Cloud King

Artist:

David Da Costa

http://www.digitaloceans.net

David Da Costa hails from Bournemouth, England but now makes his home in New York City. Between voyages to faraway places, he is Managing Director of a software company.

Although David learned to dive in frigid, murky English waters, it was not until he moved to New York City that he began making regular trips to the now-near Caribbean. "Being in an alien environment, the freedom of movement, seeing things that are not normally seen in everyday life, being able to be part of another world, adventure — it all appealed to me." It was not long before he sought to combine diving with his life-long interest in photography.

Underwater photography is far from easy. Current, cold and silt can make diving challenging. Beneath the surface, altered magnification, lighting, and uncooperative (or overly cooperative) subjects add complexity.

Digital photography is revolutionizing the art of underwater imagery. Although it doesn't reduce the inherent challenges, the instant image feedback allows the photographer to make adjustments. David Da Costa was among the first to adopt digital technology for underwater photography exclusively. "It gives me more creative freedom", says David, "I no longer have to ration the number of images on a given dive."

All images presented were captured with a Nikon D1x in a Seacam housing. The Smallmouth Grunt and Squirrelfish were taken in Saba, in the Caribbean. The Scorpionfish was taken in Fiji. The remaining images were taken in the Lembeh Straits, Sulawesi, Indonesia.