TITLE: Barracuda shards

Schooling barracuda -New Britain , Papua New Guinea.
In the remote marine protected islands of New Britain, Papua New Guinea the efforts of conservation, remote location and limited numbers of boats have resulted in pristine reefs with dense fish and marine life of great biodiversity.
Huge schools of giant barracuda can be found circling unlike anywhere else in the world. A slow shutter speed has been used with zoom blur to highlight the distinctive black markings on the sleek silver fish. They appear like dense black menacing shards in the zoom blur.

AUTHOR: Catherine Holmes (United Kingdom)

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Catherine Holmes is an underwater photographer, dentist and watercolour artist who through her imagery hopes to inspire people to nurture and protect our fragile underwater world for future generations to enjoy. Catherine spent her early life in Australia close to the sea. She now lives in England, working as a Dental Surgeon, and travelling widely across the globe, venturing underwater to capture images wherever she goes. Her work features images from Indonesia, Red Sea, Galapagos, Maldives and the Caribbean. In her work with watercolours she would describe herself as a colourist, which shines through in her photographic work. She strives to portray images that capture the vibrant colours and light underwater in overall painterly compositions. As a member of the British Society of Underwater Photographers, Catherine has won awards in many international competitions, most recently the Underwater winner of GDT European Wildlife photographer of the year 2023, as well as recognition in the Siena International photo awards the Underwater Photographer of the Year, Ocean Art, Ocean Geographic and the World Shootout. Catherine’s imagery and articles have been widely published in Underwater magazines. She states: “I am always at my happiest underwater, a place of beauty, calm and silence – perhaps I was always meant to be a mermaid.”