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Name: Gaël Modrak
Picture title: Water lilies marvelous world
Category: Underwater
Nationality:
France
Occupation: Photography and underwater discovery are my passions

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D300s
Lens: Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
EXIF: F/18 ; 1/80s ; ISO 640
Accessories: Hugyfot underwater housing, 2x Ikelite DS160 strobes

HIGHLY COMMENDED CATEGORY UNDERWATER 
Gaël Modrak| Water lilies marvelous world

Name: Gaël Modrak
Picture title: Water lilies marvelous world
Category: Underwater
Nationality:
France
Occupation: Photography and underwater discovery are my passions

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D300s
Lens: Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
EXIF: F/18 ; 1/80s ; ISO 640
Accessories: Hugyfot underwater housing, 2x Ikelite DS160 strobes

Gaël Modrak says:

Water lilies are a classic source of inspiration for painters and photographers. Discovering them under the surface was a revelation of a few years ago, and it is always a pleasure to go back every summer to that peaceful lake located in the south-east of France. A place where I’m pretty sure to find good conditions to photograph them. There are two species of those land-based flower plants, of which the ancestors returned to the underwater world, present in that area: the European white waterlily (Nymphaea alba) and yellow water-lily (Nuphar lutea). They are not so easy to distinguish, except by the color of their flower floating at the water surface.

Finding the right balance between light, angle of view and framing depending on the sun position, plant density and water clarity, generally allows a wide variety of images. I approach them by snorkeling and moving very gently, not to create particles from the bottom that would spoil the image quality, and not to get any waves or air bubbles on the surface.

This time I found the right vertical sunlight to get sufficient light, and to observe shadows of the water lilies on the white bottom of the lake, while the light of the flashes restored intense red colors of the lower face of the leaves. The angle of view made the scenic reflection look symmetrical to the surface. And the final touch was obtained thanks to those small freshwater fishes, called red-eyes (Scardinius erythrophtalmus), swimming in front of me while I was holding my breath, waiting for the perfect time to shoot.

About Gaël Modrak

About Gaël Modrak

France

I’m a nature photographer and especially turned towards underwater photography. I also like to photograph wildlife in the neighborhood or landscape low speed photography, often dedicated to freshwater or sea shores. Fascinated by fishes since I was a kid, I first discovered underwater photography by snorkeling in freshwaters and seas of my country. Then I learned to scuba dive, started to travel and discovered deeper and more distant sights.

Today as a photographer, I collaborate with the French agency Naturimages. Furthermore, I also contribute to a French participative science site called DORIS, which helps scuba divers to identify and discover all the strange creatures that are usually encountered underwater, in particular by using underwater images. In the words of Jacques-Yves Cousteau: “We protect what we love, and we love what we know”.

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