Lucia Griggi: Duck Dive, Fiji

The Image

Photographer:
Lucia Griggi

Location:
Fiji, Pacific Ocean

Time / Date:
3.00pm / June 08, 2012

The Technical

Gear:
Camera Body: Canon 5D Mark III
Lens: Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye
Other: Swim Fins!

Camera Settings:
Shutter Speed: 1/1200
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 15mm

The Story

Background: 

I am a surf/adventure photographer that travels the world in search of the perfect wave. I love to document life through adventure and a spontaneous lifestyle.

The Scene: 

Perfect tropical water. Clear as the eye could see. No land in view just the rolling waves in the ocean. Tropical fish and bright blue sky. Warm water to swim around in with shallow coral reef.

Gear: 

The gear I used was a Canon 5D Mark III body with a 15mm prime. Incased in a water housing. I swum freely with fins.

Making the Shot:

The shot was taken forty miles out to sea at an outer reef in Fiji. We had to pack a boat up with equipment and travel to where the waves were breaking. Once we arrived, a short swim across the deep channel to a shallow reef was made, in order to take this frame of a surfer duck diving this rolling wave. The lighting was perfect with low afternoon light and I decided to open my aperture up to make a very dream like photo. Swimming alongside the surfer with swim fins and camera in hand, this shot was made.

Editing & Processing:

The editing process was pretty easy. All I worked on from the raw image was boosting the colors that were already there and a little contrast. Adjusted my curves and a little saturation.

Looking Back:

I choose this image as it sums up what I love to do. To be in the ocean with my camera in the clearest of waters. This image has also won a National Geographic award and has been well accredited.

Advice:

The advice I would give is to just always keep on trying and to never give up. A lot of time and effort goes into producing photos like this and timing and precision is vital. Just keep shooting!

Inspiration:

The world inspires me and its different facets of life. I love to document beauty and the surroundings around us. The ocean is my playground and I want to keep pushing myself to better achieve.

About the Photographer

My father is from Venice, Italy and my mother is from London, England so maybe I’m pulled by whatever inspired Marco Polo overland to China or the same psychic winds that took Captain Cook halfway around the world to Hawaii and Alaska. Marco Polo went east, Captain Cook went west and I want to go both ways at the same time. Some say wanderlust is in your blood, some say it gets in your blood. With me it’s both.

See a little, and you want to see a lot. See a lot, and you want to see a lot more. And if by chance you see it all, you can start all over again, because change is a constant. Becoming a photographer has given me a chance to realize what I genuinely believe is my destiny: to travel the world and understand it. I began as a surf photographer, obsessed with the search for the perfect wave. But that search has lead me on paths away from the beach, to worlds I didn’t know existed. Getting to know the unknown is now my passion.

This site is for those eager to look beyond everyday life – a showcase of my journey so far: North to Alaska; as far south as South Africa; west to California and as far east as Sri Lanka. Hawaii, the Maldives, Vietnam, Morocco, Australia: North, south, east and west. I’ve seen a lot but I haven’t seen it all and I share these photos, hoping they will inspire in others what I have found in myself: The desire to travel, have adventures and learn and experience different cultures. All I want to do is see the world and capture it in a way that will encourage others to follow their passions and make their dreams become a reality. Thanks Lucia.

Website: luciagriggi.com
Blog: luciagriggi.com/blog
Twitter: @LuciaGriggi
Instagram: @LuciaGriggi