Coral Reefs in Every Kind of Light

Light changes everything underwater

Water absorbs red light first, then orange and yellow. The deeper you go, the bluer and greener everything becomes. Near the surface, sunlight passing through waves throws moving patterns of light, called caustics, across the coral. If you paint or render a reef, the light is half the picture. Photographer AustraliaRef shot the Great Barrier Reef under several lighting conditions, all on a GoPro 7:

• Great Barrier Coral Reef Clear Water: 564 photos on a day with almost no particles in the water, so the coral is crisp and clear.
• Island Coral Reef Strong Caustics: 311 photos taken while snorkelling at shallow depth, with strong caustics on colorful coral.
• Coral Reef Overcast: 321 photos on an overcast day, with no caustics or direct sun. This is the best set for true coral color and for textures.
• Coral Reef Sunset: 202 photos in late afternoon, when the light turns warm and low.

For the opposite approach, Overlit Coral (260 photos, Philippines) was shot with powerful strobe lights, which bring back the reds and oranges that water normally hides at depth.

The shape of a reef

A reef is not a flat carpet of coral. It has columns, ridges, caves and sandy channels.

• Great Barrier Coral Reef Columns and Floor: 390 photos of coral towers and the floor between them.
• Coral Reef Caverns: 182 photos taken while diving through and near caverns and gaps in the reef.
• Hard Coral Bushes: 180 photos of a shallow shoreline covered in sprawling hard coral, in the Philippines.

Coral on dry land

Over long periods, reefs can be lifted out of the sea and turned to stone. On Niue, photographer Pacific documented these raised coral landscapes. The Razor-Sharp Coral Formations pack (280 photos) shows a field of dagger-like fossil coral towers with palms growing between them, ending at sheer sea cliffs. It looks like another planet. The Dead Coral Beach (160 photos, Fitzroy Island) shows a beach made entirely of coral fragments washed up from the Great Barrier Reef.

Reefs that grow on what we leave

Coral will grow on almost any hard surface. The Coral Pyramid Structures pack (166 photos, Bali) shows hollow concrete cubes placed on the sea floor to grow a new reef. It was shot in difficult low light, and some photos are slightly soft. The Murky Coral Overgrown Japanese Cargo Shipwreck (323 photos, Philippines) is a freighter sunk in WW2 that has become a reef, lit with 2 strong underwater lights. For more wrecks, see shipwreck photos.

Reference and record

Coral reefs around the world are under pressure from warming seas, pollution and other threats. Reefs photographed today may look different in a few years. These packs are useful reference for artists, and they are also a record of what these reefs looked like when the photos were taken. See also photos of places that no longer exist.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the Great Barrier Reef photos 3648 × 2736?

They were shot on a GoPro 7 action camera, which is light and practical for diving. That gives about 10 megapixels per photo, which is plenty for painting reference, color studies and most photobashing. For very large prints, check the Quality field on each product page.

Do you have fish and other reef animals?

Several reef packs include fish among the coral, such as the Small Coral Forest, with small fish hiding in its branches. For packs focused on animals, see marine animal reference.

Which reef packs work best for 3D textures and materials?

The overcast set, because there are no moving caustics or harsh shadows baked into the coral. You may build your own textures and models from the photos for your projects. For more underwater scenes, see underwater reference photos.