How to Photograph Sea Horses and Sea Dragons
From the family Syngnathinae come the majestic, cute, and often elusive seahorses, seadragons, and pipefish. As masters of camouflage, these creatures can be difficult to find and photograph in their busy, colourful marine environments.
In this article, we’ll look at some helpful tips and information for getting great images of some of the species that make up this intriguing underwater family of marine life.
Of the group, seahorses are likely the most recognisable and sought-after, so I will focus on them in this piece. No matter your audience, everyone knows and loves these creatures, easily identifiable by both their charming name and striking silhouette.
Their images are used everywhere for promotion related to the underwater world, and they are probably the first underwater animal that a child can identify.
Read more: How to Take Charismatic Portraits of Marine Life
How to find seahorses
Seahorses come in a fascinating array of shapes, colours, and sizes, with 46 species of seahorse currently recognised.
They are relatively common, and there are many species worldwide. You can identify which species are prevalent in your local diving locations by looking online or in underwater animal guidebooks.
This is a useful link for identifying seahorses and containing further helpful information.
The Leafy and Weedy (or Common) seadragons are endemic to southern Australian waters, so you’ll have to plan a dive trip here to photograph these enigmatic creatures.
Pipefish can be very tricky to photograph, partly due to their small size but also their length, which can make achieving a nice composition difficult.
Ideally, you would focus on the eye and then include their whole body in the image. However, this isn’t always easy as, like seahorses, they are likely to turn away from you or stretch their bodies out of your viewfinder.
Using a snoot to isolate their face is a good option, but be aware of the background, as it may not be attractive. Be ready to blur it with a shallow depth of field or adjust your position so that you can frame them against a blue or black background.
Then there are the mushroom coral and Xenia pipefish, which are in constant fast motion themselves, as well as being wrapped around coral that moves back and forth!
Patience and speed are your only weapons for these creatures. On the upside, those in the Ghost pipefish family are relatively easy to shoot.
Read more: How to Take Great Underwater Photography Action Shots
Important information
There are some important things to bear in mind when hoping to photograph these fascinating creatures.
Because seahorses often inhabit the same spot for a long time, photographers have always been advised to show restraint and be aware that they cannot simply swim away as a fish might.
For example, in the UK, the northernmost limit of European seahorses, flash photography is limited or prohibited as a precaution.
In Australia, research has shown that flash does not harm their eyes or their ability to feed, but it is clear that touching and moving them is harmful. They must not be moved or tampered with in order to get a better background or profile.
Most of the species found in this family are a nightmare to photograph; they will see you coming from a mile off and turn away, showing you the back of their heads in defiance!
But sometimes, with patience, you will be able to find an individual that is equally patient and happy for you to hang around long enough to experiment with your lighting and settings to compose a successful image.
Once spotted, patience is a virtue, and it hopefully will reward you with a confident seahorse who might decide to show their curiosity in you. Be ready!
Top Tip: Time your dive accordingly! Although you can find and photograph seahorses during the day, dusk is probably the best time for many species as they start to come out at night. Then, they are more plentiful and tolerant. This may not be true of all species, so get advice from your dive guide or a local expert.
Read more: Underwater Photography Ethics and Code of Conduct
Equipment
For most situations and species, a macro lens will be the lens of choice, while for the tiny pygmy seahorses, a wet super-macro diopter will be useful.
However, if you are photographing Leafy or Weedy seadragons, you will benefit from using a wide-angle lens to better capture their unique body shapes and how they suit their habitat.
Beautiful portraits of these longer-bodied creatures can still be taken with a macro lens, and at certain times of the year, it is possible to find tiny babies or a large male with eggs.
However, you must be aware that if a male dragon with eggs feels threatened, it can drop its eggs to escape, and those eggs are lost forever.
Top Tip: When planning the equipment you’ll need to photograph the fascinating seadragon, remember that, in order to shoot a full-body adult in all its glory, you will need a wide-angle lens or fisheye.
Read more: What Equipment Do You Need for Underwater Photography?
Essential camera settings
For the most part, this is going to come down to your own creative choices, but there are some useful tips to bear in mind.
Seahorses are masters of camouflage; if you find your seahorse subject in an attractive setting, it usually means that they look like it and will be very hard to distinguish from their surroundings.
