edition UPY 2021 Primer (his recounting of what it was like to win is a must-read) and as a judge for The Dugong Debate, but this time is was his turn to put some shots on the line…

Let The Shot Chat Begin…

Richard Barnden: Ok everyone here we are…Give me your best or worst comments!! I know Shane has been dying to rip these apart so let’s have it, gloves off no holds barred. I promise I will not cry….Or no more than a few tears!!!

I think it was pretty obvious my shots would be behaviour shots. Thats generally what I mainly photograph and definitely the only ones I can compete with you guys here. To sit in one spot for hours trying to learn when a grouper might spawn, or chasing around huge schools of Bohar snappers, trying to capture that exact moment is my passion - but do these images really come across as interesting to others? Of course to me they most certainly are but as we have mentioned before, it’s easy to get caught up in images that mean a lot to you personally. So I wanted to debate these four shots.

The first two are spawning bohar snapper shots. I must admit I really love these two images but I have entered them a few times in competitions and never really done well with any spawning snapper shots. Because I am photographing pretty much as soon as the sun rises, in low light conditions, and fast moving fish, the odds are stacked against me. It’s really hard to shoot at 1/200 or faster, which in most cases is needed, so it’s a continuous battle of settings throughout the dive. The challenge of capturing these images definitely plays a part in how much I like them. I would say a lot of the time I come away with average images of this spectacle, so when it all comes together it makes it so special to me.

So in your opinion are these shots worth entering in competitions? The other question is: I know Tony Wu won the underwater category with an amazing shot, much better than these, but does that mean it’s not worth entering any similar images now? And the last two I am definitely setting myself up for a roasting. As Grant mentioned on his manta shot, I also have rarely entered many black and white shots but with the recent situation and having a little more time than normal to edit, plus having Mr Black and White on the panel I decided to dabble in some black and white as well. Do these even work?

Shot 4 is of spawning bumphead parrotfish. I had this image in my mind for ages but could never really get close enough with my 16-35mm zoom lens. I decided to try a 50mm lens instead which is more of a portrait lens and struggled for a long time to get something that looked adequate. In shot 3, of a pair of spawning groupers, I thought it might look nice with a good white background, something I could not achieve with the bumpheads, but the fish are turning away from me so is it technically a butt shot?

Shane Gross: Actually, I don't see a bad picture in the bunch. I do have some thoughts, though. When thinking of this sub-genre of images (Palau spawning behavior) are these the best ever taken? No. And I think that is what you are striving for. That's what we should all be striving for. Not that every image we use can be that, but a standard has been set and if we are not exceeding that, or at least putting our own stamp on it, very few people will care. And, at the end of the day, getting people to care is our goal. So, it's obvious you've put a ton of time, effort, expertise into getting these incredibly difficult shots that are very, very good. I've tried several times to get Nassau grouper spawning images and haven't even witnessed a spawning event, let alone gotten a usable frame. I know there is a lot to proud of here. But if it was easy, everyone would have amazing shots.

Anyway, let's get into the individual frames. Image 1: As-is this is my favorite shot of the 4. It gives a sense of scale to the spectacle and is peak moment. I think the strobes are a little hot on some of the fish and the composition, while largely out of your control, is nothing special. As a moment, though, it's wonderful and I hope you've used it a lot. Competitions are a very specific beast and just because it hasn't won, doesn't mean it isn't awesome.

Image 2: I like the effect of the slow shutter speed. The group of fish in the foreground are sharp from your strobes and the background are nicely blurred. But it lacks the scale of #1 and the composition is sort of "meh". I think that's one of the reasons why this doesn't stand up to Tony's is because the composition in his was far more dynamic and pleasing.

#3: While not a bad angle for a spawning behavior the composition doesn't work for me. There is a lot of the frame that is just white space. Maybe a vertical crop would help? It's also difficult to know it's a spawning shot given the monochrome treatment. The fish head at the bottom of the frame also distracts. This is my least favorite of the bunch.

#4: This one might be great, but I'm not loving the monochrome conversion. I'd love to see the color version of this one. I really like the composition of the main group of fish. It's almost like a bouquet of flowers, which is sort of a metaphor for love. Works really well for a spawning image! The bunch to the far left and the bottom fish distract a little, but I still really like it. I just can't enjoy it as much as I'd like because the contrast is so weak. Again, I'd love to see it in color and if your strobes lit up the main group and there is a pleasing blue background it might be great. In black and white, increasing your contrast or just playing with your levels might help.

