Stalking the Void.
by Michael Anderson
A common scene along the pristine reefs of Marovo Lagoon in The Solomon Islands.
The Solomons are a true wilderness paradise, the last frontier for travel in the South Pacific. The reefs have some of the greatest biodiversity in the world and since there is very little tourist infrastructure, the islands are a dream destination for those seeking real adventure in the South Seas. Monitor Lizards roam the beaches, shark callers still practice their ancient art, and dense rainforests cloak the slopes of smoking volcanoes. It's a stunning landscape both above and below the surface of the sea.
Canon 5D Mark II and Aquatica Underwater Housing. Ambient light without a flash.
I have always felt that underwater photography focuses a lot on individual 'fauna', but is rarely photographed in the spirit of a 'landscape' image. I'm hoping that my new portfolio of underwater images brings that sense of the underwater 'landscape' home to you guys, the best landscape photographers on the planet. This is why I posted it in 'ESS', but I understand if moderators want to move it to 'Fauna'.
(Technical info about this shot is added in a post below)
Comments
36 commentsWhat a nice break from the usual images (which are beautiful). I love the framing of the school of fish all around. Whats even cooler is the shark tail going away with the pilot fish right behind. What a great experience. Is this a reef shark or black tip?
Wonderful shot
I'm glad you posted this one here.
I'm curious if the live view is of much use when composing underwater.
Guy
Great shot--thanks for sharing!
While Fauna may be more generally appropriate, there is something in ES&S labeled "Sea," so I think you're ok.
Fantastic imagery.
Lon
I'd love to be able to get into underwater photography, but the housings are ridiculously expensive and then there's the SCUBA certification and being in a place that's warm with clear water and interesting underwater features (not so much around Long Island).
- Luke
I love the composition and the main subject is stunning
Technical stuff about the shot: I took this while snorkeling and I was only about 4 feet deep. It was taken in the late afternoon around 4pm when there was good sidelight and the tide was coming in to the lagoon bringing crystal clear visability conditions. I also used a polarizer and shot 90 degrees from the sun to give the fish colors an extra pop. But the polarizer and late day shooting have the drawback of lower overall ambient light on the sensor and that is a big issue underwater. Yet I feel that underwater flash often creates unrealistic color. So to keep it all natural, I needed a higher ISO than I would during midday shooting. Underwater photography is also unique in the need for high f-stops to get decent depth of field. The camera is actually photographing a 'virtual image' created by the housing dome and the result is very little DOF until you get to high f-stop numbers. So this was shot at f10 1/80 sec and those parameters required an ISO of 1000 (!) for proper exposure 4 feet underwater. I used noiseworks to eliminate a small amount of noise in the Raw file. The 5D Mk II 'live view' was very helpful in composing shots underwater if you need your peripheral vision to watch out for other sharks. Having your eye glued to the viewfinder underwater was a bit claustrophobic and also required you to hold your breath while shooting under the surface, whereas the live view permits you to view the LCD when the camera is 2 feet underwater but you can still breathe through a snorkel at the surface. The problem with live view is the shutter delay between shots. I shot both ways, and this particular image was taken with my eye to the viewfinder swimming below the surface following the shark through the school of fish snapping away in continuous mode. This was the best shot of that group of images.
I still have a ton to learn about underwater photography but if you guys have relatively simple questions, I may be able to help answer them.
For those that asked: this is a black tipped reef shark about 5-6 feet long. There were also whalers and lemon sharks in the area.
-Mike
Are you kidding? This is a rare treat, here in the Earth, Sea & Sky Gallery, or anywhere else on the planet.
Albert Darmo Canada