Cazadora del mar Photograph

This image was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2020 National Audubon Society Photography Awards. Shimmering in the shallows below a rocky islet in Baja California Sur, Mexico—sardines gather in the thousands. Having spent many hours underwater at this California sea lion rookery, I had never before encountered diving double-crested cormorants there. Shifting my focus from the playful sea lions, I watched in awe as the cormorants plunged into the sea beak first. The silvery fish moved through the water column with effortless grace, narrowly escaping the aquatic birds with each sweeping pass. A great deal of energy must be expended on such a hunt, and despite spending a bit of time admiring these birds morph into marine life, I did not witness a single one succeed. Adding insult to injury, at times curious sea lion pups would zip by the hunting birds, nipping at them from behind. This is a limited edition print, made with archival pigmented inks on Hahnemuhle's sustainable Agave 290 gsm paper. A white border is added for easy mounting. Agave paper is coarse with a fine surface texture that feels soft and provides the image with a sense of depth.The paper is 70% agave fiber, 30% cotton. Agave is a sustainable medium because it requires less water and grows quicker than most raw materials used for printing. These factors allow more to be produced on the same piece of land than other raw materials used for printing.