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Crustacea click
here >>>
Of all the creatures that live in the sea crabs, lobsters,
shrimps and amphipods must be the most fascinating. They
range from plankivores to large, predatory crabs and even
no we have not seen them all. Various colours, shapes and
sizes make for great macro shots, but you must be prepared
to spend more time on night dives if you want to photograph
them when they venture out of their daytime haunts on the
hunt for food. |
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United Kingdom creatures click
here >>>
UK diving is where it all started for me and I am often asked
by non-divers "Is there anything down there"? In
my pictures I have tried to show a small 'snapshot' of the
life around the British Isles, with its huge colour and variety.
Low light levels and colder conditions do not detract from
the abundance of marine life around our coasts. Pollution
is a problem in some areas but nature continues to fight back. |
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Invertebrates click
here >>>
It is difficult to pick one name which describes all the creatures
that slither and slide over the sea bed. So I chose Invertebrate
(no back bone) for my mixture of nudibranchs, snails and flatworms.
Some years ago I worked on a reef project in Indonesia helping
to photograph and identify nudibranchs. 30% of what we found
were previously unidentified, illustrating the number and
variety of these colourful creatures to be found in our oceans.
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Wrecks click
here >>>
I have been fascinated by wrecks ever since my first wreck
dive in 1965 on the Garonne in Cornwall. Wrecks make wonderful
subjects for photographers. Using any lens, there is always
a macro subject or a fisheye shot to be taken. Capturing the
light to create the mood you are trying to achieve is the
greatest challenge in wreck photography. Here are some pictures
of my favourite wrecks. |
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Butterflyfish click
here >>>
Well known among my friends as my favourite subject, I have
selected a range of butterflyfish taken world wide, many
from the Indo-Pacific region which contains nearly 90% of
the species. I am still adding to my collection which is
by no means complete. I love the challenge of trying to
photograph these lively little fish, darting from one coral
head to the next, feeding on the fin. I often use my homemade
ring flash for these shots, as it has a low profile and
can illuminate the butterflyfish over a meter away. |
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Fish
soup click
here >>>
This section is devoted to many of the fish I have photographed
around the world. There is simply not enough room to fit
all the fish pictures I have, so I have chosen a variety
of colours shapes and species which I hope you will enjoy. |
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Sharks
and big animals click
here >>>
When I show my pictures of sharks to friends I receive
many different reactions. Divers are always interested
in when and where, but non-divers give a shiver and ask,
"were you scared?". I have a fascination for
sharks and I love to photograph them as close as they
want to come to me. I admit to using a cage - it's a piece
of sanity in the presence of the most aggressive of the
species, but being in the water with them is a huge 'buzz'
which has almost no parallel for me above water. The big
ones are easy to photograph because they come for a look,
but there are many which require a measure of stealth
if you want to get 'close up'. I have also included pictures
of humpback whales from Rurutu and a mola mola taken in
the giant kelp forests of California.
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Photos taken near the surface
click
here >>>
So often divers miss seeing what is just below the surface.
Here, the light is good and reflections add a different dimension
to a picture. There can be so much going on, predators and
their prey are often to be found in this zone and there is
an infinite variety of angles and creative techniques that
can be employed here. You don't even have to dive, many good
shots can be taken using just a snorkel and a light weight-belt. |
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Reefs click
here >>>
Reefs are magical places, day or night, colourful soft
corals, architectural hard corals and masses of fish and
animal life. Different lighting conditions can produce the
most breath taking images of nature at its best. However
we must remember it is a fragile place and easily damaged
by greed, pollution and careless actions, often by those
not even aware that such wonders of nature exist. |
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Shoaling fish click
here >>>
I find great enjoyment in swimming with shoaling fish.
Many large fish shoals will ignore a diver, particularly
if they are having their annual 'get together'. The shapes,
patterns and colour make for fantastic wide-angle photography,
and capturing that perfect image is a big challenge for
the underwater photographer. |
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Copyright
© Ken Sullivan All Rights reserved