Photographic Exhibition - Come eye-to-eye with whales in life-size

by Jude Timms on 3 Mar 2014 Photographic Exhibition - Beautiful Whale – life size photography by Bryant Austin on display... 11 April 2014 to 1 February 2015

A remarkable photographic exhibition that brings visitors up close and personal with stunning life-size images of whales will open at the Australian National Maritime Museum this April.

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In Beautiful Whale - life size photography by Bryant Austin visitors come eye-to-eye with eleven life-size images, measuring up to two by nine metres, of dwarf minke whales from the Great Barrier Reef, sperm whales from the Eastern Caribbean and humpback whales from the South Pacific.

Californian photographer Bryant Austin has been photographing whales for twenty years. His body of work represents the largest and most detailed photography of whales in the world and he is the only one making photographs of this size.

Austin spends weeks and months with groups of whales. Using only a snorkel he waits alone, suspended in the water patiently waiting for a whale to pass within two metres of his lense. The result is extraordinarily intimate and detailed portraits that illuminate the majesty and spectacle of nature’s underwater giants.

Through his work Austin is not only creating one of a kind images but promotes a message of conservation.

'For the first time in recorded history, many cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are expected to vanish as a direct result of human activity… I am making an effort through my work to reveal these magnificent and vulnerable beings to others so we can learn from them,' he said.

Beautiful Whale – life size photography by Bryant Austin is the largest collection of Austin’s work to date and will be on display exclusively at the Australian National Maritime Museum from 11 April 2014 – 1 February 2015. The exhibition is supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift. Beautiful Whale exhibition and galleries ticket is: Adult $15, Child & Concession $10.

The exhibition is part of the museum’s Whale Season which also features the international exhibition Amazing Whales – Evolution and survival from the Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. It immerses visitors in the world of whales and highlights the importance of conservation to their survival.

The Whale Season will also feature a display of quirky whale artefacts from the museum’s collection, a full range of whale inspired public programs and school holiday activities and an aquatic inspired roof projection during the Vivid Sydney festival in May.

The Australian National Maritime Museum, in Darling Harbour, is open from 9.30am to 5pm daily.

For more information: Click here