Articles

A juvenile gray stingfish

You could say that Photographer of the Week Kei Nomiyama dives in order to see the extraterrestrial monsters of his imagination. With an affinity for black-water and night diving, Kei hunts for the tiny critters, krill and plankton that are suspended in the water columns away from the more sedentary environments of the reefs.

Kei uses a 100mm macro lens and a technique of rocking back and forth in order to focus on his delicate and often miniscule subjects. Finding a sweet spot for lighting such iridescent subjects is a challenge for most, but Kei seems to have mastered this technique in his shooting. But despite the challenging shooting conditions, what emerges is a body of work filled with the weird and the wonderful, displayed beautifully in front of the rich black curtain of ocean that serves as a backdrop for subjects to show off their most peculiar physiologies. 
 

Juvenile Engyprosopon sp.
 

Juvenile armored searobin
 

Jellyfish with shrimp rider
 

Amphipod crustacean Phronima sedentaria
 

An Argonauta argo octopus peeps out of its eggcase
 

Squat lobster in megalopa stage
 

Kei Nomiyama

To see more of Kei's work, check out his website, keinomiayma.smugmug.com.