Story Behind the Shot "Kirra Underwater"

Ray Collins shares the story behind his Ocean Art winning image

Text and Photos By Ray Collins

Without getting too deep or philosophical, this image was the start of a new direction in my life. I was starting to look at the ocean, and the world for that matter, with a renewed perspective. You see, i had given up drinking alcohol a few weeks before, not because it was some crippling thing for me, but I just found I was dedicating the best parts of the day to it on weekends. Any photographer will tell you the most favourable light is the golden hour, which happens in the first and last hours of each day. So rather than going to the pub, or being hungover, I would go and make images instead. It started as a year-long experiment that I enjoyed so much it's been well over 2 years and counting.

Anyway, back to the shot...

My then fiancée (now wife) and I were on a road trip up north and the water clarity was amazing. You could see the sand through the backs of the waves as they broke along the beach. I used an 8" dome port, which I do a lot of my underwater work with, and swam around for about 20 minutes. I seen this wave break past me, captured it, and knew that was the shot. When I swam in Amber, my wife, had coffee and banana bread waiting on a beach blanket ready to start our day.

View the gear Ray used, settings and the Ocean Art prize he won

More Incredible Wave Photos from Ray Collins

Beneath the Vortex

View all the Ocean Art winning images

About the Author

I bought my first camera in 2007 to shoot my  friends surfing around home, and within a few short years progressed to having companies such as Apple, Nikon, United Airlines, Isuzu, Qantas, Patagonia, National Geographic and Red Bull using my unique images across their international campaigns. I feel pretty lucky, as there were no plans it all just grew organically. Please check out more of my seascapes and moods of the ocean at www.raycollinsphoto.com or on instagram @raycollinsphoto

Further Reading

• Underwater Photography for Beginners

• UWPG's Best Destinations for Underwater Photography

• Lighting Fundamentals for Underwater Photography

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