Hermit The Crab
Say wow! Really! This was a find! I happened to be shooting a nudibranch and the shell tumbled in front of me. Voila! I was curious and turned it over. The crab inside was active. Too bad for the snail that once lived here. My luck! We played peek-a-boo for a while. My dive buddy’s camera had malfunctioned. He hovered while I shot away.
Depth of field is near zero at macro. I learned a new trick. Make your aperture small. Well, it’s a good tip if you understand the terminology. And for anyone else it means that the eyes and the claws were hard to get into focus at the same time. But the detail using the close up lens was priceless. I didn’t know the claws had hairs. And I shot and shot. It takes a lot to get the technique, exposure, and focus. Yeah, it ain’t easy. I’m posting three shots. I could pic a favorite. But there isn’t a perfect image. And besides, you can see I got it about right three times.
Can you see the difference? I do. I’m a hard critic. I’ll get better at this. I appreciate more than you will ever know – how it is that the Nat Geo guys get the pic: Patience, perseverance, and luck. Yes, luck! Yup, I feel lucky. Right place, right time, and with right gear. Oh boy!
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