I was flipping through my Wakatobi shots again tonight, and I stumbled upon this one of a Signalfin Goby (Coryphopterus signipinnis).

These guys are fairly tiny little fish - maxing out at about 1.25" - and are extremely skittish. To be honest, I don't even remember taking this photo.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/50th sec at f/8. Image Stabilization on. ISO 400 (Auto). Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Removed Color Cast, Adjust Brightness -50, Contrast +10 in Photoshop Elements 8.0 (mouseover for original).

I know the shot is extremely over-exposed with the semi-translucent body of the fish and the bright white sand of the reef, even with having pulled the brightness back in Photoshop, but I am pretty pleased with the crisp focus and clarity (something I struggled with on this trip) - especially for such a small skittish subject.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think of the shot, and of the post production work.

- Bill