Henley Spiers: "Actually, I don't see a bad picture in the bunch. I do have some thoughts, though. When thinking of this sub-genre of images (Palau spawning behavior) are these the best ever taken? No. And I think that is what you are striving for. That's what we should all be striving for. Not that every image we use can be that, but a standard has been set and if we are not exceeding that, or at least putting our own stamp on it, very few people will care. And, at the end of the day, getting people to care is our goal." Very well said and a timely reminder to us all. The whole point of Shot Chat is to dissect images which perhaps fail to achieve those heights, and maybe on occasion, celebrate those that do but which for whatever reason still suffered from self doubt on the part of the photographer.

Now that excellent reminder from Shane may result in an especially potent analysis in this case, so sorry for any pain caused Rich, but again, the idea of keeping the Shot Chat amongst friends is that we can administer a (picture) bruising without fear of irreparably hurting feelings.

At least 3 of these images have a wow factor to me, but they do suffer from what has come before. The truth is, I have seen better pictures of the bumphead and bohar snapper spawning, and that is where the bar has been set - especially for your aspirations.

Tony Wu, with this category winning WPY shot, set the gold standard for the snapper spawning with the shot: He also got there first, or least got an image out there into the wider public first.

To build on what Shane said, I believe there are some photographs which change the life of the viewer. They move you, for good or bad, and become imprinted on you. This image, 'The Terror of War' is an example, for me, and many other I believe. I can never, ever forget it. Just thinking about it I feel anguished and can immediately summon it to my mind's eye.

The first underwater photo which was burnt into my mind was this one by Jordi Chias. At the time, I was a divemaster, starting my professional journey in diving, and had never shot underwater. This image actually might not wow me now in the same way, asI have come behind the underwater photography curtain...but at the time I found it just breathtakingly beautiful and calming.

Our ultimate goal should be to strive for images with this level of power, life-changing shots. Even the greatest photographers may only achieve that a few times in their career...so it is undoubtedly very, very difficult. But, I believe it is right to shoot for this starry goal, and it doesn't mean the other photos taken along the way aren't worthwhile. They are either part of our learning, or may have a lot to give themselves, even if not quite at that level.

The first shot left me with the strongest first impression. I think most simply because it showcases both action peaking and the scale of the event. The scale is what marks it out most the second shot, although the fact that the leading fish are not as well lit by the strobes in shot 2 also holds it back.

Tony Wu's shot is even bigger in terms of scale, and has a circular harmony to the path of the fish...that's the difference in my eyes. You asked specifically about competitions: I'd say that generally a successful competition entry should bring something new, or improve on something done before...so I wouldn't say they are perfect candidates. That being said, they really do deserve to be seen, so I hope you have or are trying to get them published.

Richard Barnden: Awesome guys thanks for taking the time to comment back on these. I completely agree, it was potent analysis and perfectly executed young sirs! When the bar has been set high, you can't come back down especially in competitions, that’s the whole point. I appreciate the advice, just because it can’t win competitions doesn't mean that it can't be used for other purposes. I have taken a rather long break from writing articles, in the beginning when we first started diving the aggregations I was writing a lot. I guess I have been too focused on trying to get that winning image. I try not to get caught up in competitions too much, and judge my images by their success there, because I try to remind myself I am competing with the best images around. Once you get the bug for it though it's hard at times not to get emotional about doing well. I loved Tony's shot and maybe thats why I have spent so much time trying to get a better one, but not succeeding, YET ....TONY!!!. Heheheheheh .....Tony is a great friend, he taught me a lot and I was also with him when he got that epic shot so I secretly feel a tiny bit attached to it as well. My favourite is also number one, I think it's the obvious better image but I wasn't sure if everyone felt the image was sharp enough and as Shane said it does have a few hot spots from the strobe power. I am a sucker for close spawning shots though. You know when you get an image in your head and you spend ages trying to get it. It's like an addiction. You cant't stop thinking about it until you capture it. I don't like the lighting on image two as much, If I had captured it moments before and hit it head on, it may have been a better contender.

Shane here is the colour version of the bumpheads you were asking about...Most of the time the vis gets really bad once the spawning begins. I also think the black and white version does not look great. I could not really achieve the look I was hoping for.

Shane Gross: I like the colour better, but still seems to be lacking in colour and contrast. Too bad about the vis. There is always something!

