We've all see photos of managuense or other cichlids flaring at the front of the glass. As in the wild this behavior is a warning to the object of their attention (in this case the camera lens) . Cichlids squaring off ieither in breeding or posturing, will often play this game of chicken in the tank...flaring, advancing, retreating only to flare again. I will often "wind up the fish by placing my open palm on the tank then quickly pulling back. The fish will dart forward...I put my hand back and so forth until I step back and try and catch the next advance. The physical dynamics of what's going on are interesting and often overlooked in lieu of just admiring the pose of the fish. In the case below, the managuense is not only flaring his operculum as a means of looking larger than life...but also putting a slight curve to the body to do the same. The caudal fin..the main means of forward propulsion...is completely flared open and and in constant motion. The pectoral fins are also open and flared...stopping the fish from snapping forward. The effect is like that of revving your engine with your foot on the gas and break all at the same time. A small movement of the pectoral fins and the fish darts forward. Interesting.
To understand what's going on here you need to know that the fish was swimming forward and suddenly snapped to his right to smack the glass. You might have seen this fish in a previous post and seen the size..thickness of his body. The bigger the fish the more they have to rely on every means possible to move and turn...especially quickly. To this end you can see that his right pectoral fin is almost completely inverted while the left is flared open...like sticking a stabilizing oar on the left while back peddling with the right. The large caudal fin, while slightly collapsed is also assisting in the turn. The dorsal fin, used to help stabilize the fish while swimming is collapsed tight agains the body to prevent any drag against the hard right turn.
One of the things I strive for is getting a pose that is something other than just the side of the fish. Part of this is luck and part of it is timing. But for the most part it's watching the fish in my tanks and observing how they act in their environment. I won't say that I always make them do (pose) as I want them to...but I can say that I do spend hours watching them and can sometimes predict or even initiate particular movement. Breeding fish are by far my favorite subject. Foo one thing they are out of their minds and look at the camera as being intrusive...predictably doing what most cichlids do when threatened.
Beauty in motion. both pectoral fins swept back, body streamlined for the dive. Part timing...part predictable behavior. I waited till the fish was at the top of the tank then touched the bottom of the tank with the flat of my hand...then stepped back and took the photo.
Yup...she was looking for her fry. But not in this photo. I placed took the end of a broom and waved it under the bottom of the tank.
There's nothing wrong with a side shot. however I like to get the fish moving at an angle to the tank. The trick here is to shoot at a high shutter speed to stop the motion of the fish. You can see how streamlined the fish is in this picture as it moves across the tank.
To understand what's going on here you need to know that the fish was swimming forward and suddenly snapped to his right to smack the glass. You might have seen this fish in a previous post and seen the size..thickness of his body. The bigger the fish the more they have to rely on every means possible to move and turn...especially quickly. To this end you can see that his right pectoral fin is almost completely inverted while the left is flared open...like sticking a stabilizing oar on the left while back peddling with the right. The large caudal fin, while slightly collapsed is also assisting in the turn. The dorsal fin, used to help stabilize the fish while swimming is collapsed tight agains the body to prevent any drag against the hard right turn.
One of the things I strive for is getting a pose that is something other than just the side of the fish. Part of this is luck and part of it is timing. But for the most part it's watching the fish in my tanks and observing how they act in their environment. I won't say that I always make them do (pose) as I want them to...but I can say that I do spend hours watching them and can sometimes predict or even initiate particular movement. Breeding fish are by far my favorite subject. Foo one thing they are out of their minds and look at the camera as being intrusive...predictably doing what most cichlids do when threatened.
Beauty in motion. both pectoral fins swept back, body streamlined for the dive. Part timing...part predictable behavior. I waited till the fish was at the top of the tank then touched the bottom of the tank with the flat of my hand...then stepped back and took the photo.
Yup...she was looking for her fry. But not in this photo. I placed took the end of a broom and waved it under the bottom of the tank.
There's nothing wrong with a side shot. however I like to get the fish moving at an angle to the tank. The trick here is to shoot at a high shutter speed to stop the motion of the fish. You can see how streamlined the fish is in this picture as it moves across the tank.
