Steve Parish Publishing

  Immerse yourself in image opportunities...

    ... Photograph Australia's underwater wonders

It's not only Australia's terrestrial landscapes that are a delight to photograph. This island continent is literally surrounded by spectacular submerged landscapes: seaweed meadows, estuaries, reefs, channels, tidal pools, and open oceans and coral cays that provide a kaleidoscopic gallery of subjects for photographers willing to look beneath the waves.

Steve started out as an underwater photographer, under the tutelage of underwater photographer Igo Oak and the New South Wales Underwater Research Group, a band of extremely enthusiastic underwater naturalists who collected and photographed specimens for the Australian Museum. He has dived on the Great Barrier Reef many times, capturing rare and bizarre species of echinoderms, crustaceans, marine worms and marine fish on camera. Nowadays, digital photography provides many advantages for budding underwater photographers, especially when working in low-light conditions that require a lot of blue-cast colour adjustment.

Photographing marine invertebrates

A 35 mm SLR camera housed with twin strobes for lighting, or an amphibious camera fitted with either a macro tube or close-up lens attachment (depending on the make of the camera) are two great options for macro work on marine invertebrates. If you're a beginner, consider a 100 mm lens with a strobe that provides enough power to enable you to stop down to f22/f32 when shooting at the closest possible proximity. You might also consider a wide-ange lens for photographing large invertebrates or scenes that show the animals in their natural habitats. Click here to read more about photographing marine invertebrates.

Photographing marine fish

For photographing fish, use a 35 mm SLR camera, preferably with a motor drive, in an underwater housing. A 105 mm macro lens will give excellent focus range for all but schools and larger species. The latter work is best performed with a wide-angle lens between 28 mm and 15 mm, or thereabouts. Click here to read more about photographing fish.

Want more tips for snorkellers and divers? Click here.

Check out Steve's top places for underwater photography

Underwater Australasia is an excellent site for divers, underwater photographers and marine life enthusiasts throughout Australiasia. Whether its gear, great marine images or diving information you're after, check it out by clicking on the link or on the logo below.

