Shipwreck Dar-Yang Papua New Guinea

The year is 1988 and Chris Deacon, is hovering in a gentle current perfectly positioning herself for an image that years after, many other photographers will try to emulate but most will fail. The result was a dramatic image that captures the mood of wreck diving more than most due to the entire ship in view. The subtle strobe lighting of red coral balanced with the sunlight exposure brings a splash of colour into an otherwise monochromatic blue that is unavoidable with such large subjects as wrecks. Since the picture was made, and ultimately published in my book `Australia and the South Pacific' the superstructure has collapsed, the coral has gone thus the opportunity to recreate this image has passed. I have been told that for a while, this image was the most copied image from my vast portfolio albeit unsuccessfully.

Photo Data: Location: Kavieng, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Genre: Extreme Wide Angle Sunlight & Strobe Light. Photo Data: Nikon F3, Nikkor 16mm lens, Aquatica Housing, Manual Exposure Mode. ISO 64 Kodachrome film. Exposure f2.8 @ 1/30th sec. Image by Kevin Deacon.

Photo Hints: I chose a slow shutter speed to allow the very low sunlight levels to expose the shipwreck' I am always willing to shoot at shutter speeds as slow as 1/30th as long as I am not moving. Once I had estimated the sunlight exposure for the image I used one strobe to reproduce the colour in the coral I had included in the foreground. Equipment Comments: The key equipment element for this image is the use of the Nikkor 16 MM Full Frame Fisheye lens. This lens gives almost 180 degree angle of view which allows the photographer to capture large subjects up close and within range of strobes. I was introduced to this powerful lens and its creative possibilities by David Doubilet and I still consider this the greatest gift an underwater photographer has ever given to another.

Interesting Facts: The Dar Yang was a Taiwanese fishing vessel caught in the act of illegal fishing in PNG territorial waters. She was sunk as an artificial reef that now supports the very marine life she once hunted.

Back to Image Gallery