Aureus

A photograph is a moment in time never to be repeated again, right?

Well, when you mix all of the elements of the ocean while trying to make an image it makes those picture-perfect moments few and far between. Imagine working in a studio where the walls are literally caving in on and around you, swimming with a camera, lens and water housing that's as heavy as a bag of cement - trying to get close enough to show the detail but also maintain a level of safety to be able to keep safe.

Focus, compose, expose - shutter, aperture, iso all spot on in challenging light - and all with no pesky water droplets...

Derived from the Latin word for Gold, 'Aureus' is one of those moments that it all came together and I feel fortunate to have not only captured but experienced.

One does not accidentally make an image like this. It takes years of travelling, of searching, of carrying bulky bags of camera equipment on and off planes, boats and helicopters, years of swimming with my camera in a waterproof housing - to seek out these moments of ephemerality.

I sometimes spend years chasing one second.

The illusion of movement is created by painstakingly overlaying the original images, one frame over the next, and playing them as a continuous slow-motion animation.

The mesmerizing moving images detail the ocean’s myriad of colours and textures, as well as its immense power.

Shout out to my co-creator Armand Dijcks, the best in the world at making cinemagraphs.

For more of my work check - www.RayCollinsPhoto.com (read less)