Working at a distance compounds the technical difficulties--current, suspended particles, poor visibility-intrinsic to underwater photography. The use of the underwater flash enhances color by overriding the natural light and creates an artificial scene. With his Hasselblad and a wide-angle lens, Mr.Pitcairn has developed techniques that take advantage of sunlight filtering from the surface, and captures the unique light and form of the hidden seascape. The results are breathtaking images of both the particular and the general.
The nature of the undersea world, and the forces that continue to shape it, are described in the introduction by Kirstin and Feodor Pitcairn, and vivid captions convey something of the diver's experience and introduce the reader to the fascinating inhabitants of the sea. These words and the brilliant images on these pages evoke a magical, fragile-and threatened-world.
