The Bahamas

A hammerhead shark swims at the bottom of the ocean floor.

The Bahamas

They scour the reefs in hungry droves, hoping to flush out an unlucky fish from its coral sanctuary. They exuded a prehistoric kind of intelligence, an ancient wisdom that has allowed their species to survive for hundreds of thousands of years and I felt deep respect for these misunderstood beings.

​-Cristina Mittermeier

The Bahamas

“I love paying attention to patterns that might make an image an interesting abstract, so when I spotted this sleeping lemon shark on a bed of sand rippled by the strong currents, I saw an opportunity for a study in poetic symmetry.”

-Cristina Mittermeier

Galapagos Islands

The shadowy fleet moved silently above me, tails swaying as they crept below the surface. I felt no fear as I watched their patrol, only a rising thrill and wonder at the rich biodiversity of the waters surrounding the beautiful Galápagos islands.

​-Cristina Mittermeier

Galapagos Islands

“Holding my breath to not give my precarious position away as I waiting for this hammerhead shark to swim overhead, I noticed the beautiful pattern created by the fish as they formed a living curtain; a veil between the shark in the distance and my camera lens.”
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-Cristina Mittermeier

Galapagos Islands

“Off the shores of the Galápagos, my partner Paul and I were pursuing a school of Salema fish in the warm shallows when a sea turtle suddenly sprang into view, scattering the shoal in panicked bursts of silver. I quickly snapped this photo and delighted in the explosion of life around me.”

– Cristina Mittermeier

Galapagos Islands

The silhouettes of tropical fish dance beneath the crashing surf, poised tenuously along the reef where the ocean’s mountainous waves finally topple and recede to become part of the sea once more.

French Polynesia

Framed by the glossy creases of the ocean’s surface in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, a pink whiptail ray darted just before my camera lens, its fins flitting above the seabed with such grace it barely disturbed the sand. As it passed, it turned its curious eye to me as if searching for something.

The Bahamas

“In Inuit culture dogs are considered neither pets nor friends; instead they are extremely important working animals. Their obedience is paramount to the vital job of pulling a sled on what often are very dangerous conditions. The sled is used as a means of transportation among villages and for hunting.”

-Cristina Mittermeier

Galapagos Islands, 2019

I came across this sea turtle on its lonely course through the open ocean, drifting in the space where the sun’s light was swallowed by the dark abyss. With the visibility layer obscuring my vision on all sides, it was as if we were the only two beings in the universe.