A joint collaboration between Gill Williams and Geraint Ashton Jones
Nestling to the South of Ben Tianavaig lies Camastianaviag which sits on the Sound of Raasay. It is a small crofting township with a stone covered bay that looks across to Raasay. White Tail eagles, otters, dolphins and seals can regularly be viewed above the surface, but what about below?
Our first visit to this new location was dominated by images of crabs, some of which we have reproduced below. We will be adding both the locations and some of the images to our gallery very soon.
We are very pleased to announce that five more images have been released and are available to purchase as prints. The prints are available as premium paper in either a Lustre or Gloss finish. They can also be purchased printed on acrylic or aluminium.
These additions bring our print offering up to ten and we hope to add some more soon. To view the images available to purchase as prints please click here.
The close up image of the crab eye has proved to be one of hte most popular recent image. Perhaps it is because we are all used to seeing crabs in rock pools along the sea shore. There is fabulous detail in these creatures which only a still image allows you to really appreciate.
The original campervan!! On the Isle of Skye we see our fair share of campervans and motorhomes. Having a mobile home always with you is nothing new. However, unlike a snail, the hermit crab doesn't produce its shell it borrows one. Another image that brings out the detail of the scene and how the sand on the crab's shell helps it be camoflaged on the sea floor. The image was created on the first divie visit to Waterloo, just East of Broadford.
If the hermit crab uses sand for camoflage how well does the colour scheme of this dragonet fish act as camoflage against the stony loch floor at Sconser? Sconser is probably best know for producing some of the Isle of Skye's best scallops which are farmed by moving young scallops in to managed waters to mature. However we have found it to be productive for underwater photography with a wide range of different sea life being found in the loch's clear waters.
The final images are two more of the young mussels at Carbost. It may seem a lot of images of the same subject but they do print up very well with their vibrant shells and almost tartan checks! Could be a design for a kilt lurking there somewhere!
July was a busy month for the Below the Skye Line project. In total Gill dived 11 times at 6 different locations and from these dives we have uploaded 50 images to share with you. Below we have reproduced 5 memorable images from July which help showcase some of the projects underwater photography and also the ever increasing range of underwater life we are getting to make images of.
Nudibranch's are beautiful delicate creatures which shed their shells before becoming adults and are often commonly referred to as sea slugs. The 'coronet' in the image above is the external gills of the nudibranch. If you wish to find out more about these wonderful creatures then click for their wiki page.
Also Jim Anderson hosts a website all about Scottish Nudibranches which includes many different images. He tries to classify and identify all the different types of Nudibranch he finds in Scottish waters. His page can be found by clicking here.
Sticking with the same dive location of Carbost but changing species to mussels, found everywhere around the Isle of Skye. Throughout June and into July we were mazed at the vibrant colours of the young mussles which we were able to capture due to a period of very clear water, some great light coming through from above the surface and just a touch of light from a strobe. By the end of July, as the mussels grew, the colours faded. The above image though was another sorce of delight as the macro lens on the canon brought in to sharp focus 100s of tiny mussels growing on a larger mussel shell. Amongst the tiny mussels there are also growing acorn barnacles.
It is not easy capturing tack sharp macro images underwater. It can be difficult to keep the camera still due to the movement of the water. This image is a great example of the skill Gill has as both a diver and photographer with a super close up of a crab's eye.
Each of the two primary eyes of the crab move independently on their own stalk. The eye is a compound eye and is adapted to be very sensitive to light. The eye gives 360 degree vision and can detect very small changes to both sunlight and moonlight.
Carbost was a really productive dive site in July and provides 3 of the 5 images selected for July's showcase. This is a front on close up of a shrimp which highlights the detail of their mouthes and also provides detail of their translucent bodies.
A sea goosebury fires off and lights up green. These small creatures are difficult to create good images off because they are nearly transparent and also very small. There are over 90 different species of the sea gooseberry and they are found in most of the oceans around the world.
Sea gooseberries may look fragile but they have a voracious appetitie and can eat upto 10 times their own body weight a day. As shown in the image, they have a beauty and grace in the water but once out of it collapse to a gelatinous blob - such a shame but hopefully for those unable to see them swimming our images are a small compensation.
It was very difficult reducing 50 images to just 5. The majestic salmon, found at Glen Brittle, have not been included nor some lovely examples of starfish.
Who knows what August will bring!
