As this hawksbill turtle swam past, David angled his camera to set its amber underside against the rich blue water.
His intent was ‘to connect people with the ocean’s incredible beauty and its silent devastation’. Framed by a backdrop of barracuda and batfish, he used a slow shutter speed to capture this hawksbill soaring through its realm. As far back as the Ancient Greeks, the hawksbill’s glossy, colourful shell has been the sole source of commercial tortoiseshell, prized for jewellery and spectacle frames. Now critically endangered, the species is still threatened by an illegal trade for its shell as well as its eggs, meat and juveniles, which are stuffed as exotic gifts.
USA
David is a contributing photographer-in-residence and author for National Geographic with over 75 features. He has also won the Academy of Achievement, Lennart Nilsson and Explorers Club Lowell Thomas awards. He is a NOGI Fellow, member of the Royal Photographic Society, member of the International Diving Hall of Fame and founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers.
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