Glories of a hidden world
Deep-sea photographer captures the wonder of life beneath the waves, reports.
Night’s dark curtain descends. As it falls, it hides a huge underwater movement. It is called the diurnal vertical migration. Simply put, this is the biggest biomass movement on the planet. Marine organisms move up to the surface of the sea after dusk and return to the deep water before dawn.
The vigorous but hidden world has been the focus of underwater photographer Zhang Fan’s camera lens for the past 10 years.
To be specific, he is a blackwater photographer. This is done in the open ocean. But to clear up any misunderstanding, it is not just diving into water at night. Blackwater diving is done where there is seemingly no bottom, in very deep water, using a downline and lights to attract sealife. The photographer is often looking for the unusual marine wildlife that’s rarely, if ever, seen.
“The experience is amazing. Diving into the depths of the ocean makes me feel like I’m floating in infinite space with luminous marine creatures shining like stars,” says Zhang, 35.
From the blue whale, the world’s biggest mammal, and the rarelyseen blanket octopus to alien-like planktonic critters, the oceans are home to limitless life forms for Zhang to explore and record. He has been underwater in more than 30 countries and regions.
Still relatively new in China, blackwater diving dates back to the early 1980s in Hawaii, the United States. Usually, blackwater photography involves hanging powerful light “baits” about every five meters down from a buoy, letting it drift in deep waters and waiting for the light to attract small marine creatures up from the depths to be photographed.
“It is a world full of surprises in which you never know what you will encounter,” Zhang says.
With a true passion for the oceans, Zhang started blackwater photography in 2010 and hopes that one day he can publish a book as a field guide to life in the deep blue based on his images and descriptions.
“I have always been thinking about how to establish a database of different categories and how to make my text and images into an interesting book to help the public better understand the blue planet,” Zhang says.
Acknowledged as a pioneer blackwater photographer in China, he has more than 430,000 followers of his account on micro-blogging service Sina Weibo. He also opened accounts on short-video sharing platforms Bilibili and Douyin.
“Through my lens, I hope to raise awareness on marine conservation and protection and that more people can enjoy the beauty of the ocean,” Zhang says.
A follower, called Yunlan, comments that Zhang presents impressive photos and information about marine life and shares his observations on the relationship between humans and the ocean.
Zhang is a regular contributor to Chinese National Geography magazine and a contracted photographer to the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program. He has published several books and was invited to photograph the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013.
Shan Zhiqiang, editor-in-chief of Chinese National Geography, is often impressed by his unique photos. “Zhang is good at capturing the beauty of our oceans in the inkyblack waters,” Shan writes on his Sina Weibo account.
Breakthrough
Zhang spent his childhood in the south, in Haikou on the island province of Hainan and developed a fascination for the ocean at a young age. Most days were spent in and around the water. At the age of 6, he drew a picture of a boat and two divers ready to photograph nearly 50 marine creatures in the water. He knew then what he wanted to be.
“The ones marked with stars are the marine varieties that I wished to encounter when I was a boy and I have since recorded all of them with my camera,” Zhang says and smiles. A graduate from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing with a bachelor’s degree in illustration, Zhang took various odd jobs, such as that of a video game concept designer or a 3D artist, before earning a living as a photographer.
Zhang’s secondhand Olympus Stylus 1060 camera cost less than 1,000 yuan ($149).
His breakthrough came when a friend invited him to dive in waters surrounding the Xisha Islands in Hainan. Although the trip was expensive, Zhang agreed and borrowed money to buy equipment specifically for underwater use, including a Canon G12 and an Inon underwater strobe. It came to nearly 10,000 yuan.
However, with everything ready, the trip was canceled due to bad weather. The bad luck didn’t stop Zhang, who used the opportunity to learn scuba diving in Sanya, Hainan, during which time he was able to take a photo of his first deep-sea creature — a mole cowry.
For Zhang, who has ankylosing spondylitis, a form of spinal arthritis, underwater photography that requires him to work in cold water is not an ideal career. But dreams sometimes require sacrifice.
“In the first few years as an underwater photographer, I had to borrow money from my parents to make ends meet,” he says. After his images established his reputation, companies contacted him offering work.
He also gives lectures on ocean biology and sometimes arranges diving tours for people.
Located in the nutrient-rich Coral Triangle, Anilao in the Philippines, home to an astounding amount of marine wildlife, has been one of his most frequently-visited destinations. November is the best time for underwater photography in Anilao, according to Zhang.
Late last year, he recorded an eel larva during a nighttime dive off the coast there. “Leptocephalus is not easy to capture, because it moves super fast and randomly,” he says.
During another dive in Anilao, Zhang encountered a blanket octopus, unfolding and displaying a colorful web.
Exploring the unknown
It may seem glamorous, going to exotic destinations, but there is often some element of danger involved, not least the risk of the bends, or decompression sickness, as well as attacks from aggressive marine animals.
“I have encountered many dangerous moments underwater, including being hit by a sperm whale, experiencing a volcanic eruption and the use of dynamite by fishing boats,” Zhang says.
However, he knows that marine animals are much more tolerant to humans than humans are to them.
He has experienced the surprise of meeting a fish at the same diving spot days or months apart. “Some fish have a fixed reef as their home,” he explains.
“It is like meeting an old neighbor,” he recalls, speaking of the touching moment that is indescribably wonderful when he returns after a gap of a few days or even a couple months to see the fish he previously photographed still there.
Having documented the underwater world for the past decade, Zhang has seen how climate change and human behavior have influenced the ocean.
“Corals are among the first indicators of climate change. With the rise in temperature, corals have undergone a process called ‘bleaching’, during which they lose their color and are dying. It is heartbreaking.”
Besides global warming, he adds that overfishing and plastic pollution are also challenges faced by the ocean ecosystem. “Our planet is changing and the beautiful things that I love are dying. I hope that my photos and videos can act as a wake-up call to protect our oceans,” Zhang says.
I have encountered many dangerous moments underwater, including being hit by a sperm whale, experiencing a volcanic eruption and the use of dynamite by fishing boats.”
Zhang Fan, 35, blackwater photographer