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His Majesty ~ The Emperor


His Majesty ~ The Emperor
Photo Information
Copyright: Loot Eksteen (loot) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5524 W: 722 N: 4163] (11276)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-09-10
Categories: Fish
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 HZ DG Macro, Digital ISO 200, UV 62mm Kenko
Exposure: f/9.0, 1/200 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Fishes from around the world, Underwater World #2, Different Fish, A study in Ichthyology (fish) 1, 80-89 Points I, Underwater Wonder World 1, !!! STOLEN PHOTOS !!! I [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-09-24 4:07
Viewed: 9764
Favorites: 2 [view]
Points: 80
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Emperor angelfish - Pomacanthus imperator

Photographed in the aquarium at Durban's uShaka Marine World and it is the 4th photo of this species on TrekNature.

Taxonomic Classification
CLASS: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes).
ORDER: Perciformes (perch-likes).
FAMILY: Pomacanthidae (Angelfishes).

General
The stunningly vivid and beautiful colours of this fish remind me of certain butterflyfish, though the emperor is bigger and have a large spine on the lower corner of the gill plates. This round to oval-bodied fish is strongly compressed. Colours and patterns may vary considerable with age or within different individuals.

Adults: Yellow with close-set horizontal blue stripes on the body and dorsal fin while the anal fin is almost black with concentric blue lines. Snout white. A curved black or dark brown bar with blue edges covers the eyes. The pectoral fins have a black edge with adjacent blue line and distinctive orange rays while the caudal fin is yellow to orange. This particular species is one of the largest angelfish of the 80-85 or so species, reaching a length of almost 40cm.

Juveniles: Known for their dramatic colour changes with growth. They have circular patterns of dark blue, black, and white, with a white ring on the rear of the body. This is surrounded by incomplete circles of blue and white on the dorsal and anal fins. These juveniles resemble the young of other angelfish species.

Distribution
Found in the Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian, Line and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and the Austral Islands. Not found in Easter Island, Rapa and the Marquesan Islands.

Behaviour
A most inquisitive fish that will often swim right up to a diver. Adults are capable of startling divers with a low-frequency "knocking" sound if disturbed. They are very agile and by virtue of their compressed bodies they can hide in extremely narrow cracks and caves. Young and adults may clean much larger fishes such as sunfish. They are highly territorial and will violently attack any other intruding emperors that venture into their turf.

Habitat
Juveniles are encountered under ledges, or in holes of outer lagoon patch reefs or semi-protected areas of exposed channels and outer reef flats.

Sub-adults move to reef front holes and surge channels.

Large adults are solitary, non-migratory and inhabit ledges and caves in areas of rich coral growth on clear lagoon, channels, or seaward reefs with a depth range of 1–100m.

Diet
As with most large angelfish, Emperor’s are benthic feeders or bottom-dwellers; living on the substrate or sea bed. They scrape algae with their powerful jaws from rocks and coral, supplemented with bits of sponge, coral polyps, and small invertebrates.

Status
Not endangered.

Source: "Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa" by Rudy van der Elst, Struik publishers.

Post Processing was done with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.
Matt-Bird, vanderschelden, Janice, dew77, horia, wkshelton, Zeno, eruyanik, manyee, coasties, RAP, ramthakur, marhowie, lovenature, Aaltjie, pilonm, scottevers7, peter_stoeckl, TAZ, nainnain, thor68, Luc, Dyker, oscarromulus, Miss_Piggy, Rehanna, betsie has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To RAP: Model flashloot 1 10-06 05:18
To pilonm: Croppingloot 1 09-29 06:35
To RAP: Jewel of the marine aquariumloot 1 09-25 14:20
To manyee: Noble fishloot 1 09-25 13:58
To horia: Impressive fishloot 1 09-25 13:48
To Janice: Wonderful creatorloot 1 09-25 13:44
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Loot,
I love these fish they are so colourful. They are alway really beautiful to watch diving. You have capture the colours really well here. nice shot,
regards
Matt.

Hello Loot !
What a wonderful fish ! I love his bright colors and his markings, they are really very beautiful. You have done very well, because I know how hard it is to take pictures in aquarium, through glass. Details and colors are fantastic, and a beautiful composition. Very well done !
Valérie.

Loot,
Beautiful fish. Great in colours and sharpness. Seems as there is no glass between it.
Well done
Annick

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful:
the Lord God made them all. . .

Your beautifully coloured fish brought this song to my mind, and now I can't get it out of my head!
Super capture Loot. Perfect colours and sharpness. And it has come out so well through teh glass. Good one my friend,
Janice

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2006-09-24 5:48]

Hello Loot,
Wonderful capture.I liked POV,colors,clear details,lighting and composition a lot.Excellent work!
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1538 W: 5 N: 2240] (12636)
  • [2006-09-24 5:54]

Bonjour Loot!

Bravo pour les contraste et les superbes couleurs éclatante.

