Benz World Blog » Coral

Marine Institute

Jason Benz — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 17:30:16 +0000

This was taken at the Australian Institute of Marine Science. It is a federally funded organisation which is revealing some of the mysteries of the ocean. The facility is full of fish tanks containing corals whose water temperature and carbon dioxide level are computer controlled to emulate different environments. These include the future conditions we expect to see if climate change continues on its current trajectory.

Today my earnings from Shutterstock exceeded USD$10,000. As well as a milestone it comes with a pay rise. It marks the top tier of photographers who get the biggest cut from image sales (up to $120 per download). I currently have 600 images online at Shutterstock. Most of these are the result of shooting whatever was in front of me while I followed a girlfriend with itchy feet. At this point, the average image has been downloaded 26 times and generated $17 each so far.

As with all parts of the gig economy, the unit price is driven down by internet efficiencies. Fortunately, photography is an industry where the digital revolution has also reduced the cost to the worker. I currently shoot about 100 pictures a day which would be 3-4 rolls of film in old money. The time and expense to develop these has almost disappeared today. All that is needed is a working knowledge of Photoshop.

Job security is also a casualty in most parts of today’s economy, however, royalty payments do have the advantage of creating a very stable income. The payments from stock photography have been more reliable than all the 9-5 jobs I have had and will not stop when reaching retirement.

I am continuing North into increasingly remote areas. Generally the harder to get photos are the ones which sell most. While planning my route I must balance this with the fact I am driving a 31-year-old van which feels like it is shaking itself apart on the roughest dirt roads. The phone signal will be patchy until I reach Ingham in Queensland on 17th August.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Yamada Point

Jason Benz — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:38:54 +0000

In 2017 I have been working on the coral reefs around Okinawa in Japan. These waters contain the oldest and largest reefs in the Northern Hemisphere. This area has experienced some of the most devastating effects of climate change which has accelerated coral bleaching. This coral plantation at Yamada Point was built by local fishermen and is now the largest man-made coral field at over 2.5 hectares.

These images are a result of a collaboration between Panedia, Google, The Ocean Agency and the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. This project takes up most of my working week, although I don’t do the Photography, I have a lot of fun working on these beautiful images in Photoshop.

Abandoned Observatory

Jason Benz — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 22:01:18 +0000

This is the Middle Island Underwater Observatory off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It was refurbished and re-opened in 2007 so visitors could descend six metres below sea level to view coral and fish including honeycomb cod, flowery cod, damsel fish, moon wrasse and gropers. It looked as if it had been abandoned again when this photograph was taken in 2016.

Big Mushroom

Jason Benz — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 23:17:28 +0000

This was the “Big Mushroom” off the Taiwanese coast. The 12 metre high coral structure is considered one of the worlds most iconic ocean dive sites. Despite surviving being struck twice by submarines this 1000 year old life form has now been toppled by Typhoon Meranti.

This is one of 6 dives from the waters around Taiwan which I have been working on recently to get into Google Streetview. These images are a result of a collaboration between Panedia, The Ocean Agency and the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. Although I don’t do the Photography I always enjoy working on these beautiful images in Photoshop.

Raja Ampat

Jason Benz — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 10:24:18 +0000

These are the waters around the Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia. This area has the highest density of marine life in the world. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest coral reef system but it is relatively young compared to this one. The diversity of life here is helped by being uniquely placed between the Indian and Pacific oceans and three continental plates.

Keppel Islands

Jason Benz — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 09:07:26 +0000

This is Great Keppel Island off the coast of Queensland in Australia. It is one of the Southern Reef islands which provide access to the Great Barrier Reef. If you have never visited Australia you would be forgiven for thinking the famous reef was within swimming distance of the mainland. In truth you always need a boat ride. However, once on the islands the coral is within a stones throw of the shore. We took a 30min ferry trip which parked on the island by driving on to the beach. We then walked 45min to this remote place called Monkey Beach.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is be available for download here.

Ocean Rocks

Jason Benz — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:36:14 +0000

This image from Jamaica is one of my very first stock photos. I received an automated email from dreamstime agency saying “image has been online for more than 4 years with no downloads up to the present” and giving me the option of giving it away for free which I did. I still like the shot so I decided to give it the once over in Photoshop to see what would happen. I applied vignette to darken the edges and centre the focus. Then shamelessly went about boosting hues and generally adding interest. Original Free Image.