I loved the way the whale reflected against the surface of the water in this image, as it gave the impression that it was pressed up against the walls of a glass tank. For me, it evoked a sense that the animal was seeking escape.
This image felt much more open, and this I liked, as it gave a sense that the whale was fleeing from the edge of the pool, away from onlookers. The glint of light in the background also furthered this impression. Another element I was very pleased with was the bubbles on the whale's face; they gave a nice sense of texture to the images as well as making it seem like the whale was moving quickly and churning up the water.
I included this image because in it, we can actually see the glass walls of the 'tank', as well as an expression from the whale that, at this angle, appears in pain or distress. I also liked that the area behind the whale disappears off into darkness, representing the misery the pool represents for the animal.
I loved the way the whale reflected against the surface of the water in this image, as it gave the impression that it was pressed up against the walls of a glass tank. For me, it evoked a sense that the animal was seeking escape.
In response to 'Blackfish'
I recently had the pleasure of watching the controversial documentary film 'Blackfish,' which focuses on the mistreatment of Orcas in SeaWorld and other centres. The documentary has come under fire for alleged bias and 'propaganda,' but I was shocked at how this seemed more important to people than facts that have since been proven about the msitreatment of animals in SeaWorld and lies used to cover it up. I elected to create a photoshoot in response to the documentary, as it evoked strong feelings in me, but as I did not have access to any real Orcas, I was not sure how to do so. Then, I had the idea of using a toy Orca, to represent how SeaWorld views its animals as playthings and assets, not living creatures.
Setting up these images was difficult, as I wanted to create an authentic feel as though the Orca was in a tank at SeaWorld, but this required the water to have a blue hue to it; the tanks are painted blue at SeaWorld. I finally came up with a solution; if I filled a glass bowl with water, placed the toy inside, and then leaned a blue plastic bowl over the top, I could refract the light in such as way as to make the water/background appear blue. This darkened the shot as the second bowl blocked out the light, but I used a mobile phone torch to light the whale, which also created an effect not dissimilar to pool lights. An image of my setup for these images can be found below. ADD THIS. The only digital edits I used were some very minor colour-corrections done in Photoshop.
In the below gallery are a series of Lightroom edits I made to the images to make the water seem more authentic for a SeaWorld-style location. However, this loses some of the shoot's dark atmosphere, and as such this is included as a secondary edit as opposed to the primary work.
