3rd Place Coldwater Ocean Art Safe Under The Sea
3rd Place Coldwater Ocean Art Safe Under The Sea
Mark Kirkland
"Arms Everywhere"
The Story: This was my first ever encounter with an Octopus and it couldn’t have happened in a more beautiful underwater landscape. I was on the liveaboard MV Halton, exploring the crystal clear waters of the far north coast of Scotland when we dropped onto the reef walls of Eilean Nam Ron. The visibility and abundance of life made wide-angle photography a dream. I kept my distance from this small curled octopus as it traversed the reef wall. It kept it’s gaze on me as I followed it before it eventually stopped and changed from bright orange to pale yellow to blend in with the surrounding soft corals. I took this as a hint that I was outstaying my welcome and took this last photograph before leaving it to it’s day.
Location: Eilean nan Ròn island, Cape Wrath. Scotland
Equipment Used: Olympus OMD EM5 Mark II, Panasonic 8mm Fisheye Lens, Dual Sea & Sea YS-110a Strobes
Camera Settings: 1/20 sec, F11, ISO 200
