sarahallegra

Lifeless Life

These two photos finish my series of photos inspired by the documentary Blackfish. Blackfish documents the horrific abuse SeaWorld and other marine parks subje...
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These two photos finish my series of photos inspired by the documentary Blackfish. Blackfish documents the horrific abuse SeaWorld and other marine parks subject their animals to. These follow up this first photo on the subject.

If SeaWorld's practices disgust and horrify you too, please see my
<b&bt;blog for more about the photos, and links to petitions you can sign!<-b&bt;

Thank you to Katie Johnson for her always excellent underwater modeling! It's a much trickier skill than you'd think.

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come shop Cyber Monday with me! I've got a handy list for you of a wide variety of items I have available, at all price points; cards, calendars, prints and more! Come see! Add a little daily dose of magic to your day, or the day of someone you love :)

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NIKON D5100

settings

Aperture f/4.2 ISO 800 Shutter 10/6400

upload_date

Dec, 2013

Views

1105

Likes

+79

Awards

Editor's Choice

Peer Award

+14

Outstanding Creativity

Absolute Masterpiece

Top Choice

Superior Skill

Superb Composition

Exceptional Contrast

Genius

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank week 2

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Behind The Lens

Location

In a salt water swimming pool which belongs to the parents of a friend of mine, just outside of Los Angeles.

Time

About 4:30 in the afternoon.

Lighting

This is all natural light. Since it was taken a little bit later in the day, the sun wasn't directly overhead and was a little more diffused.

Equipment

I used my Nikon D5100, an old kit zoom 35-70mm lens (I usually like to use my 50mm lens but needed something a little wider in the small space of the swimming pool.) I used an inexpensive plastic underwater bag to protect my camera. Since I am small and this was taken a little closer to winter than I would have liked, I wore a wetsuit, which helped me a lot.

Inspiration

The documentaries The Cove and Blackfish both horrified and angered me. I was so upset after seeing Blackfish, I knew I had to channel those emotions into some photos. Art therapy is called therapy for a reason; it's one of the most effective ways I know to work through difficult emotions. While the fight for animals rights is not over, every bit of awareness and outrage we can spread is s tep in the right direction.

Editing

I darkened the background quite a bit to help the model, Katie Johnson, stand out from it better. I used several different images of the red fabric and transformed it a bit to give it just the shape I wanted. I used one frame of Katie's body and a different one of her face and hair, stitching them together in Photoshop. Finally, I edged the colors to be more blue and desaturated than the natural cyan of the pool.

In my camera bag

A Nikon D5100, a 50mm 1.8 lens, an old 35-70mm kit zoom lens, a lightweight, collapsible tripod, several cheap remote shutter releases and some snacks! You never know when your or your model's blood sugar might get low, especially when you're both exerting a lot of physical effort in the pool!

Feedback

If you can find it, a salt water pool is easier on you and the model than a chlorine pool. Dropping black fabric or tarps behind the model will help the model stand out more from the background. Generally, an inexpensive plastic bag is a great way to test out underwater photography without making a huge investment. If you discover you love it, you can always upgrade! Check your bag every single time before you use it; you don't want to discover it has a leak by having your camera ruined! Also, underwater work is generally much more physical than an average shoot, so bring plenty of water and food and give your model breaks whenever they're needed!

See more amazing photos, follow sarahallegra

sarahallegra

sarahallegra

Lifeless Life

These two photos finish my series of photos inspired by the documentary Blackfish. Blackfish documents the horrific abuse SeaWorld and other marine parks subje... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow sarahallegra

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

These two photos finish my series of photos inspired by the documentary Blackfish. Blackfish documents the horrific abuse SeaWorld and other marine parks subje...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.