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Audun Rikardsen's Image
Moon jellyfish swarm in the cool autumnal waters of a fjord outside Tromsø in northern Norway illuminated by the aurora borealis.
Sheltering his equipment in a self-made waterproof housing, Audun used a single exposure as well as his own system for adjusting the focus and aperture during the exposure. This enabled him to capture the reflection of the sky’s colours in the surface of the water and at the same time light up the jellyfish with flashes. Moon jellyfish are common in all oceans and are easily recognised by their four rings, which are in fact their genitals.
Behind the lens
Audun Rikardsen
Norway
Growing up in a small fishing community in northern Norway, Audun developed a lifelong fascination with the Arctic’s landscape, culture and wildlife – both above and below the ocean’s surface. While he remains a part-time photographer, he’s a full-time professor in biology at the UiT Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø. There he uses this combination to integrate photography into his scientific fieldwork and to inspire and share his scientific results with the public.
Image details
- Canon EOS-1D X
- Laowa 12mm f2.8 lens
- 34 sec at f2.8–22 (changed during exposure) • ISO 1600 • two Canon 600 flashes in underwater housing
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