Grant Thomas: Looks like I'm fashionably late as always! I actually spent a bit of time looking at your images last night Richard and also comparing them along side Tony's. Reading Shane and Henley's comments, I have a very similar view. Maybe I was just procrastinating over how I was going to politely word it, but it looks like I don't need to worry too much after the other two bruisers gave their honest opinions.

I think that the images on their own are stand out images, especially the first. You captured that peak of the action moment perfectly. I disagree a bit with Shane here as I actually really like the composition - I find my eye swirling around clockwise, following the path of the snapper as they all bunch together and race to the surface. I like the lighting but there are a couple of hot spots on the sides of some of the fish. Tony's image just edges slightly ahead in terms of a more dramatic and dynamic composition.

The only reason I felt the need to compare your image to Tony's is for competition purposes. Like the others have already said, I think it's important to strive for something over and above what has already been accomplished before. I do reckon that if you had the chance to enter your image into competitions prior to 2016 then it would have had a very high chance of scooping up awards. Competition aside I think that both images 1 and 2 are fantastic would fit perfectly into any kind of nature/wildlife publication.

Have you tried the 4th image with a lighter/white back ground to give more contrast and help the bumphead "pop"? similar to your image 3?

Jade Hoksbergen: A great series of images of such a spectacular event, thank you for sharing them with us Rich. Out of these 4 images, my favourite one is the last one, the 4th, by far. A great image hits us on an emotional level, and this one does. For me, there is something comical about the facial expressions. I may be wrong here as I can’t tell a female bumphead from a male… but I’d like to think that the parrotfish that has its side turned to us is the female whilst the ones enveloping her are the males. I like to think of it this way because of the expressions on their faces. It looks like the males are either grinning with victory, or you know, making the face one does when engaged in something effortful and primal. Meanwhile, the female looks unamused and eager for the act to be done. She gives a glance at our direction creating strong eye contact, and SHUTTER that’s the moment you’ve captured.

I find humour in this image and it makes me smile. As find the fish on the bottom right of the frame distracting, and the blurry cluster of them on the left too. I would be interested to see whether the facial expressions jump at me as much if the image wasn’t in black and white. If the image was to stay black and white, it would need a higher contrast for me too. Image 4 is the strongest for me by far. The next strongest out of the set for me is image 1. I think I can dissect why it doesn’t quite work for me. It seems we are comparing this image with Tony Wu’s 2016 image “Snapper Party” — Tony Wu’s image is better due to the points Henley highlighted (“Tony Wu's shot is even bigger in terms of scale, and has a circular harmony to the path of the fish...that's the difference in my eyes.”), but not just that. For me, what makes a big impact in Tony Wu’s image is the smoke of eggs and sperm released in the deep blue. The release of eggs and sperm to me is the peak of the action, and sadly, your image Rich doesn’t quite capture that peak I’m hoping to see.. you know that final explosion of the firework. Tony Wu’s image also has a beautiful contrast between the darker blue water and the white smoke. I’d like to see greater contrast in your image Rich, but I know that is easier said than done. Again, these are incredibly breathtaking images, but just saying “it’s awesome” is not really the point of Shot Chat, hence the critique. In short though, I think they’re really cool.

Now, image 2 and 3 are the weakest for me. The composition of image 2 lacks vision, although their movement is so out of your control, so I’ll give you that. And as for image 3, I would like it a whole lot better if it were in a vertical composition… so I agree with Shane that we could get rid of some of that negative space. It’s a unique perspective and I don’t find it bad at all. Overall, I think image 2 is the weakest for me.

Anita Kainrath: @Richard I absolutely love shot 4. the composition is beautiful and the black & white works well here. Although I would love to see this one in color as well .. just to compare.This I could see in a competition. I wish there was a tiny bit more contrast though. Looks like the viz wasn't the greatest.. but that's something you can't change and sometimes it even adds to the mood of an image. My second favorite is shot 1. There is so much going on - I like the colours - the little bit of red is a great eye catcher.

The other 2 are not bad but also not really to my taste if you're thinking of competitive shots. I think they could work very well in a science magazine though, especially #2.

I think you can totally get out more of shot 4 with a tiny bit more editing. I don't have the RAW file to play around with, and I know we shouldn't play around too much in PS or LR, but just by adding a few curves and luminance in the blue, it could make a big difference.

