"Close Encounters" Between People and the Sea at OceanFootage.com
The world's most comprehensive resource for ocean footage online, OceanFootage.com now features an assortment of truly spectacular encounters between humans and the mysterious wildlife of the sea. These exciting encounters make up the stock footage giant's newest collection, entitled "People and the Sea" (http://www.oceanfootage.com/stock_people_footage.htm).
Monterey, CA (PRWEB) April 5, 2005 -- The talented cinematographers who
contribute to OceanFootage.com help create the world's most comprehensive online
source for ocean footage, in one easy and convenient location. These
contributors have devoted their lives to the documentation of the world beneath
the sea in encounters that take place at a respectful distance. Sometimes a
creature becomes curious about that strange "diver with a camera," and
approaches to examine more closely. The result is an assortment of truly
spectacular encounters between humans and the mysterious wildlife of the sea.
These exciting encounters make up the newest collection at OceanFootage.com,
entitled People and the Sea (http://www.oceanfootage.com/stock_people_footage.htm).
"These amazing encounters not only show us ocean wildlife at its best,
but really show the respect and gentleness our contributors have for ocean
life," comments OceanFootage.com founder Dan Baron. "They're situations in which
people are approached by the animal in many cases out of curiosity or perhaps
even friendship. It's a remarkable collection."
The animal encounters in
the People and the Sea collection include divers -- in most cases, the
cinematographers themselves -- peacefully interacting with wildlife such as
sharks, dolphins, whales, manatees, sea horses, turtles, fish, giant octopi,
giant Humboldt Squid, jellyfish, kelp forests, moray eels, pilot whales, mola
mola, sea snakes, coral reef life, and much more. Some of the most memorable
moments include vivid encounters with whales, by such respected cinematographers
as Harrison Stubbs, Pawel Achtel or Jennifer Durnin.
A career highlight
for Stubbs was an encounter between himself and a friendly, inquisitive Sperm
Whale calf that came right over to investigate him close-up, examining him with
each eye. The baby whale then 'spy-hopped' to take a better look at him above
the water, did a few tail slaps, and went back over to its mother. The encounter
was only four minutes, but remains a cherished memory for Stubbs. Adds
cinematographer Durnin, "It seems that every whale I encounter has its own
personality. The ones that are the most fun are those whales that approach us
who really seem to be 'mugging' for a shot from the cameras on the boat. To me
these whales seem genuinely curious about who we are."
Other encounters
are more surprising, such as one between cinematographer Pawel Achtel (Sydney,
Australia) and a giant octopus. On a calm night in the Sydney, Australia harbor,
Achtel was quietly lying on the ocean bottom, attempting to film an eel that lay
motionless in the sand. He was so busy watching for movement that when he felt a
gentle tug on his left hand, he didn't pay much attention to it. However, soon
the tugging became more insistent so he looked over to his left and was startled
to find himself eye to eye with a huge Octopus that seemed to be pulling at his
left hand with one of its tentacles. Achtel was startled -- and tried to pull
away -- as did the equally startled Octopus. They paused, staring at each other,
the tentacle still around Achtel's hand, and then the octopus (somewhat
regretfully, it seemed to Achtel), let go of its new toy. "Looking in its eye, I
thought I saw real disappointment," said Achtel. "It wanted to keep my hand as a
"toy," but it knew it had to let go in order to get away from me. It blinked, it
let go, and we both went on our separate ways." The next day, Achtel went back
to see the octopus again. This time, there was no trace of fear from the octopus
and the two were now old acquaintances, so he was able to take even more
dramatic footage of the beautiful giant creature.
Some of the other
encounters in People and the Sea are equally beautiful and surprising, as with
Nick Caloyianis's stunning footage of silky sharks interacting gently and
fearlessly with divers, or of Bob Cranston's fearsome encounters with Humboldt
(Jumbo) Squid, or even a friendly manatee's desire for a scratch! Comments
cinematographer Nate Johnson, "Manatees love a good back scratch, so sometimes
when I'm filming one Manatee, another one weighing 1500 pounds or more will
approach me and gently "bump" me to get my attention -- hoping for a scratch or
two. It's not dangerous -- it's just a problem to keep on filming the first one
while I'm being bumped."
Some of the most heart-wrenching footage in the
new "People and the Sea" section are those in which humans attempt to rescue
beached or stranded whales or dolphins. Johnson, a member of the rescue team at
Wellfleet Harbor in Massachusetts, has also been involved in many of these
scenarios firsthand: "Our tides span 22 to 12 feet, so it's pretty easy for the
animals to get caught on a new shallow as the tide rushes out. The hardest thing
is that if one dolphin beaches, all the others will go to try and help, and that
means some of them often get stuck on the shallows too."
The collection
includes much more, including hours of absorbing footage ranging from the
playful to the dramatic. And all of the footage can be previewed online simply
by visiting OceanFootage.com.
About OceanFootage.com
Founded by a team
of accomplished ocean video producers and marine experts, stock footage leader
OceanFootage.com provides the world's largest and finest online collection of
ocean stock footage. The people at OceanFootage.com have gone to great lengths
-- and depths -- to provide the most diverse and visually stunning footage
collections available anywhere. From DV to HD video and film, OceanFootage.com's
large collection and industry-leading e-commerce interface offers clients the
best in search, preview, purchase, and delivery for rapid and easy access to
ocean footage.
View the fascinating "People and the Sea" footage
collection online at OceanFootage.com, at http://www.oceanfootage.com/stock_people_footage.htm. In the
meantime, for magnificent footage of the ocean realm, please visit www.OceanFootage.com.
For more information on OceanFootage.com's opportunities for providers,
or for information on its collections, capabilities, and services, please
contact the company's founder, Dan Baron at 1-831-375-2313, or e-mail protected
from spam bots.
For a media kit, magnificent stills from some of its
collections, or additional background information on OceanFootage.com, please
contact publicist Angela Mitchell, at 1-904-982-8043 or e-mail protected from
spam bots.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb225566.htm