Name: Pietro Formis
Picture title: In Ambush
Category: Underwater
Nationality: I’m Italian, and I live in Italy
Occupation: Photography is a part of my Job, I’m a photographer and visual designer
Technical information
Camera: SONY Alpha 1
Lens: Sony 90mm Macro
EXIF: F18, 1/8, ISO 250
Accessories: Marelux underwater Housing and x inon z-330 strobes
HIGHLY COMMENDED CATEGORY UNDERWATER
Pietro Formis | In Ambush
Name: Pietro Formis
Picture title: In ambush
Category: Underwater
Nationality: I’m Italian, and I live in Italy
Occupation: Photography is a part of my Job, I’m a photographer and visual designer
Technical information
Camera: SONY Alpha 1
Lens: Sony 90mm Macro
EXIF: F18, 1/8, ISO 250
Accessories: Marelux underwater Housing and x inon z-330 strobes
Pietro Formis says:
This is the face of a Mediterranean Monkfish (Lophius piscatorius). I found this beautiful fish resting on a rocky wall at about 15 meters depth. This fish is an ambush predator, perfectly camouflaged with the environment. It uses a fleshy appendage on the first ray of its dorsal fins, which resembles a small fish, to attract its prey.
This picture was taken in Rabac, Croatia, Adriatic Sea.
This picture is part of a series on ambush predators. I used a technique involving slow shutter speed and deliberate camera movement to obtain a blurred image, combined with flash lighting to create a perfectly still and sharp image overlay. This is a single shot with slow shutter speed using natural light and artificial light.
Pietro Formis
Italy
Born in Milan in 1978, always involved in the world of imaging, a sea lover since he was a child.
Underwater photography became his passion, if not an obsession, and led him to travel to tropical paradises and explore the mediterranean sea and the italian fresh waters.
He Published his works on international magazines (Unterwasser, Ocean Geographic, SUB, La rivista della Natura, Naturphoto, RollingStone Italia, OASIS, Photo Professional, La Repubblica, Il Foglio). He won many international awards such WPY – Wildlife Photographer of the Year, GDT – European Wildlife photographer of the Year, Sony World Photo, Ocean Art, UPY – Underwater Photographer of the Year and many others.
Pietro has published in 2019 the Book “AQUA, mysteries of the underwater world” (Daniele Marson Editore), book awarded as “Best underwater book of the year” at Underwater photographer of the year 2020 (UPY2020).
He Leads photographic workshops in Italy and worldwide; is EIZO Color Edge Creative partner and ambassador for photographic gear Marelux and scuba diving gear Beuchat. Has worked in international film productions such as Marco Polo Films and Fremantle and Lifegate.