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B Y B R I A N S K E R R Y
Since the advent of photography, mankind
has recorded nearly every important
historical event through still frames.
When we think of the U.S. Civil War,
the Kennedy assassination or the moon
landing, we visualize photographs. This is
the way the human brain works — even
when we think of motion pictures or video,
we see individual still frames in our mind’s eye.
Humans are visual creatures. Tens of thousands of years
ago people painted pictures on cave walls to record the
things they witnessed in their lives and the things that
mattered to them. But photography captures a moment
— a brief, fleeting scene that would otherwise vanish in an
instant. And in the image that remains lies great power.
Images have the power to educate, entertain, motivate and
inspire. From a single still frame we can evoke emotion.
With a solitary photograph we can change the world.
Since the beginning, photography has been used to honor
the natural world. Photographers working in far-off, exotic
locales or in their own backyards share images in a collective
celebration of our planet. They show us things we have never
seen before and inspire us to see familiar things in new ways.
This year, 2016, marks the centennial of the National Park
Service, caretakers and protectors of the U.S. national parks.
Called “America’s best idea,” national parks were created in
large part because a photographer named William Henry
Jackson accompanied the Hayden Geological Survey to
America’s West in 1871 and returned with stunning images
of places many people had believed were only myths. When
86 | SPRING 2016
OCEAN VIEWS 2016 C H A N G E
JELLYFISH WITH TREVALLY
Alor Archipelago, Indonesia
By Eric Madeja
I came across this rarely seen jellyfish on a dusk dive in Indonesia’s Alor
Archipelago. The trevally was very protective of its companion and bit me on
the hand multiple times before retreating to hide within the jellyfish’s mantle.
Rough seas made this split-level shot a challenge, but the overcast sky added a
dramatic element to the image.
Nikon D300, Tokina AT-X 107 AF DX 10-17mm fisheye lens @ 10mm, 1/125 sec
@ f/18, ISO 400, Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes (2), Sea & Sea MDX-D300 housing;
SURFING PYGMY DEVIL RAYS
Ixtapa, Mexico
By Carol Brooks Parker
During a trip along Mexico’s Pacific coastline we stopped in Ixtapa, which possesses a
beautiful curving beach. The surf rolled in, backlit by the early morning sun, and I was
startled to see the rays gliding in the breaking waves. With the sun behind the clear
aqua water, the rays appeared suspended as if behind the glass of an aquarium. I was
shooting hand held, and I kicked up the shutter speed to freeze the action.
Nikon D4S, Nikon AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 ED zoom lens
@ 400mm with a circular polarizing filter, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400,
hand held;
IMAGING
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