I believe that good photographs are made, not found. They are made through a combination of subject matter, creativity, technical knowledge, and practice. The photo-creating process is a personal experience; how each photographer combines these elements marks a personal signature upon the final image. When I approach a subject I look into my mind for the potential photograph. I try to think about how I can make my photograph of this subject look different from other photographs of the same subject. In my mind I try to visualize the final photograph hanging on a wall or projected on a screen. Only then I begin to manipulate the technology of photography: camera, lens, film, and - most important - light to create this image. There is a moment when the image in the camera looks like the one in my head. It happens in a fraction of a second. It is the decisive moment: hesitate for a second and it is gone, perhaps forever.

Falling in the blue depths, being surrounded by a school of jacks and barracudas, listening to the songs of whales and dolphins, watching the elegant dance of a manta ray, silently escorting a whale shark or playing with a sea lion: these experiences produce emotions that can never be forgotten, as well as the dance of a tiny goby or the pastel hues of soft coral. Curiosity makes me wait patiently for marine creatures to go on with their business; patience and knowledge are the underwater photographer's best allies. Patience rewards with unrepeatable moments. Knowledge makes one focus on the important elements, and allows one to foresee what is about to happen. Perhaps there's a third eye that makes you watch in the right direction or helps you make the decision that will result in the best shot. All the planning, thinking, concentrating, and waiting are not difficult for me; it is a labor of love. Underwater photography represents the ultimate love affair with nature: it is an opportunity to represent the creativity of nature in a personal expression of art.

Horacio A Alfano

Horacio Alfano
Underwater Photographer / Documentalist
Alfasub Fotografia Subacuatica
P.O. BOX 416408, Miami, FL. 33141-6408 USA
Coronel Diaz 1875, Buenos Aires (1425) Argentina
E-mail: alfasub@scubadiving.com

RETURN TO Underwater Photographer's Corner
Copyright © 1996 - Horacio Alfano - All rights reserved.