Measuring 8 X 36 feet, Sperm Whale Composite I is the largest life-size photograph of a whale in the world. Working for nearly 20 years with whales, I remain the only person to create life-size photographs of these ancient denizens of the sea.

Sperm Whale Composite I features a whale named Scar who I first met two years prior to this photograph being made. Unsure if Scar remembered me, he nonetheless nuzzled my body with the front of his head before healing over to his left to meet my eyes. We floated motionless for a few moments as we looked into eachothers eyes. I then swam around the front of Scar to face the side of his body illuminated by the late morning sun. He gave me a four minute “sitting” where I composed over 144 close up photographs of his body using a Hasselblad medium format camera with an 80mm lens. Each photo captures a five foot wide section of his thirty foot long body.

These photos are only made possible when a whale choses to approach within five feet of my camera. To increase the likelihood of such an encounter, I work alone in the water (on snorkel) and remain motionless and predictable as a means to draw out their natural curiosity. I do this for five weeks and up to three months. If I am fortunate I may have one such moment with a whale.

Sperm 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 Sperm Whale Composite Portrait I