Male Tomato Clownfish by David Doubilet
In the April 19, 2014 issue, the David Doubilet series in the Schleswig-Holstein Journal, the magazine of the Schleswig-Holstein newspaper publisher, continues with my article about Doubilet's portrait of a bizarre tropical fish:
Commenting on this great shot of a red anemonefish (Amphiprion), also known as a clownfish, David Doubilet wrote: "For me, underwater photography is a combination of visual dreams and intense curiosity."
This credo in its original formulation - visual dreams and intense curiosity - was so succinct for us, the "makers" of his first retrospective in the world, that we chose it as the subtitle of the entire project in consultation with David Doubilet. And when illustrating the exhibition brochure, we accordingly decided on this close-up of a clownfish - a species that occurs in the coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific and lives in close symbiosis with sea anemones. Clownfish lay their eggs near the base of the anemone. The clutch of around 250 eggs is then cleaned by the male with his mouth and fanned with his pectoral fins for seven to eight days.
After a week, the larvae hatch and initially stay near their birthplace. After another two to three weeks, the young fish move to the nearest coral reef in search of an anemone.
David Doubilet's intimate portrait of a male clownfish caring for its young is typical of his style of underwater photography: he is not only interested in depicting a tropical fish in all its glory, but in showing it as a living being in an interaction that touches us and motivates us to preserve nature.
The Exhibition with the pictures of the renowned underwater photographer in the Schleswig City Museum - combined with a special event that is unique in Germany: “David Doubilet live in Schleswig” also on May 16th at 20 p.m. (banquet hall of the Danish high school AP Møller-Skolen). Advance sales at all known presale locations in Schleswig or by email: stadtmuseum@schleswig.de
