Underneath the Surface

Go beyond the visible

Some art is created.
Other art is earned.
This piece was earned in the cold.

There are moments that can never be replicated. This photograph is the capture of one.

My goal was singular and audacious: to photograph the Aurora Borealis from a perspective no one had ever achieved in Finnish Lapland. Inspired by my ancestors' tales in the Kalevala, I sought to bridge the world we see with the mystical one that lies beneath.

The pursuit was a crucible. The unforgiving Finnish winter and the punishing embrace of its icy waters became my studio. It was an obsessive quest for a fleeting alignment of earth, sky, and spirit.

Then, for a brief, perfect instant, the universe conspired. The result is Underneath The Surface, a landmark achievement and the first photograph of its kind in history on the blockchain.

This piece represents a singularity. Its value lies not only in its beauty, but in its irrefutable uniqueness. For the discerning collector, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a true 'first' - a piece that will forever be cited as a turning point. Make this piece of history the cornerstone of your collection.

Underneath the Surface – SuperRare

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. ”

— Jonathan Swift

See the behind the scenes video of Capturing “Underneath the Surface”

I was invited to photograph for the new Nikon campaign, The Human Prompt. Our task was to capture the prompt from darkness to light and light to darkness. In this video, we go behind the scenes of how I captured this photograph and the other two I captured on the same trip.

What did it take to capture Underneath the Surface?

The idea was clear in my head when I heard it could be possible to try underwater housing in Finnish Lapland. When we started the trip, I was both nervous and excited. Wishing that the stars and lights would align to make this dream a reality. Below, I have told a bit of the story behind what it took to capture the photography piece Underneath The Surface.

Underwater view of a muddy lakebed with driftwood, small plants, and debris, with trees visible at the surface.

Testing and scouting

This was my first time using underwater housing, so the first step was to test it out and see if I could find something interesting with the northern lights.

When I went to test the setup, it became evident that this would not be a walk in the park. When it was windy, the sediment and sand moved quite a bit in the lake, so only on a calm night was there a chance I could pull the shot off.

Northern lights (Aurora Borealis) over a forest and calm lake at night.

The first try

When there was a chance we could see northern lights, we headed to this small lake we had been scouting in the daylight. It was a bit windy, so the water was hazy, and I couldn’t capture the night sky without clouds. As I stood there trying and trying, the clouds covered the whole night sky, and I was left bitter by the outcome, even if the process was exciting.

After three hours in the cold water, I decided to call it a night and headed back to the shore. The next day, after we left the scenery, we heard that the sky exploded with a spectacular light show.

How Did I capture the Photograph?

EQUIPMENT

Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-24 mm f/2.8 S, RRS Tripod, Nauticam UW Housing.

Northern Lights over a lake at night with trees along the shoreline.

Above

Going through the emotions from my earlier failures, I went to the water and in about thirty minutes the sky was lit for a brief moment with these streaks of Aurora Borealis—a magical and unforgettable moment.

I knew I didn’t have a lot of time so I quickly pulled the camera upwards and captured the elusive Northern Lights above the surface of the lake, leaving one third of the frame underwater - knowing I needed to capture it with a longer exposure.

SETTINGS

ISO 4000, 14 mm, 10 sec, f/2.8

A lake at night with the northern lights visible in the sky, reflections on the water, and a large rock in the foreground.

Below

I captured the log below by tilting the camera downward carefully so as not to disturb the bottom layer of sand. I used a flash to figure out where the log was and then used it to focus in the foreground to give the final piece more depth. Then, I left the camera to expose the underwater part for a few minutes to get enough light to work with the final photography piece.

SETTINGS

ISO 8000, 14 mm, f/2.8, 250 sec.

I spent the next three hours, on and off from the water, trying to capture more of those elusive lights. But it wasn’t meant to be, and the lights were covered by a layer of clouds coming from the horizon.

How Did I EDIT the Photograph?

Software

Adobe Lightroom Classic CC & Adobe Photoshop CC

When I returned to my computer, I was happy to see I had gotten the shots I wanted to capture. The editing process was straightforward because I knew I had the shots I needed to blend those two exposures.

First, I edited the images separately, trying to match the colors. After being satisfied, I opened and merged the two images in Photoshop. I had to use the warp tool to make the transition perfect. The masking was easy because of how I had shot the photos.
Once satisfied with the blend, I opened the image in Lightroom and adjusted the Transform section to narrow it. And cleaned the
Finally, I applied EPIC Preset (Night - Space-X) to create the image's final look.