Coral Garden

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 9, 20121,146 views28 comments

I recently had the opportunity to spend 3 weeks in American Samoa to help a friend with his scientific research project on coral bleaching. I was on Tutuila for the majority of the trip, but managed to get myself to Ofu for a few days. That place must be one of the most spectacular and pristine tropical island in the pacific! This is one of my favorite images from the trip, an over/under of the coral reef right off of national park beach. I'll be posting many more images on my blog in the near future.

Unfortunately the smaller version simply doesn't work what with all the diverse detail and light, so please do view the larger version.

Comments

28 comments

Comment posted by Richard Hartmann on February 9, 2012 at 1:50 AM

You always seem to bring new stuff to the table. Love the bright light and colors. Nice comp above and below the water. Not something I normally see with this type of shot.

Registered on January 15, 2009, 13 Posts, 772 Comments

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on February 9, 2012 at 1:55 AM

Unique and mind twisting image Floris. I can't quite get a bearing on the scale. It looks like the water is really shallow, but big like a bath tub at the same time. I really like the illuminated palm trees on the left hand side. I am sure you probably did this on purpose, but the shadows look a little dark above those trees in the mountains. Anyways, it's a neat image and it's always inspiring to see you post.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on February 9, 2012 at 2:34 AM

pretty awesome depth to this one... the aqua green forest stretches seemingly to infinity. glad you got (bought) underwater housing that doesn't fog!

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on February 9, 2012 at 3:45 AM

How you could get this without destroying them kinda blows my mind...sick work. Stoked to see the rest. I think Anderson said the same thing about Ofu when he visited. Way to make it on the company dollar :)

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on February 9, 2012 at 4:07 AM

floris - you're right that the smaller version doesn't do much for you. the larger version is great. i wonder about the colour temps - the air looks perfect but i wonder more about the watery part??? nice work, though, and look forward to seeing more from here ...

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on February 9, 2012 at 4:09 AM

Thanks Aaron - yep, finding a photogenic spot that was conveniently next to a sandy patch that I could safely stand on without disturbing any of the corals turned out to be very tricky, but fortunately one did exist! Photographing the underwater reef is harder than the jungle, even without the complications of being underwater, constantly moving!

Stuart - not sure what you think should change about the underwater color temperature?

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on February 9, 2012 at 5:40 AM

Fantastic shot Floris.

Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on February 9, 2012 at 9:26 AM

Nice work, Floris. Must've been tough to find a sandy spot to stand in with all that sharp coral around -- was it? Also, how tough was it to find a spot where the water was this calm? I assume that anything but calm water would be difficult for over/under shots.

My only nit is the black hillside in the ULC -- I wish it showed more detail, but it's not a big issue. Also, a big fish or two would really add to things -- weren't there any of those around, or was it just that they didn't want to swim too close to you?

Nice work on the new watermark, too.

Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Pramod Viswanath on February 9, 2012 at 9:54 AM

Simply fabulous! As always you have nailed it awesomely well Floris. The amount of work that has gone behind these images cannot be explained in words. ^^Bows^^.

PS: Saw other images on your website - each one is a gem on its own!

Registered on December 4, 2008, 60 Posts, 697 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on February 9, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Different and very interesting. The depth of field is amazing.

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on February 9, 2012 at 10:34 AM

A beautiful work (and stitch—from your blog). The mountain on the left could be brighter.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Ben Horne on February 9, 2012 at 11:20 AM

Wow, this has a really nice feel to it. I think it has to do with the wonderfully lit palm trees, as well as the color and lighting of the coral in the foreground. I disagree with the others about the darkness of the mountain in the upper left. I think it looks great as is, and the contrast is needed to help balance the under water scene. I think many people are trying to recover too much shadow tone these days --- which results in very flat, lifeless images. The richness of the shadow tone is one of the things that gives this image depth.

Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on February 9, 2012 at 12:23 PM

Thanks folks for the comments and feedback!

Kory - the whole lagoon was very, very calm. Of course, the seas were as calm as anyone ever remembers them being that week. There were lots of fish around, but getting one to swim within 2 feet of the camera at a slow enough speed so as not to blur while simultaneously getting the right kind of wave form in the waters edge proved to be impossible. There are some fish visible if you look close, especially in the full resolution file.

Ben - I completely agree with you! If you brighten shadows too much you lose all the life and contrast of the lighting.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on February 9, 2012 at 12:23 PM

very nice Floris, love the elements in this scene

the larger version is amazing

Hamed

Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on February 9, 2012 at 1:05 PM

What an incredible scene. I really like the split view with the under over water. The details in the large version are phenomenal. What type of housing did you use for this?

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on February 9, 2012 at 1:16 PM

Cool, i was hoping you'd bring some stuff back from the Islands! This works for me, looks like a challenging shot. A fish swimming by would have put it over the top though

Lol--now i just read Kory's comment--see, you should have brought a fish with you!

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Margaret Summers on February 9, 2012 at 2:09 PM

Very pretty scene and interesting perspective. I'm glad to see a photo taken during "daylight" hours that looks so good. Must be a lovely place.

Registered on May 24, 2011, 54 Posts, 99 Comments

Comment posted by Adam Gibbs on February 9, 2012 at 2:22 PM

Cool perspective Floris. Not a bad place to hang out I am sure.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 168 Posts, 870 Comments

Comment posted by INGOMA on February 9, 2012 at 3:41 PM

Oh my , Floris, this is one of the best over/under images, especially as landscapes are concerned, that I have seen. The two worlds seem to complement one another and that is what makes this so powerful. Wonderful work.

Registered on July 2, 2004, 231 Posts, 3110 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on February 9, 2012 at 3:46 PM

Thanks folks!

Peter - I used an aquatech sport housing with an 8in dome port.

Margaret - thanks! Making photographs that involve direct sunlight on both my foreground and background is the type of lighting I like working with most. Pretty sunsets are cool, but they just don't capture the vivacious essence of the wilderness for me.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Kartik Venkatarama on February 9, 2012 at 4:59 PM

Spectacular...a great comp that must have been a real challenge to capture

Registered on July 27, 2007, 197 Posts, 830 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on February 9, 2012 at 11:33 PM

Wow Floris! That is some impressive coral. I really like how you captured both above and below the water in a single frame. Very well done.

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Abdullaziz Bin Ali on February 10, 2012 at 2:56 AM

Love these hard corals
amazing and creative perspective

Registered on May 31, 2009, 112 Posts, 1590 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on February 10, 2012 at 3:33 PM

Awesome Floris! What a wonderful over/under image. Lot's to explore underneath and a tropical paradise above. Beautifully executed!

Must be nice....

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on February 10, 2012 at 7:37 PM

Amazing perspective Floris! I like the mix of warm tones above and cooler tones below.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on February 10, 2012 at 8:19 PM

Astounding image, Floris, simply spectacular. The color and everything for that matter is gorgeous. The larger image is definitely a must see. Stunning.