1st Place Coldwater Ocean Art Safe Under The Sea
1st Place Coldwater Ocean Art Safe Under The Sea
Joanna Smart
"Curiosity"
Joanna won a gift certificate from Bluewater Photo
The Story: As I swam through the dense kelp forest of Anacapa Island, I felt a tug at my fins. Turning around, I found a harbour seal, with large gazing eyes and a tubby, plump figure stared back at me from within the kelp. It’s enormous cartoon-like eyes and notable lack of neck was undeniably cute. He stared at me for a moment more, before darting forward. Swimming gently up to me, he grabbed onto my arm with his flippers. I nearly recoiled in shock from this surprisingly human gesture. As I regained my composure, I looked up to find him staring at me, eyes filled with curiosity. He stayed with me for an hour and a half, darting in and out of the kelp, watching me swim. I couldn't help but wonder if he was just as curious about me as I was about him.
Location: Anacapa Island, California, USA
Equipment Used: Panasonic Lumix GX9 Camera, Olympus 14-42mm Lens (at 14) in a nauticam housing with a WWL-1 wet lens and two Inon S-2000 strobes.
Camera Settings: 1/100 sec at F5, ISO 400