Merci!
joseph

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2158 W: 224 N: 4749] (16656)
  • [2006-09-24 9:03]
  • [+]

Hi Loot

What an impressive fish! Wow...such splendid colors!
Another superb shot from this aquarium! It's amazing how you cam shoot so well through glass. My biggest congratulations! :)
Also very nice informative note...as usual when it comes to you.
Technicaly the picture is impecable!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1515 W: 18 N: 3165] (11638)
  • [2006-09-24 9:16]

Hi Loot

Vibrant colours, nice details and a good POV. I can never pull off aquarium shots so this is impressive to me.

TFS

Karan

Hello Loot,

vey well done on this fish, the colors are really bright, great details, very crisp, nicly composed and capture photo.

TFS Kyle

  • Great 
  • Scott Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 225 W: 0 N: 356] (1752)
  • [2006-09-24 10:01]

Loot,

Through the glass, nice that it didn't reflect your flash. Brillient color.
Well presented.

tfs
scott

  • Great 
  • Zeno Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 483 W: 0 N: 1345] (10867)
  • [2006-09-24 10:25]

Hi Loot,

It's good to see a fish like this. Most people sent in butterflies, flowers, birds etc.
You caught this one very sharp and colorful.
TFS.

regards,
Zeno.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2006-09-24 12:10]

That's a really clever shot of this Angelfish through the glass. You've really got the sharp details of the pattern and the superb colours on this fish.
Well Done!
TFS, Ulla

Hi Loot,
What a coloured fish here! Wonderful, colours, lighting and sharpness despite behind the glass shot.
Thank you,
Ersin

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 855 W: 2 N: 617] (2142)
  • [2006-09-24 14:03]

Hallo Loot ,Een schitterende vis ,wat een prachtige kleuren en dan voor het glas , deze is zo scherp en een hele mooie achtergrond , tfs ,groeten Teunie .

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1973 W: 119 N: 2582] (8439)
  • [2006-09-24 14:27]

prachtige Vis Loot.
Leuk je weer eens te zien. Ik hoop dat het weer wat beter met U gaat. Zeer goede foto van een niet eenvoudig onderwerp, zeer goed werk.
gr, jaap

Hi Loot,
Amazing picture of this fish! Very nice colourful photo! Great detail! Very nice work!

Regards,
João

Wow, Loot. I need my sunglasses on. : P
The colors are absolutely briliiant, and the designs are exquisite. I love that light blue outline around the eyes and the edge of the body.
A stunning shot, my friend. Your skills as a photographer have really captured the beauty of this noble fish at its best.
TFS. : )

Hi Loot

Beautiful colours. I love the glow from their vibrant colours. Very nice camera work. Top quality shot. :-)

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2006-09-25 9:05]
  • [+]

Una de las joyas del acuario marino más preciada por los amantes de esta pasión.
Un excelente retratado con colores y agudeza muy nítidos y naturales.
Excelente POV mostrando la belleza de la totalidad del pez.
Nuevamente un gran control de la luz, sin destellos ni reflejos indeseables.
Por qué has elegido ISO 200 en este caso?
Qué modelo de flash utilizas en estas capturas, propietario o externo?
Gracias por todo... Ricardo

One of the jewels of the marine aquarium most valuable for those lovers of this passion.
An excellent portrait with colors and clear very sharpness and natural.
Excellent POV showing the beauty of the entirety of the fish.
Again a great control of the light, without gleams neither undesirable reflections.
Why did you have chosen ISO 200 in this case?.
How model of flash did you use in these captures, owner or external?
Thank you for everything... Ricardo

A singularly beautiful specimen, Loot. What an attractive collage of colours and patterns this majestic Emperor displays on its well-shaped body! These priceless gems of marine life from you are a unique contribution to this site.
How you manage such immaculate underwater images is a tribute to your extraordinary gift as a photographer.
Thanks for sharing this beauty.

Hello Loot,
I have to hand it to you. You've achieved excellent results. My experience at the aquarium here nearly devasted me ;) 95% of the shots were a wash..
Wonderful color here and excellent use of you flash.
Very nice work mf!

Hi Loot,

exellent shot,
this must be very difficult with all that reflecting glass.
superb sharpness and very good details
great POV and a nice blurry BG.

TFS Thijs

Hello Loot!
Your notes are very informative, it's always great to learn about new species.
Such a beautiful palette of colours on your Emperor Angelfish, vivid and sharp. Even the background have some soft but colourful additions. Nicely framed and composed. I'm glad to see you back Loot.
TFS Janice

Hallo mijn vriend.
Welke verbazen die vissen kijkt. Zeer mooi kleuren en detail. Enkel verbazend de verscheidenheid van het coloruful leven dat onder de oppervlakte bestaat. Dit is één van mijn favoriete vissen - het is zo mooi. Zekere Lord wist wat hij deed toen hij alle vogels, zoogdieren, insecten en bovenal de vissen creëerde. Deze fotodegenen bewijst opnieuw dat u een uitstekende fotograaf bent. Dankt nogmaals voor een dergelijke prachtige foto en dank voor het delen.
Neem goede zorg van zich.
Aaltjie

Hello Master of the Flash ;-)

Your pîcture of this so colorful fish is awesome!!! The colors look so natural! And what colors!!! Even the bg is as much colored than the fish :-) I understand why this fish is named emperor: a great dignity is coming from it!!! I'm always astonished by how the nature can bring those so wonderful colors within a single individual!!! The only negatibe point IMHO is that you cropped too much the picture (but maybe it is a full size picture...). The fish is a little bit too squeezed...

