Udo Kefrig
Wildlife Photographer
"Wrecks are living things."
"Even after years of wreck diving, Truk still offers some of the most attractive wrecks for photographers. I’m always impressed by the wealth of large ships and it is the sheer size of these ships that makes photography so difficult."
About the photographer
It consumes so much of a diver’s precious time to circle these wrecks for the best shooting position and when you finally found it, the time is up for the dive and one has to cancel any serious shooting. For most of the shots in this portfolio I had to do at least three dives at these wrecks to find the spots that are perfect for a controlled series of meaningful pictures.
In addition, it goes without saying that it is difficult to work in an environment where hundreds of people died. Because the wrecks at Truk are like a cemetery, one unintentionally comes across the relicts of death. Just imagine what Americans might think if we dove around the wrecks of Pearl Harbor! Truk is not so much different. So for me, it is very important to learn about the history of the wrecks I work on. If you know and accept their history, it makes it easier to concentrate on the pictures and temporarily blank out any calamity that took place years ago.
After a while you’ll only see the beauty of a wreck. Beauty that is born out of death. Then you realize that even the mightiest ship is reduced to a lost mariner that can give birth to nature. Nowadays we deliberately sink ships to give nature a fresh start for new life. That is what I always try to instill with my photography.