Great Barrier Reef Wall Art
Every image in this collection was made from the air. The reef does not photograph from a boat, because at surface level the colour disappears into reflection and the structure is invisible. From above it becomes what people picture when they think of it. Fourteen prints.
Why the reef has to be shot from above
Coral, sand and deep water sit at different depths, and depth is what produces the colour separation the reef is famous for. Stand on a boat and you see one blue. Climb to a few thousand feet and the same water sorts itself into turquoise, jade and navy with hard edges between them. That is the whole reason this is an aerial collection.
The reef structures
Heart Reef, QLD and Living Jewel Heart Reef, QLD photograph the coral formation in Hardy Reef that has become the most recognised single feature of the entire system. Hook Reef, QLD and Upolu Cay, Great Barrier Reef, QLD take reef and sand cay respectively, and Great Barrier Reef, QLD, Australia is the vertical treatment.
The Whitsundays
Whitehaven Beach, QLD and Crystal Clear Waters, Whitehaven Beach, QLD cover the silica sand beach on Whitsunday Island. Heavenly Hill Inlet, QLD is the tidal sandbar at the northern end, where the sand and water shift with every tide, so no two photographs of it are the same. Tropical Paradise, Whitsunday Islands, QLD and Whitsundays, QLD take the island group more widely.
Boats
Cruising, Great Barrier Reef and Sailing Away, Great Barrier Reef, QLD are the two images with a vessel in them, which gives the water a sense of scale the pure aerials deliberately avoid.
The strongest colour in the catalogue
Nothing else here carries blue at this saturation. That makes these images easy to hang in a white or neutral room and difficult in a room that already has a strong colour, because they will take over. On a plain wall at size, a reef aerial does the work of a feature wall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these underwater photographs?
No. The entire collection is aerial, made looking down at the reef from altitude. Underwater photography of coral records texture and marine life; the aerial view records the structure and the colour separation between coral, sand and deep water.
Which print shows Heart Reef?
Two do. Heart Reef, QLD is the panoramic treatment and Living Jewel Heart Reef, QLD is the vertical. Both show the coral formation in Hardy Reef in the Whitsundays.
Will these be too bright for a room with existing colour?
Possibly. The reef aerials carry the most saturated blues in the catalogue, so they work best against white or neutral walls and in rooms without a competing feature colour. In a room that already has a strong palette, the rainforest or highland images are easier to place.
Is Hill Inlet the same in every photograph?
No, and that is the point of it. The sandbar at Hill Inlet moves with the tide, so the pattern in Heavenly Hill Inlet, QLD is specific to the moment it was made rather than a permanent feature.