Garibaldi

To capture the Garibaldi’s brilliant orange hue, lighting is your most important factor. If you are using an underwater camera housing near a dock or in a tide pool, position your camera so the sun is behind you, illuminating the fish directly. This prevents the Garibaldi from appearing as a dark silhouette and allows the camera's sensor to pick up the high-saturation orange that makes this species famous. Since they are diurnal, mid-day sessions provide the most natural light penetration through the water column.

Because Garibaldi are extremely territorial, you don't need to chase them; the best strategy is to place your camera on a weighted tripod or mount it to a stable rock near a known "nesting" site—identifiable by a patch of manicured red algae. Once the camera is set, back away. Within minutes, the resident Garibaldi will likely return to inspect the new object. They are naturally curious and will often swim directly up to the lens, providing excellent close-up shots without the need for a zoom lens.

For those using action cameras with motion-detection features, set the sensitivity to high to account for underwater particles, but be prepared for a lot of footage. If your camera has a "vivid" color profile setting, enable it to help the orange pop against the blue-green of the kelp forest. During the spring spawning season, look for males performing their "gardening" behavior; setting your camera to time-lapse mode can capture the fascinating process of them cleaning their rocky nests and removing unwanted debris.