1st Place Underwater Digital Art

Unkoo Kim

"Desire"

Unkoo Kim won a Marelux SOFt Lite Snoot plus Dock from Marelux

The Story:

The sea at Seogwipo, where I captured this image, is a place close to my heart, filling me with warmth and cherished memories. However, it is far from an ideal environment for underwater photography. The water is often murky, and the currents are strong. While other locations may face similar challenges, Seogwipo's waters have been further impacted by rising sea temperatures, a lack of subjects, and other factors that make photography particularly difficult. I wondered, how could I create images that truly capture the beauty of the sea creatures inhabiting Seogwipo's waters? The idea of using light as a background to highlight these creatures came to mind, and I set out to convey the stunning beauty hidden within Seogwipo's challenging waters. I took this image during the best season of the year. To capture a front-view image of the main subject, the Blue hana goby, I spent countless hours observing and getting close to them. Many shots had to be discarded along the way. Imagining the dynamic interplay of the Blue hana goby with bokeh lights, I used tools I had prepared in advance and a modified vintage lens to combine multiple exposures with firework bokeh images. While capturing firework images is not particularly difficult, it requires meticulous preparation, effort, practice, and, most importantly, time to build a connection with the subjects.

Location:

Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea

Equipment Used:

• Nikon D850
• Nauticam Nikon D850 housing
• Ikelite DS230 * 2 & Sofirn Underwater lantern
• Nikon 60mm macro lens / Bell & Howell Filmovara alteration

Camera Settings:

• f/11
• 1/160
• ISO 100