Description
LOCATION: Papua New Guinea
STORY BEHIND THE SHOT: For over a year, I watched this perfect specimen of a gorgonian sea fan fly by as strong currents carried me past. I knew I wanted to do something special with it, but just couldn’t hold still long enough. With no tide charts for this part of the world, through patience and trial & error, I finally caught a short slack tide, and was able to spend just a few minutes before being blown off yet again. I let the light current push me towards the coral during a long exposure, used a zoom lens to expand the photo in the opposite direction, and hit it with a carefully-placed powerful pop of light from my flashes to freeze the image still. The resulting streaking at the edges causes many assume it’s photoshop, but with decades practicing this technique, I am able to keep it as pure photography, like every photo in my portfolio. Some have said they see the Tree Of Life in this shape, while others have mentioned they see a circulatory system. But it sure approaches abstractness! And I love the strong contrast of the primary red and blue colors. I spent over two years exploring the underwater coral gardens of Papua New Guinea, and still dream of these reefs which are arguably the healthiest on the planet.
Looking for more vibrantly colored corals? Check out Millions, with it’s countless cardinalfish and orange-red coral, and Whip It Good, which is a vertical photo, but has very similarly-colored coral.
TO PURCHASE ELECTRICITY AS A FINE ART PRINT ON ALUMINUM: Electricity needs to be kept in it’s original 3:2 horizontal ratio. You may purchase it in standard sizes online here, or for custom sizing, work with our amazing interior design team and use a Virtual Installation to previsualize it in your space.