Rock Lobster: Michael Raabe Goes Deep
Los Angeles-based artist Michael Raabe has taken his share of industrial landscape shots, built a well-earned reputation as a skilled underwater photographer, and brought his videography talents a long way, but it’s his dynamic sports-based photography – the muscular hoopster hanging on the rim post-dunk, the sweat beads dripping from the boxer’s hard face, the soccer player framed midway through her spinning kick – that really showcases a master at work.
During the recent filming of the pilot episode of Harbor House Life– a hunting/cooking show that puts viewers what Michael calls “face-to-face with the ocean’s tastiest creatures” – the photographer combined two of his best genres, blending the motion-filled action shot with the cool blue of an underwater photo. While shooting free diver and U.S. spearfishing champion Dan Silveira about 50 miles off the California coast, Michael snapped amazing images of his subject wrestling a 7 1/2-pound lobster.
While the gigantic crustacean is impressive in its own right, the shots’ lighting and composition are simply amazing – a fortuitous combination, Michael notes, of the right place, the right time and the right geology.
“It was quite a rough day at sea, but we found this small rock formation that had an arch with perfect conditions,” the photographer says. “The arch happened to have a hole in the middle of it, which created the light rays that shined through the water.”
It was a lengthy battle between man and beast since the lobster was tucked deep in a rock crevasse and wouldn’t come out without a fight, but Michael’s skills – and Silveira’s – combined beautifully to create a series of amazing images.
“Dan had to go down a second time and fight the lobster for what seemed like an eternity,” Michael says. “That allowed me to take advantage of the situation and capture these pictures.”
Click here for additional shots of Silveira’s duel in the deep, plus more of Michael’s action-packed imagery.