Behind the Image: Man Meets Octopus

A Catch in Barbados
Canon EOS 1 20-35mm 2.8lens, 125th/sec at f5.6 Fuji Velvia Film ISO 40
By Skip Brown

I'm not exactly sure why, but this is one of my favorite images that has never been published. It's a simple, but effective travel image that conveys a tropical feel in a different manner than the usual palm trees and colorful fruit—it's an expression of local culture and a glimpse into the real island life that lives behind the commonly-seen postcard images.

While windsurfing in Barbados about a year ago, I noticed a man snorkeling just inside the reef. From my vantage point on my sailboard, it looked like he was spear fishing. We emerged from the water at the same time and I asked to see his catch. A tangle of octopi dangled from one of his hands and that’s when I saw my shot.

The way his coal black skin and gap teeth contrasts with the smooth, milky-white texture of the octopus still fascinates me. He's proud of his catch and happy to show it off.

It's neither a complicated photo nor one that was hard to create, although I had to approach the fisherman and get in real close with a wide-angle lens—it's a shot that wouldn't have worked from far away with a telephoto lens. In fact, I was lying on my back on the ground to get the angle of him looming over me. I also had to be careful with the exposure; the midday light made capturing the right contrast quite difficult.





Skip Brown has been a freelance photographer for nearly 20 years. He combines his love of travel and the outdoors with a talent for action sports to create unique images. Skip is a Class V whitewater paddler, advanced rated hangglider pilot, and an avid boardsailor, surfer, mountain biker, and snowboarder. He lives in Cabin John, Maryland, near the Potomac River.