	Great Barrier Reef A World Heritage National Park The Great Barrier Reef attracts over two million visitors every year. It is one of the world's greatest natural wonders and one of the planet's most biodiverse habitats. In a country noted for its physical beauty, the Great Barrier Reef is Australia's crowning jewel. This lavish and unique portrait of The Great Barrier Reef represents a bold new direction for Steve Parish Publishing as we embrace the expertise and creative talent of new authors and photographers in 2007. $59.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741931310
	Amazing Facts about Australian Marine Fishes This book is packed full of fascinating information, and you'll be amazed at how much you learn about Australia's marine fishes by diving into the pages that follow. Australia has a vast array of marine fishes that live in a wide range of habitats and regions. All are adapted perfectly to their environments, employing unique strategies for survival. It gives me great pleasure to publish this book, which will help unlock the secrets of the magnificent creatures that live in our surrounding seas. Delve into the mystery of how fishes evolved in the sea; uncover the three groups of fishes and their amazing adaptability; learn about the history of fishes; where fishes live; the features of sharks and rays and the features of bony fishes. Get the facts on how sharks eat and breathe; their unusual buoyancy control; their viviparous pregnancies; the camouflage techniques of bony fishes; the male brooding pouch of seahorses; the sex-changing emperors; and a whole host of many more remarkable facts! Discovering amazing facts about Australia has captivated me since I was a child. I pored over books, watched countless documentaries and enjoyed visiting science centres and museums. I hope that, like me, you will enjoy reading about the myriad sea fishes that make their living in their own special way, interacting with other fishes, animals and plants that share the spectacular environment of Australia's seas. $19.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741932297
	Amazing Facts about Australian Marine Life This book is packed full of information and you'll be amazed at how much you learn about Australia's marine life by dipping into the remarkable facts presented. Some of the extraordinary creatures in this book may be new to you. Some of them you will no doubt recognise, but may not have considered animals! All of them will surprise you with their curious physiology and incredibly complicated and diverse behaviour. Within these pages you will find colourful corals (using a range of survival strategies to out-compete their neighbours), killer sea stars, cunning cephalopods and a host of wonderful invertebrates (including the ancestors of all vertebrates). Perhaps what you learn from this book will delight you so much that you'll want to delve deeper into the amazing lives of Australia's marine creatures. With great enthusiasm I set out on another incredible adventure of learning and discovery. I hope that, like me, you'll embark on our discovery of the world of Australian marine life and never cease to be amazed. $19.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741933000
	A Wild Australia Guide: Sea Mammals & where to watch them Australians are lucky to live alongside more than half of the world's marine mammal species. This practical Wild Australia Guide "takes the reader underwater" - with colour photos and authoritative text - to identify each species and reveal the complex societies of these beautiful mammals that are so perfectly adapted to life in a buoyant, underwater world. With details of land-based vantage points as well as the increasing number of expedition boats to the bays, islands and offshore waters where these animals live, this book gives everyone the chance to explore the lives of these acrobatic, majestic and mysterious creatures. $14.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741933284
	Wild Australia Guide Marine Fish From the unusual mating systems of weedfish that give birth to live young, to the man-killing reputation of the awe-inspiring Great Barracuda, Australian marine fish cover a spectacular and diverse range of sizes, shapes and colours. A quarter of the world's marine fish are found in Australian waters. This Wild Australia Guide provides a simple but amazingly informative introduction to the common marine fish that inhabit our near-shore waters. Their lives are bursting with interesting facts for you to discover. Using superb photographs and comprehensive text, this practical field guide gives readers an insight into the fascinating world of Australian marine fish. $14.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741934229
	Wild Australia Guide: Marine Life Spectacularly beautiful or barely noticeable — Australian marine life is an astonishing world of colour and complexity. From the death-dealing jab of a Textile Cone Shell to the synchronised mass spawnings of corals — each creature has a fascinating story to tell about its origins and growth. This practical Wild Australia Guideopens the door to a world of wonder — not only enabling the reader to recognise these amazing life forms by reference to the superb photographs, but providing information about where they live, what they eat, and how they behave and breed. Using superb photographs and comprehensive text, this field guide provides an introduction to the multitude of organisms that inhabit our shores and seas. $14.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741934236
	A Wild Australia Guide: Sharks & Rays The evolutionary perfection of sharks and rays in their natural habitat is truly mesmerising. As snorkel and scuba access to our oceans improves, more and more people are seizing the chance to see these charismatic fish "at home" in the sea. This Steve Parish Wild Australia Guide offers an excellent insight into the lives of shark and ray species that live around Australia - how to identify them, how they behave, what they eat, where they live and how they breed. Despite apparently little need for any changes in body plan over the past 450 million years, sharks and rays have evolved some very complex features, such as body temperature regulation, advanced eyesight and sensitivity to electrical impulses. The aim of this Wild Australia Guide is to promote understanding of this misunderstood group of fish, which is increasingly threatened due to human persecution and overfishing. $14.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741933277
	Wild Australia Guide Dangerous & Deadly Wildlife Many visitors to Australia feel slightly nervous at the thought of a continent teeming with incredibly "dangerous" and "ferocious" animals. Our fascination with folklore and terrifying tales of native killers has created fear in the minds of visitors and locals alike. Australia is one of the world's twelve nations scientifically recognised as "megadiverse", so it is full of fascinating animals. All animals have to face being eaten, and so have evolved different defences. This practical field guide puts public perception into perspective in order to avoid misunderstanding and enable us to enjoy our fascinating native wildlife while leaving it undisturbed. High-quality photographs and information on appearance, behaviour and distribution make this book perfect for anyone who has ever wondered about the truth of Australia's "deadly and dangerous." $14.95Add to Cart ISBN: 9781741934052
	Australian Sea Critters Fact File The ocean is filled with amazing and mind-boggling critters that have developed very bizarre ways of life. Many of these animals are beautiful, with bold colours and intricate patterns. Some are dangerous or deadly. Some don't even look like animals! Learn all about these fascinating creatures, from kaleidoscopic corals to stinging sea jellies, with the Australian Sea Critters Fact File. The Fact File range is the perfect resource for school project work. Expert authors have compiled the most up-to-date facts and figures to provide a comprehensive and fascinating overview of Australia's wildlife. The text is simple yet informative, describing where the animals live, what they look like, what they eat, how they reproduce, and what their conservation status is. The detailed animal profiles are complemented by outstanding full-colour photographs by Steve Parish and other world-renowned nature photographers. $10.95Add to Cart ISBN: 1740219600
	Australian Sea Fishes Fact File With thousands of different types of fish living in Australian marine waters, there really is a whole new world to discover under the sea. Learn all about these fascinating creatures, from awe-inspiring great barracudas to cute seahorses, with the Australian Sea Fishes Fact File. The Fact File range is the perfect resource for school project work. Expert authors have compiled the most up-to-date facts and figures to provide a comprehensive and fascinating overview of Australia's wildlife. The text is simple yet informative, describing where the animals live, what they look like, what they eat, how they reproduce, and what their conservation status is. The detailed animal profiles are complemented by outstanding full-colour photographs by Steve Parish and other world-renowned nature photographers. $10.95Add to Cart ISBN: 1740219619
	Australian Sharks and Rays Fact File Sharks and rays are a very misunderstood group of fish. Although many people think sharks are bloodthirsty predators, they don't deserve this reputation. Sharks have much more reason to fear humans than we do to fear them. Discover the truth about these fascinating creatures, from the infamous white shark to the gentle manta ray, with the Australian Sharks and Rays Fact File. The Fact File range is the perfect resource for school project work. Expert authors have compiled the most up-to-date facts and figures to provide a comprehensive and fascinating overview of Australia's wildlife. The text is simple yet informative, describing where the animals live, what they look like, what they eat, how they reproduce, and what their conservation status is. The detailed animal profiles are complemented by outstanding full-colour photographs by Steve Parish and other world-renowned nature photographers. $10.95Add to Cart ISBN: 1740219562
	Australian Sea Mammals Fact File Australia plays an important part in protecting sea mammals, many of which are vulnerable to extinction due to earlier hunting practices. From majestic whales to playful dolphins, sea mammals are truly intriguing animals and need us to take an interest in their welfare to ensure their survival. Learn all about these fascinating creatures with the Australian Sea Mammals Fact File. The Fact File range is the perfect resource for school project work. Expert authors have compiled the most up-to-date facts and figures to provide a comprehensive and engaging overview of Australia's wildlife. The text is simple yet informative, describing where the animals live, what they look like, what they eat, how they reproduce, and what their conservation status is. The detailed animal profiles are complemented by outstanding full-colour photographs by Steve Parish and other world-renowned nature photographers. $10.95Add to Cart ISBN: 1740219554