Diving lets us see what lies beneath the surface of the sea. It lets us realise the sheer beauty of the underwater ecosystem. But I’ve found that diving with a macro lens is a world apart, entirely. It lets you appreciate life in the oceans on a totally different scale. Every time I go out diving looking for the things that are too tiny for the naked eye to see, I am left awestruck. Truly, the microscopic details of flora and fauna should not go unnoticed.
I did my first dive with a macro lens a few years ago, with the intention of shooting nudibranchs and shrimps. I realised very soon that through this lens, even the most common things we see underwater are transformed, and become far from common. The textures and patterns I began to notice were just mesmerising to me.
Perhaps you, like me, will be inspired by these words by Aaron Wong, a great underwater photographer: “A great image of a common subject beats an ordinary picture of the rarest species anytime.” We should all work towards appreciating the beauty of common subjects in more detail, whether we are on dry land or underwater.
Click through (above) to view my photo story.
