![]() There are 4 separate images involved the sky, the background, the top iceberg (shot in Antarctica), and the underwater iceberg (shot above water in Alaska and flipped in the final composite). The image exists in nature but due to water visibility is not possible to capture on film. RF HPE3H6 3d rendering iceberg floating on blue ocean. As an underwater photographer I knew that my "vision" of what a big iceberg looks like was impossible to get in reality so I had to create it. RF E9HW7A Big iceberg underwater with a small part floating. His spectacular photo of crab-eater seals frolicking among icebergs in Antarctica triumphed over 5,500 other images from photographers in 70 countries. ![]() The iceberg image is a digital composite that I designed to illustrate the concept of "what you see is not necessarily what you get". Renowned photographer Greg Lecoeur beat out a skilled crowd to win the 2020 Underwater Photographer of the Year contest. Update: Readers pointed out that this impressive image is not a real photograph, but a composite. This particular iceberg is estimated to weigh over 300 million tonnes. Of course, the effects are anyway part and parcel of Inspirational photography. Seeking out a good place to take a snap is what the photo is all about. This remarkable photograph is only possible as a result of calm sea conditions, excellent water clarity and a direct exposure to sunlight at the time it was taken. Sea Blue Icebergs Floating on Water Source Here comes another photographic challenge. “But that’s what makes the images you see here unprecedented, and the experience of having taken them and of having seen this place so unforgettable.Typically, around 90% of the volume of an iceberg is under water, and that portion's shape can be difficult to surmise from looking at what is visible above the surface. “You cannot go half-heartedly you cannot feign your passion. Once above the ice, Ballesta says it took seven months after returning to Europe for his damaged nerves to recover from the harsh conditions he experienced in the icy waters.Īlthough the trip was intense, it was well worth it, according to Ballesta. Gorgonian sea fans, shellfish, soft corals, sponges, and small fishes exhibit the “colors and exuberance” like that of tropical coral reefs. ( Read "This Extreme Swimmer Fights for Antarctica's Oceans-in a Speedo")Īt 230 feet, the limit of the dives, Ballesta says the diversity is greatest. “The waters under Antarctic ice are like Mount Everest: magical, but so hostile that you have to be sure of your desire before you go,” he said.Īt depths of 30 to 50 feet, forests of kelp, giant sea stars, and giant sea spiders are visible to the naked eye and much bigger than those in warmer waters. The five-hour dives into the sub-29 degrees Fahrenheit water-salt water remains liquid below freshwater’s freezing point of 32 degrees-are excruciatingly painful.īut what Ballesta captured on the ocean floor, he compared to “a luxuriant garden.” The weight makes swimming almost impossible, Ballesta says, but without dry suits, divers would die in as little as 10 minutes. Once in Antarctica, getting into the diving suits took an hour alone, and once equipment was secured, divers carried up to 200 pounds below the ice. The process for this journey wasn’t a simple one, however the trip took two years to prepare. ![]() ( Read "800-Pound Groupers Making a Comeback-But Not Everyone's Happy") The trek took place as ice began to break up, allowing Ballesta and his team to break through 10-foot-thick ice and dive down as deep as 230 feet.īallesta, who’s worked for decades as a deep-diving photographer, previously dived to 400 feet off South Africa to photograph rare coelacanths, and in French Polynesia, he dived for 24 straight hours to document the mating of 17,000 groupers. In October 2015, the beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere, Ballesta joined a small team for a 36-day excursion beginning at the Dumont d’Urville, the French scientific base on the Adélie Coast of East Antarctica. In an expedition unlike any other, National Geographic photographer Laurent Ballesta took a cold, harsh plunge below the sea ice in the deepest dive ever under Antarctica. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |