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Ocean Art 2023 - Honorable Mention Macro

Honorable Mention Macro

Keith Mash

"Eye See You"

Keith Mash won a bottle of Li Lé Blue Watersports Hair Care for Divers!

The Story:

During my years in Jakarta, Lembeh emerged as our prime spot for critter and macro photography. On a particular expedition, we extended our journey to the islands of Bangka and Bunaken. Little did we know, Bunaken is home to a sizeable green turtle population.

A 90mm macro lens would not be my first choice to photograph turtles! My previous attempts at capturing close-ups of turtles, when I have been lucky enough to find one have always been thwarted. Invariably I have found them skittish despite my cautious approach. With this in the back of my mind, I focused on critter hunting along the wall, as the rest of my party enjoyed the turtle activity and what seemed like endless turtle fly-bys.

As luck would have it towards the end of the dive, I spotted a large green turtle nestled in the wall. It seemed to be observing us from afar and showed no signs of swimming off. With slow movements I managed to get within macro range and cautiously maneuvered my camera into position waiting for the right moment. To my surprise the turtle turned its head and gazed directly into the camera as if to check me out. As its eye came into focus, I paused; me looking at the turtle, the turtle looking at me…click… it was done.

On the dive that I obtained this shot, there were only 3 divers in our group, all highly respectful of marine life. This was a unique moment for us all where the turtle was clearly comfortable around us and not skittish in any way allowing me to capture what for me is one of my favorite shots which says “Eye See you”.

Location:

Bunaken Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Equipment Used: