Story Behind the Shot "Lionfish Stares at its Lunch"

Ilan Ben Tov shares the story behind his Ocean Art category-winning image

Text and Photos By Ilan Ben Tov

The wreck of the Sufa lies in the northern part of the Red Sea, on the shores of the city of Eilat, which hosts a yearly congregation of glass sweepers. For a few weeks every year, the glass sweepers take shelter in the bridge of the sunken ship, numbering in the thousands and swimming so tightly they resemble a pseudo living organism.

The glass sweepers keep moving to avoid the predatory Lionfish and are forming new and varied shapes constantly, and along with the Lionfish, create excellent photography opportunities.

When the stories about the congregation arrived, I started planning the photography session. I knew that I wanted to take wide and close shots, and planned to use my Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye lens with arms spread wide to have a large area lighted by the strobes.

My dive buddy and I planned to dive mid-week in order to have as few divers as possible at the site, and during the afternoon in order to have the sun located at the correct angle. When we arrived we were glad to see that we were the only divers on the wreck.

At first, we looked at the bridge and we were sure that we had missed the congregation and that the glass sweepers left, but when we turned to the other side of the bridge we saw the big cloud of fish.

I spent several minutes just hovering in mid-water looking at the fish, trying to learn the pattern of their movement and trying to calculate the best place to be in order to take close shots. I finally made the decision and started shooting while following the Lionfish and finally I managed to shoot the photo that I wanted.

View the gear Ilan used, settings and the Ocean Art prize he won

View all the Ocean Art winning images

About the Author, Ilan Ben Tov

I am 48 years old and live in Ashdod, Israel. I love nature and especially the sea, and I have been an enthusiastic diver and underwater photographer for a long time. Most vacations are dedicated to underwater photography, and I do most of this in the waters of Eilat in the northern Red sea.

My Underwater gallery:   www.pbase.com/ilanbt/underwater

Further Reading

• Underwater Photography for Beginners

• UWPG's Best Destinations for Underwater Photography

• Lighting Fundamentals for Underwater Photography

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