I recently took a trip to Key Largo to shoot a coral restoration project. Let me explain. The coral is dying and so some brave soul thought it would be a good idea to try to fix the situation. By 'situation', I mean mother nature is SCREAMING AT US but because she is underwater, we can't hear her. BLULB.
Let's call this coral hero Ken. Ken used to collect tropical fish for a living and over the years saw how the coral was dying off. He thought, 'hot damn, I have to do something'! So, he started experimenting with growing coral in underwater nurseries. Finding success in this, he tried bringing these coral pieces out to the dead reefs and transplanting them. What this means is he basically underwater epoxy's the shit out of them so they stick, and this is working. Ken is single handedly saving us and has transplanted about a hundred square kilometers thus far with the help of sponsors, donations, volunteers etc.
I made a piece showcasing Ken's work. My Canon5D with an Ikelite casing was no match for the stellar RED footage provided by an underwater videographer from Key Largo. This cameraman works often with the Coral Restoration Foundation (Ken runs this foundation) and it is beautiful to see healthy reefs, schools of fish and other aquatic species from his perspective. Side note: did you know coral was an animal?
I am truly happy when I can tell stories that matter, like this one.