The calico was right in the viewer’s face, eyes locked, almost daring you to stare it down. How we got the shot.
SOME UNDERWATER IMAGES are built around rarity. Others are built around behavior. And some of the most memorable images come from something even more familiar: personality. The right moment can make an ordinary subject look extraordinary.
Catalina Island, CA is full of marine life that local divers see again and again, but familiarity should never be mistaken for simplicity. The more time you spend underwater with a camera, the more you begin to connect with these animals and see them as residents of a world with its own order, purpose, and meaning.
Some fish push confidently into your frame. Some hold back and watch. Some flare, hover, inspect, or vanish the moment you begin to compose. A fisheye lens can be an incredible tool for capturing that energy because it helps the viewer feel close to the encounter.
I was reminded of this while hovering in about three feet of water, photographing a Discover Scuba course that my mother-in-law was taking through Catalina Divers Supply. As I worked, I noticed a group of calico bass, garibaldi, and perch staring at their reflections in my dome port.
At first, I did not think much of it. This is fairly standard at Casino Point. Fish often swim over to inspect the new arrival, decide you are not especially interesting, and then move on. This time, however, they did not move on as quickly as they usually would. Some circled. Some hovered. Some just stared. It seemed as if they had formed a committee.
One calico in particular kept pushing forward with oddly confrontational energy. It was giving main-character vibes. I knew almost immediately that this fish was going to become my subject. The only problem was that I was not there to do a fish portrait session. I was supposed to be photographing my mother-in-law’s first scuba experience. At some point, I can only assume the fish were briefed on my actual assignment and decided to interfere for their own entertainment.
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Luckily, I was able to fire off a few frames before dropping down to photograph the class.
There was nothing rare or especially glamorous about the subjects in that image. If you have dived anywhere in Southern California, you have probably seen hundreds, if not thousands, of calico bass, garibaldi, and perch. What made the frame work was that it showed something familiar in a different way. The calico was right in the viewer’s face, eyes locked, almost daring you to stare it down. The garibaldi added color and attitude from the edges, and the rest of the fish turned the scene into more of a cast than a crowd.
The lesson is simple: when working with a fisheye, find the subject that feels like the anchor, then let everything else support the story around it. That idea carries across some of Catalina’s most iconic marine life.
Take the giant black sea bass as an example. Photographing one is rarely just about scale, although scale is certainly part of the thrill. The strongest images often happen when the fish feels calm, aware, and comfortable with your presence. A giant black sea bass does not need to do much to feel powerful. If you rush the approach, it will swim away and you may leave the water with the classic tail shot. But if you slow down, hold position, and let the animal settle, the photograph can begin to feel less like a sighting and more like a meeting. With a fisheye, you can capture the bulk of its face while still including enough blue water or kelp to show the world it inhabits.
Sea lions bring another kind of personality entirely. They are called the puppies of the sea for a reason. They are playful, fast, and often just as interested in you as you are in them. That shared curiosity is gold for wide-angle work, but it also means the photographer has to stay calm and ready. Do not chase them. Be patient and they will often come to you. The best frames may happen in a split second, when one banks toward the lens, twists through a shaft of light, or pauses long enough to make eye contact. What makes the image memorable is not only the movement, but the feeling that the animal chose to enter the frame.
Garibaldi, California’s vibrant and famously feisty marine state fish, offer the opposite challenge. They are smaller, brighter, quicker to react, and full of attitude. A garibaldi guarding a nest, zigzagging across the frame, or darting toward the camera can feel almost theatrical. The temptation is to chase that energy, but that usually works against you. It is far better to anticipate their movement and let them slide into your composition. With a fisheye, even a single garibaldi can dominate the frame when it moves close to the dome.
Across all of these subjects, one principle remains the same: behavior leads composition. A fisheye lens can create drama, but it cannot invent authenticity. That comes from observation. Spend time watching how an animal behaves in its natural environment. Notice whether it circles back, stands its ground, hides, or approaches. Ask yourself what makes that moment specific, then compose around that behavior.
This is especially important for photographers working close to home. There is a tendency to think the familiar must also be ordinary. Catalina proves otherwise every day. The subjects we see most often may still have the most to teach us if we take the time to slow down and look more carefully.
A fisheye lens does not just frame the space around an animal. At its best, it opens a window into the subtle dramas and intimate details of a world that is fully alive with or without us. When that happens, even a familiar local subject can become unforgettable.
About the Authors: Steven Lopez, MSc, and Dr. Carmen Obied are the photographers behind Explorers Photography. They can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok at @explorersphotography and online at http://www.explorersphotography.com. Steven and Carmen also serve on the Board of Directors for the Catalina Underwater Festival at the Avalon Casino. Date announcement coming soon!
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