Henley Spiers: There is a lot to like in image 4, you really feel the sexual tension, and the upward drive of the humpheads. Their prominent gnashers reinforce the feeling of strain as the males compete to copulate with the solitary female. And yet, as has been said before, it feels like it hasn't quite reached its full potential. Some of the keys may be in the post-processing, I too would advise pushing the contrast tools harder. I'd also look into using the colour mix sliders to lighten the water. The whitened face of the fish, and their dark bodies, a temporary change as the humpheads aggregate for a massive orgy, will pop better against a light background. With all that being said, I have struggled with my own images of this action to really find a great solution for monochrome...even though I think the right elements are there. The milky, sperm water during this event, combined with how hard you have to push your exposure settings, I think make it hard to really crank a high contrast black and white. Also, the fact that the fish are countershaded means you have the struggle of the faces disappearing if you push the whites too hard, or the bodies being lost if you make the water darker...tricky...I'm sure there is an awesome black and white image to be made of these fish though...

I find shot 3 to be the weakest of the section, by a considerable margin. As the fish are going upwards, and this is a dynamic behaviour, a portrait crop would help. But looking at the bellies of the two rising snapper leaves me unmoved...with their body markings, I think these fish are a good candidate for a b&w conversion, but I'm not feeling it from this perspective, with almost none of their faces visible, I cannot connect to the emotion of the scene in the way that you absolutely can with the preceding humpheads.

I tend to find that images with motion blur don't carry over well to black and white...or at least they lose something in the process. That blurriness, especially when it's subtle like in this shot, becomes a bit frustrating...whereas in colour I would appreciate the transition of sharp, colourful areas, gently blurring into bluer colour...I'd be keen to see this one in colour...but I do think the composition is fundamentally flawed, we are always told to get low and avoid bum shots...but in some cases, a belly shot is worse!

Richard Barnden: Jade, thank you for your very detailed breakdown of the bumphead shot number 4...It was perfect!!! The facial expressions of these fish is just priceless..The female is the one in the middle as you mentioned, looking kind of uninterested while being surrounded by rather excited males. There might be a scientific paper there? LOL.. In every photo I have it seems that there is always only one female and multiple males. The only way to tell them apart visually is the size, with the females being slightly smaller. The males also have a larger bulbous head than the females, but other than that they look identical. I have lots of similar shots to this, but just as Henley mentioned all of them lack the true potential that this this spectacle can deliver. Yes it is extremely hard but possible, and it's a classic case of seeing it in your mind but not being able to pull it off. I tried for months and months only attempting this shot and still trying...I do think that when someone (and hopefully that’s me) does manage to crack it, it would do well in competitions. I also think it would work in black and white well but for all the reasons everyone mentioned here I totally agree this image is not technically strong. I wanted to get a much brighter and whiter background but couldn't achieve the look I wanted. Maybe if I dedicated some more time to it and do a better job in post I could achieve better. I am waiting for Henley to do another Black and White presentation....

Anita, thank you as well. I really appreciated your honest opinion of shots 1 and 2. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. To some people these images, especially for competitions, are not so pleasing or just do not POP to them. But as you mentioned, it would be a nice read in a publication, especially with both close-up and spawning shots, accompanied by explanations of what’s happening to build the story. There is so much happening on this dive, one photo is just not enough.

Henley...Totally agree with you on the black and white..I actually thought you would be much harsher...Did you hold back??? hahahhahah Yeah the last image does nothing..It's much better in colour and I will have a go at Shane's idea of the vertical. I did like the white background though and if I had achieved that on the bumphead shot it may have been a different story. Something to aim towards..

Grant....Yeah buddy totally agree on all points. I like the image I shot but it's not quite up to Tony's. He really managed to capture the action in one frame, something thats really hard to do here. It's very impressive. I use a 15mm fisheye Sigma for most of my dives. The snapper shots here are also shot with that lens. These fish are really hard to get close, even on a rebreather. The only time is when they are actually mid spawn or schooling pre spawn. I have used a 16-35mm on the snapper before and had some good results. I just feel that the zoom lens is an f4 lens and so does not perform as well as the Sigma in low light. Downside is you need to get much closer with the Sigma. I have not had any success with the bumpheads using a 15mm fisheye lens, I just cannot get close enough to make anything look special. The aggregation looks ok but it's practically impossible to get close to these fish. They are just terrified of divers, and rightly so, they have only just stopped being hunted recently. I have also dabbled with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens for a few years, only on the bumpheads and thats what was used in shot 4. It was really hard to pump up the settings with the 50mm and the reason I found it hard to use on this dive