The females will often be smaller and browner in appearance, with males larger and grayer. During casual observation, I have seen large males come halfway out of their den to “fend off” intrusive divers and block their mate and eggs from sight.īut in reality, wolf eels are quite docile, friendly, and very curious. As such there is some controversy over divers feeding them. At some popular dive sites, wolf eels will casually exit their dens and approach a diver to see if they have any food. Some wolf eels will even let a cautious diver pet them. I don’t recommend doing this, as petting fish removes a protective slime coating which keep them safe from disease. While they never attack divers for food, feeding encourages the wolf eels to expect food from divers and not go hunting themselves. Wolf eels can be a joy to photograph or a big frustration. They each have their own personality, and some are more cautious than others. Much of your success can depend on how many divers frequent the site. Sites where wolf eels don’t often see divers will be more troublesome, as the wolf eels tend to be a little more wary of divers. In Southern California, wolf eels are found at the deeper edges of recreational limits (often deeper than 100 feet) in relatively cold water. In the Pacific Northwest, they are found shallower (starting at about 40 feet), as the water is generally cold enough for them to be happy. The best place to search is at the bottom of medium to large size boulders or inside small crevices on walls. Wolf eels are often found tucked deep into their cave, but they can be coaxed out by their natural curiosity.ĭue to their habitat, lighting wolf eels can be quite tricky. If you are shooting macro, be sure to position your strobe(s) so that it lights the inside of the cave where the wolf eel is hiding. I find that a snoot is often easier and less intrusive to use for lighting small caves. Proper lighting with a macro photo can sometimes elucidate a green and yellow sheen on their eyes – adding some character to the photo. It is very tricky to light wolf eels with a wide lens. You’ll almost always need them to stick their head out of their den or come completely out. It can be impossible to get close enough to get a good photo when they are in their den. ![]() It’s easy to overexpose their light grey bodies with the dark green water around them. I try to pull my strobes back and bring them in close to the camera. Then I turn the strobe power down to keep the greys in the eel properly exposed and further reduce backscatter. If often helps to bump up your ISO so you can keep the aperture small enough to get a good depth of field. I find that having a diver in the background is nice to provide perspective on the wolf eel’s size.ġ. Wolf eels don’t breathe in and out like morays, but they do open their mouths from time to time.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |