Surfacing

Surfacing. (c) 2010 Diane Reardon. 10"x10". Encaustic over hand-dyed fabric & paper. Collection of G.B.

It’s hard for me to imagine the part of whale life where they have to swim up to the surface to get their next breath. It may be after minutes or hours but they are unique in this general pattern of surfacing to breathe.

Coming Up for Air

Whales are not like fish who remain in their watery world, getting oxygen through their gills. And they’re different from other marine mammals like seals and polar bears, who can and do haul out for extended periods.

(c) Ray Collins. Source: http://www.lifebuzz.com/sea-mountains/

Whales’ Worlds

The work of photographer Ray Collins captures a bit of this surface view, at the threshold between two worlds. Although he’s a surf photographer, his artist’s eye for abstract patterns helps me imagine the view whales have, even when far offshore.

(C) RAY COLLINS. SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.LIFEBUZZ.COM/SEA-MOUNTAINS/

His latest book of crystal clear images, Found at Sea , is just coming out and can be pre-publication purchased at his site. More about how this color-blind Aussie works is there as well, including the short video below.

I continue to be grateful to the photographers who bring us images of whales, the worlds they swim in, and, in this case, a better idea of what their surfacing might be like.