Sea turtles are one of my favorite animals to photograph, I'm in love with their patterns and what strikes me the most is the peace they trasmit to me. At Tagus Cove in Isabela Island sometimes the visibility is so great you can see them eating, resting, mating and posing for the camera.
I'm new to underwater photography and my first underwater case is an Ikelite. I use it with my Sony A7 III and I'm in love with the pictures I've taken so far. I've been practicing for about a year now, I'm really enjoying it and I'm always learning new things. I don't always take my camera with me, to be able to be present and really connected to nature. But when I do, one of my favourite part of taking pictures is reliving the moments I lived and noticing many more details than before.
One of my passions is life underseas, I've been snorkeling, diving and freediving for the past few years. I'm an environmental storyteller who graduated as a digital animator with a minor degree in environmental communication. I started as a scene photographer in the main theatre in my country Ecuador. While growing up in a small town in the mainland coast, my connection with the ocean became very special since I can remember. When I graduated college, I changed the backstage in theatres to learn from scientists behind the scenes.
This is my favorite picture so far, I love split shots and this is my attempt to accomplishing one. Two sea turtles went by with Alighieri mount in the background.
My conservationist side flourished since I've been coming to the Galápagos Archipelago. This Natural Heritage Site is beautiful and unique above and underwater. I started out doing environmental communication with the Charles Darwin Foundation, then I collaborated in a project about art and experiential education with Casa de la Cultura de Galápagos & Ecology Project International Galápagos and today I'm very fortunate to travel around pristine landscapes as a Video Chronicler for Lindblad Expedition & National Geographic.
Here are my favorite pictures taken with my Ikelite underwater case, a Sony A7III with a 28mm f2.0 Sony lens. Every picture I take I use natural lighting, I prefer doing so since this is one of the most fragile marine protected areas in the world.
A gorgeous spotted eagle ray seemed to fly underwater right by our side.
A family of spotted eagle rays went by leaving me a picture of their silhouette.
An encounter with a sea star is always special, they are beautiful creatures and this colorful one stands out of the wall.
I was afraid of sharks as most people are thanks to bad publicity about this amazing beings. My first encounter was with a white tip reef shark in which I realized how wrong I was, he swam away, he was scared of me and now I have nothing more than appreciation and love for this beautiful misunderstood animals.
A hammerhead shark came right in the middle of the group, it came close and that was definitely a highlight that day.
This is one of the best examples of sustainable fishing in the Galápagos archipelago, as there are seasons and sizes to catch it. We spotted this one in its cave taking a look at us as we swam by his home.
I just love how these amazing sharks look like from the top, their symmetry and white tip get blended with the reef.
I was behind my group and I spotted shadows between a school of fish in the distance, I swam towards them and there they were, four hammerhead sharks passing by.
This hammerhead shark came to check me out, I was behind the group when I spotted a group of four hammerhead sharks that no one else in the dive saw. My husband witnessed my encounter from far away while I was having mixed feelings about the shark being so close to me. It was one of the best moments I've had diving, I felt a little intimidated and mostly excited.
The most striking part of these animals is their pattern and tale, I believe black and white brings them out the most.
I normally see this ways jumping off the water in the distance, this timeout encounter was underwater.
You have to really be looking for this endemic blue alien like creatures the size of a tiny finger to spot them, when you do is thrilling, although is very hard to photograph them without a macro lens.
All photos Copyright © 2020 Liza Díaz Lalova
Liza Díaz Lalova grew up in a small town in the mainland coast of Ecuador. After graduating with a degree in digital animation and environmental communication, Liza started working as a scene photographer for a theatre company. Since then she transitioned to working with scientists and ultimately pursuing conservation efforts in the Galápagos Archipelago. Liza has helped to further the causes of the Charles Darwin Foundation, Casa de la Cultura de Galápagos, and Ecology Project International Galápagos. Now Liza travels as a video chronicler for Lindblad Expedition and National Geographic. See more of Liza's work at lizapixels.com.
Additional Reading
Natural Light Photography Underwater
First Look Sony Alpha a7R IV Underwater Housing
Dive Diversions: On Safari in Uganda with the Sony Alpha A7R III
