Chris Crumley Blog

Scuba diver, underwater model, photo assistant and photographer Christina Macfarlane poses behind gorgonian fan on the Deep Wall divesite offshore Palau, Micronesia.

So, you ask, "can she really be all those things?" Check http://christinamacfarlane.com and judge for yourself. Also, if you're an eco-diver, you may ask "can she can pose like that without harming the fan?" The answer is: "Absolutely. Yes. She has the training, experience, impeccable neutral buoyancy control, grace and a practiced one-finger hold-off to do it right." Before you ask, so does the photographer.

This image was made a few months ago, but got our attention today as we were editing mermaid shoot folders. Mermaids Liz Harlow and Christina Macfarlane were in Bob Minnick and Melena Sharkey's reflection pool in Portsmouth, VA.

This stainless steel chair (circa 1940s? 1950s?) has been sitting in the studio since it was rescued from an antique store in Charlottesville, VA during Look3 this summer. Finally, it got some camera time.

I built a platform with a thick glass floor, covered it with scrim material and underlit it for a figure study. If a figure looked good on it, why not the chair. Better yet, why not the chair and the figure? Well, here's the chair.

It leaves an interesting pattern on bare skin. Have you ever looked at a nude figure and thought of a waffle?

The base for Tail #4's fin arrived while I was in Mexico last week, so we can begin construction soon. In the past, we've covered the fin with neoprene, but I'm not sure we'll do that on #4. We also have a couple of new tops in the works. Fishnet and aquarium kelp have worked well in the past, but it's time for something new.

Spend a couple of days with this British subject and you'll understand why we call her Sweet Alice. Such a nice MerPerson.

Pictures almost always need the alignment of many stars to be successful. Our first bright star was the location, Ulong Island in Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (we shot on the beach and island where an early Survivor TV show was taped). Then, we needed the right weather, some calm water and minimal foot traffic. Alice had to be dialed into things-of-Mer. And, all the mechanical, electrical and digital things had to work on one of the most isolated places on the planet.

All things came together and this is the result.

Mermaids can be found anywhere there is water, even unique places like isolated Jellyfish Lake on one of the rock islands in Palau. The jellyfish, long residents of this lake without natural preditors, no longer have stinging tenticles so bare-skinned humans can swim with them without being stung. And, it would see mermaids are likewise unharmed (here, American Christina Macfarlane).

I was cruising along "Deep Wall" off the coast of Palau, Micronesia last month and saw this hawkfish darting in and out of a gorgonian fan at 80-100'. I was a little low on air and couldn't stay long, but got five frames.

Most of my underwater images are wide angle; I rarely set the housing up for macro shots. But, for this dive I was using a 16-35mm f2.8 lens and had a zoom gear installed, so racked it to 35mm and got close.

We recently finished post-production work on four signature holes on Princess Anne Country Club's new golf course. This is the 7th hole overlooking Linkhorn Bay in Virginia Beach, VA.

This view is from an elevated position above the 7th hole tee and is an early morning multi-frame panorama.

The renovated course was designed by Indiana-based Tim Liddy Associates and was two years in construction.

BodyArt Dance Company members Lauren Valentine and Lindsey Gruber lit underwater by four light sources including the dappled light from the water's surface.

Dancers Kristina Skjelberg, Brett Garfunkel and Jennifer Stulberg underwater in the closer setup. The images are destined for new promotional materials as well as projected images that are part of their performances.

We are in post production now with BodyArt Dance Company artistic director, Leslie Scott. Here, dancers Lauren Valentine and Felice Romero move toward the surface in the full length setup. Part of the 9/29 shoot was full length; the other was more close-up.

This image is from a testing session with First Assistant and Model Christina Macfarlane on 9/24. We were checking lights, underwater strobe syncs and background drape we would use 9/29 for a NY Dance Company shoot. The Ikelite strobes and white light syncs performed flawlessly, as did Christina.

Yapese mermaid Marilei Maifil on steps to Talngith Village traditional Meeting House on bank of waterway near Miil Channel on island of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) near junction of the Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean.

The photo crew consisted of Enerihka Berger, Christina Macfarlane, Chuck Guthrie, Kathy Read, Julie Morgan, Manta Ray Bay Hotel driver Theo Gumang and Yap Divers boat Captain John Pekailug.

Additional Manta Ray Bay Hotel support was provided by Owner Bill Acker, Dive Operations Manager Jan Sledsens and Front Desk Manager Dinah Limchieg.

After finishing the panorama process, I switched to the fisheye optic and moved closer to the water for this view. The fisheye allowed me to curve the horizon for a little different point of view.

After a few days of rain, a clear morning was a treat.

It's hard to imagine with such a small graphic in the Blog format, but the panorama covers more than 180 degrees and is a 350mb file.