Measuring 6 X 30 feet, Minke Whale Composite I is my second largest life-size photograph of a whale. Working for nearly 20 years with whales, I remain the only person in the world to create life-size photographs of these ancient denizens of the sea.

Minke Whale Composite I features a whale named Ella. Anchored off the Great Barrier Reef, I was greeted by the sight of Ella’s dorsal fin slicing through the water as I peered through the porthole. For five consecutive days, I awoke and entered the water to meet Ella waiting for me to join her. We would remain in each other’s company for up to eight hours. At times, I would be with more than fourteen whales, but none would approach as close as Ella, sometimes an arm’s reach away. Her trust and curiosity allowed me to create highly detailed composite photos of her body in five foot wide sections using a Hasselblad medium format camera with an 80mm portrait lens.

On my last day photographing Ella, the captain summoned me back to the boat to be transferred to my next chartered vessel. As we motored back, I was delighted to see that Ella was not far behind – she dutifully followed me to the vessel, and I wasted no time re-entering the water to continue our portrait session. At the end of the day, she approached me one last time. My camera battery died; and I instinctively lowered it to my side to meet her gaze with my own eyes, for the first and last time.

Upon returning home, I built a computer powerful enough to create a life-size photograph of her entire body, and would spend the next three months working to bring the close-up photographs together. Entitled Minke Whale Composite I, it debuted a year later in Norway and Japan, two countries that continue to hunt whales. My life-size whale portraits are shared in a way that invites the viewer to explore their emotions in response to the work. This is especially important in countries that hunt whales. I was concerned that my first show in Oslo, Norway, would become a flashpoint for combative and polarizing experiences. To my delight, viewers were profoundly moved – even journalists, who might be inclined to engage in debating the merits of whaling were curious. They were fascinated to learn how I engaged with whales at such proximity without being injured. I spoke about these whales as individuals, some of whom I would reunite with in subsequent years. These exhibitions taught me that with sufficient time and care, change is possible and compassion is the universal language of the human experience.

Minke Whale Composite I has toured the world over and is scheduled for its first exhibition in Seoul, Korea in the summer of 2023 at the Datz Museum of Art. It was released as two prints - an artist proof and a single original. Both prints are finished to the highest archival standard to inspire future generations and to serve as a profound reminder of what we may lose in our lifetime.

Minke Whale Composite I is being released for private collection to fund my first documentary film about cetaceans, a film inspired by the 1974 book Mind in the Waters, celebrating the consciousness of whales and dolphins, by Joan McIntyre.

To learn more about this print for a potential acquisition, please feel free to call me at 831.293.4102 or write to me at bryant@studiocosmos.com.

Click “play” to see a more detailed view of Minke Whale Composite Portrait I