B E N N E T T F I L M
a whole new focus
"WHEN THE STARS ALIGN"
This image has become a fan favorite over the years, and is the oldest photograph still in my portfolio today. I have sold more prints of this image than any other, which is ironic since it is the only underwater image in my entire body of work.
A long time ago, I had the pleasure of living in the amazing country of Panama for over 2 years. During that time I fell in love with the country; the people, the food, the culture, and the incredible nature. Panama is a country with many pristine jungles, beaches, and islands inhabited by beautiful wildlife. I have since returned to the country many times on different expeditions to its wild places to create photographs and connect with mother nature.
On this particular trip I was out exploring the incredible San Blas Archipelago, still governed by the Kuna Yala Natives. With their blessing, I was able to travel by boat and camp on many different tropical islands–most of which were no larger than a football field. One day, while traveling from one island to another, my driver stopped the boat in the middle of the ocean in an area that was no deeper than my waist. Once the clear blue water around us calmed down, we could see a vibrant array of starfish all across the white sandy floor. I jumped out of the boat with my goggles and underwater camera and began trying to create photographs.
While the starfish weren't moving, it was quite difficult to capture the scene because I would slowly float up to the surface. It took dozens of attempts as I would blow out all my air to sink to the floor and then try my best to compose the scene as I would be carried upward. Finally I was able to capture this image, as one of the starfish was also floating upward, which gave it a bit more depth, dimension, and interest. While I'm no wildlife photographer, starfish have become one of my favorite subjects to shoot while on the coast because of their fun shapes and vibrant colors. However, since this is a photograph that I may never get to see anything like again, it has become a personal favorite of mine as well.
