After dark: corals shine bright on the Great Barrier Reef at night

By AG STAFF August 19, 2022
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Photographed at night, Great Barrier Reef corals get their glow up.

Harriet Spark and her husband Woody are dedicated to finding new ways of showcasing nature and the Great Barrier Reef, and these coral images, shot after dark, are extraordinary examples of that.

“We so often see coral scapes taken during the day, when the light is brightest,” Harriet says. “At night, the underwater world completely transforms, with species emerging that are hiding during the daylight hours. Your view is also narrowed to whatever is illuminated by your torch, forcing you to focus on what is in front of you.

“I took these photos at Keeper Reef, off Townsville. We had started the dive before the sun had set, and it was beautiful seeing the colour slowly fade as the sun disappeared. I wanted to capture how the night changes the reef as darkness descends. I shot these images on the Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II, using an Olympus 8mm fisheye lens in a Nauticam housing with a pair of Inon Z-330 strobes.” 

Harriet and Woody’s production house, Grumpy Turtle Films, helps purpose-driven and environmental organisations share their stories through film and photography.

“Stories connect and move us on a level that facts and figures can only dream about, and we really believe that when stories are paired with compelling visuals and stunning imagery, they have the power to change the world,” Harriet says.

We couldn’t agree more!

Related: The corals of the Great Barrier Reef: illustrated