Great picture and TFS, Loot!

Michel

  • Great 
  • CTP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 644 W: 6 N: 946] (2726)
  • [2006-09-26 10:12]

Hi Loot,
Excellent Fish close-up my friend.
I like your vivid colors,pov,dof,focus,sharpness,bg and frame.TFS
Chris

Hi Loot,
It amazes me how well you have captured these aquarium shots. That is superb camera work to flash these shots thru glass and get these results. The colors are stunning. Nice sharp detail, and not a hint of flashback or glass glare. A really great job my friend! Beautiful shot. As usual, your notes are also superb.
Scott

Hi Loot,
This is a beautiful capture of this colorful fish. You caught great details with excellent exposure and nice DOF. Maybe I would have leaved a little more space around him but it is a matter of personal taste and as it was taken in a aquarium, I guess that the POV was limited… Nice shot with very interesting notes. Thanks for sharing,
Claudine

Hi Loot,
fascinating how you managed to demonstrate the brilliant neon colours of the Emperor's markings that seem to be glowing in the dark in spite of other bright colours around - exposure and flash very well managed, my friend!
The deep emerald, purple and blue colours of rocks or sponges in the background look a bit surprising - as if oversaturated, but obviously there seems to be a very colourful mixture of other organisms in that aquarium.
The fish looks very intense, and pictured in a very naturalistic, perfectly well describing way.
Thank you!
With best regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2006-09-28 1:30]

Hello my friend, how are you ?
It is a real pleasure to admire this superb aquatic shot here. The fish is lovely and original. Colors, sharpness, DOF and background are excellent. Instructive note too...
Bravo Loot and TFS.

Hi Loot,
It is great to see you 'up and running' again. I can imagine a little bit how frustrating it must have been for you not to be able to go outside and spend some long hours in nature. But I am sure that now that spring and summer are arriving all will be better and the great trips will follow. But, you already got your first good trip to the aquarium. Great work on the quality considering a really thick peace of glass needs to be concurred. Great colors and posture, and the flash helped greatly to illuminate the stunning colors and shapes.
TFS,
Niek

Hello Loot,
A colourful and very good looking fish!
Maybe he's a bit grumpy, but who cares with colours like that...
Very well exposed, difficult conditions isn't visible at all!
Well framed in a classical composition!
Greetings,
Pablo -

félicitations pour ce magnifique poisson d' aquaurim, couleurs splendides
bravo
edith

Hi Loot,
A wonderfuly nice acquarium shot. The colours in this fish are weirds, amaizings. Details captures despite the glass in front are excellent. The flash light not disturb fish eyes? In Argentina acquarium are prohibited flash light use.
Best regards
Hernán

Bonjour Loot!

Félicitations pour l'éclat des couleurs et la netteté. Bravo pour le bel éclairage.Contant de voir que tu est revenu sur le site

Merci pour l'envoie et au revoir...JP

Hi Loot,
Wonderful capture.I liked POV,colors,clear details,lighting and composition a lot.Excellent work!

Biswarup

Man o man, Loot,
How did you manage to register such BEAUTY within this frame? Those markings are AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL.
And your notes, so very detailed. Fascinating work.
Were you in the water with it? Or did you put the camera
flash with the glass?
You are quite a characture. Love ALL your photos!!!
Greetings from you know who ....

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-04-03 23:20]

Hello Loot

A beautiful and colourful fish.The details and colours are really nice.Well focused with excellent details.A very informative post, My father always said that it was important to learn something new everyday...thanks for todays lesson.TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • Dyker Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 136 W: 0 N: 57] (170)
  • [2007-05-19 5:14]

Hello Loot
Still busy with your "Ichthyology" gallery and this Emperor is a beaut. Once more your amazing ability to isolate the fish from the surroundings is brilliantly obvious in this shot. The colours of the fish is striking and showing those fluorescent like blue lines so clear. The focus is perfect and every single bit of detail is visible. The more I look at your fish photos, the more I would one day like to visit the aquarium with you just to watch and learn how you go about taking such lovely photos of this 'not-so-easy-as-it-looks' subjects.
Greetings
AC

Hallo Loot
I really like this image, and I think this is an excellent and most colourful shot with lots of amazing details .The colours and patterns are beautiful, and looks as if it has been painted by hand. Especially the stripes above the nose and over the eyes of the fish. The blurred, but still bright coloured corals that you used as background is just great looking, and adds speciality to this lovely image. You have managed to capture this Angle Fish with great clarity and if one would not have read your notes it will be difficult to believe that is actually captured through aquarium glass, as it seems as if there is no glass between it. Your excellent photographic skills and know how is once more proven here. Thanks for sharing.
Love
Anna

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