Eyes on Fire – Scorpionfish

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Spotted Scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri) – Blue Heron Bridge, Riviera Beach, Fl

Scorpionfish use camouflage as their primary means of predation.  They cultivate a garden of algae on their face and body to blend in with their surroundings, often disappearing with a paint job perfectly matched with their hunting grounds.  This algae, however, responds bright red when excited with our high-intensity fluoro lights.  Unsure of how close I could really get to the animal and achieve a nice picture, I slipped in close enough where I could see myself in its eye, beyond its new, fiery hair color.

Canon G15, Nauticam NAG15, Fix Neo Blue Dx1200, 65mm Yellow filter

1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO800


Image of a Spotted Scorpionfish eye, taken with ambient (white) light showing its normal coloration.