Articles

Turtle in Tenerife, sky in Almería, Spain: Double exposure using the Sky Replacement tool in Adobe Photoshop
 

Francisco Sedano grew up in Sevilla, Spain, but spent his summers in the subtropical coast of Granada, where he developed a passion for marine life and started snorkeling regularly when he was only seven years old. He went on to study biology and completed a PhD in marine ecology of defensive coastal infrastructure. He is now a high school biology teacher and loves being able to share his knowledge about the natural world with future generations of ocean advocates.

With his underwater images, he tries to raise awareness of the beauty of marine biodiversity, bringing it closer to the general public. He engages viewers with artistic interpretations of the underwater world created using double or even triple exposures and some clever editing in Photoshop and other post-processing software. This approach has defined his work, and he has achieved recognition in important international and national contests, including a first place in 2019 Ocean Art (Underwater Art category), two wins in 2020 and 2021 in the UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition (Digital Ocean Photo Art category) and an honorable mention in Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year Competition 2022 (Creative Vision), among others.

When not creating digital underwater artwork, Francisco also enjoys capturing “traditional” underwater photos, but my favorite images in his portfolio are the more creative ones. Combining a fairly common sea turtle image with a different skyline transforms what would otherwise be a standard shot into something much more interesting. I also love the smoke effect added to the Anthias portrait, and the diver inside the mouth of a moray eel is another favorite. In a time when most divers have a camera and underwater photos of these subjects are a dime a dozen, Francisco’s success in finding a way to make his work stand out is admirable. And it has clearly been an excellent strategy in photography contests, too!
 

Pregnant seahorse, Calahonda, Granada, Spain
 

Freediver Markos Digenis in a cave in Crete, Greece
 

Smoked Anthias: A creative image that represents biodiversity loss
 

A sea urchin releasing its sperm, Puerto Galera, Philippines
 

Rhizostoma luteum jellyfish in La Herradura, Granada, Spain, with Sara Malosetti modeling
 

Skeleton shrimp, La Herradura, Granada, Spain
 

A large barrel sponge takes center stage on a coral reef in the Philippines
 

Goniobranchus kuniei nudibranch captured with a snoot
 

Triple exposure of a moray eel and diver in a cave on Crete Island, Greece
 

Costasiella kuroshimae nudibranch, Puerto Galera, Philippines
 

Diver surrounded by fish, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
 

Moray eels, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
 

Antiopella cristata, Spain’s most beautiful nudibranch
 

Fractalius filter applied to a nudibranch image using Adobe Photoshop
 

Francisco Sedano
 

To see more of Francisco’s awesome atrwork and underwater images, check out his excellent Instagram page.