A macro lens will naturally give you a shallow depth of field, so as long as your composition and focus are right, you should be able to achieve some separation.
Black sand (muck) is not the most appealing of backgrounds, and many seahorses are found in this habitat, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
This is where some creative lighting – snooting and/or backlighting skills – can be useful, or creating a black background with a fast shutter speed can produce pleasing results.
Juvenile seahorses and pipefish are commonly found during blackwater diving, where they will find a strand of debris to cling to. A nice black background is easy to achieve as long as strobe positioning is correct, though some post-production for backscatter may be necessary.
A 60mm lens is the best choice, and suggested settings are ISO 400, f/18, and 1/250 shutter speed. Make sure your first blackwater dives are undertaken with an experienced and reputable dive resort, as safety is paramount.
Read more: An Introduction to Using Strobes in Underwater Photography
How to photograph seahorses and seadragons
Here are a few tips and tricks that I have painstakingly learned over the years
1. Be comfortable in the water
Make sure your buoyancy is great; do not flap around in the current. If you are not steady in the water, you won’t gain the confidence of your seahorse, and you may damage its habitat or cause it to swim away.
Additionally, you won’t be able to focus on your subject and get a sharp image. Mastering your diving skills is essential to photographing these sensitive subjects.
Remember to be aware of yourself as a diver. Because many seahorses are near the seafloor and often in sandy areas, ensure you are mindful of your fin position. Don’t kick the sand, as this will ruin the area for yourself and others.
Keep your fins well away from the seahorse and other animals that you may not notice.
Top tip for minimising disturbance: Breathe and inflate slightly to move away from an area, keeping your feet above your bum. Learn to frog kick.
Read more: 6 Essential Dive Skills for Underwater Photographers
2. Consider your approach
If you know there is a seahorse ‘over there,’ you can be sure that it knows where you are. Think about how you will swim calmly towards it and where you will position yourself for the best angle.
It’s best to get yourself organised in advance of the shoot: have a good idea of how you want to capture the seahorse you are planning to photograph. Make sure your camera is set up correctly, that you are carrying the right equipment, and that you know how to use it.
Experiment with your lighting and camera settings on a nearby piece of weed so that you don’t waste your time – and the seahorse’s patience – optimising settings on your subject.
Seadragons, in particular, are not keen on lots of strobe action, so pick your moment and remember to take special care around egg-bearing males. Try to shoot when you think you have a good chance, and don’t just spray and pray.
Top Tip: Take a few shots and then move away for a few minutes to give the dragon a chance to settle and return to its calm state. You can always come back later and try again!
3. Get help
Some seahorses, such as pygmies, are difficult to see through your viewfinder. Your dive guide or buddy can help by pointing them out and withdrawing their pointer when you are ready.
Remember, looking through your camera viewfinder provides magnification, making it easier to see your subject and be ready to shoot.
Of course, take great care while finning. It’s very possible to pass right over a seadragon, pipefish, or seahorse without even noticing it.
4. Patience is a virtue
To successfully photograph this delicate family of sea creatures, you will need boatloads of patience!
Be wise enough to accept that if your seahorse doesn’t want to cooperate, it’s best to leave it alone and search for another one.
When spotting a seadragon, the best thing you can do is hang back and wait. They are curious and will watch you attentively. Some are shy; others less so. It’s all about picking your moment. If you crowd them, they will turn away, and all you will get is tail photos!
It is vitally important never to try to move seadragons to get a better background. They have an extremely delicate swim bladder, highly susceptible to rapid depth changes, which can kill them. Keep your distance as much as possible, especially with egg-bearing males.
In conclusion
Creating a portfolio of seahorse, seadragon, and pipefish images is a rewarding, albeit challenging, task.
Respect the sensitivity of these species and prepare yourself before a dive to give yourself the best chance of success when you’re in their vicinity. Read up on the rules and regulations surrounding the disturbance of your chosen subjects before you get in the water with them.
It can be helpful to go on dive trips dedicated to macro photography to provide the best opportunities, or in the case of seadragons, to find a local expert who can help.
Ultimately, enjoy the experience of being underwater with these marvels of nature and creating images to share with the wider world.
For an approved code of conduct while diving around dragons, check out this link.
