Luminous bodies in ocean light

Image Critiques Everything Else Critiques
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IMG_3208 2025-12-17.jpg
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Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

This image causes some uneasiness, since I am not sure what to think about it or how to process it. Still, I am fascinated by it, so I am not abandoning it right away. I would love to hear your thoughts. The image is made on a sunny day last summer with a camera in an underwater housing. These jellyfish were gathering close to the shore, and I could position my camera underneath them and shoot up towards the surface. There is a lot of hit-and-miss in this process. What intrigues me in this image is the dreamy light under the surface and the way in which it is filtered through the bodies of these jellyfish. The luminous bodies of these jellyfish seem to unify them with the ocean light. Also, the distribution of tonalities become quite unusual compared to schemes that we are accustomed to in landscape photographs, which also fascinates me. The water was filled with debris and not clear, which comes through in this image. I could have cleaned up the image and removed or reduced this debris, but I have chosen not to do so, because it provides a vital piece of information. At least, that is how I think for the time being.

Specific Feedback

Do you find the image interesting at all? Do you have suggestions for processing?

Technical Details

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Canon 28 mm
Capture: 1/1600 sec. at f10, ISO 500
Ewa Marine underwater housing

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Vision and Purpose:
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1 Like
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This is a very interesting image, Leo. I’m not sure about the tonality. I feel like the darkest areas at the bottom need to come up a bit to provide a little detail, if it’s available. You might also consider a small crop from the left to eliminate the partial jellyfish coming into the frame. The glow is very interesting and the hazy water does convey the richness of the habitat.

Did you purposely put this one in Everything Else? I know we don’t have an underwater forum, so it makes sense, though it would also fit under Wildlife.

3

Very cool! The luminosity of the jellyfish is wonderful. The bits in the water don’t bother me. It might be interesting to darken the ULC to better match the darkness of the LRC. That way the darkness would frame the jellyfish more. You could even bring up a bit more contrast in the mid-tone jellyfish.

4

It’s very interesting, Leo. I agree with Dennis about getting rid of the half-jellyfish on the left. The tones seem fine to me as they are.

5

@Dennis_Plank , @Bonnie_Lampley , @Don_Peters, thanks for your comments, they are very helpful. Ad Dennis Plank: I was not sure where to put the underwater image, considered ‘wildlife’, but avoided doing so because the term normally refers to animals living on land. Best wishes, Leo