Honorable Mention Black & White

Brittany Ilardi

"Fevered"

The Story:

In late spring, the waters around Baja California Sur are teeming with mobulas. Known as fevers, these groups of rays are often gathered by the thousands. Here for feeding and mating, their dance is an unbelievable sight to behold from both above and below the water. On this day, the water was exceptionally clear for this time of year. Mobulas eat plankton, and plankton means murky visibility. Conditions aligned for a clear shot of the rays from directly above. An endless wall of mobulas slowly glided below me, circling for hours, as I happily snapped away.

Location:

La Ventana Bay, La Ventana, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Equipment Used:

• Canon R5 inside a Nauticam housing
• 28 - 70 mm lens behind a Nauticam WACP-C

Camera Settings:

• 1/200 s
• f 8.0
• ISO 640