A slightly different image from me this time - not 'fantastical' like most of my images, but in this case, simply 'fantastic'
It's sort of a self-portrait, and depicts an actual scene that occurred in February, 2001, during my Hawaiian vacation, while I was snorkelling off Makena Beach on Maui - one of the most beautiful beaches I have found anywhere in the world!
So, that's me in the image, right down to the blond hair and my green speedo-style trunks, considered so 'un-cool' in Hawaii! The kama'aina (residents) all prefer those baggy surf-shorts, which I find uncomfortable; besides, after travelling all that way to escape the Canadian winter, I wanted as much of a tan as I could GET!
There I was, snorkelling around the reef, when this turtle paddled by, absolutely unconcerned by my presence. I accompanied it for a couple of hundred meters as it wandered along, surfacing to breathe only a meter or so away from me, then ducking back down below as it went about its business...
The other aquatic life in the image is also from that same 'dive' - from the Hawaiian long-snout moray in the background, to the 'Wedge Picassofish' triggerfish pair, and Lemon Butterflyfish swimming around the reef; to the coral and sea urchins on the reef itself.
The texture map is modified from the original turtle map to bring out the brown that was evident in my swimming companion that day. The triggerfish and butterflyfish textures were created from scratch, based on the templates provided by DAZ3D, and are authentic recreations of the fish I saw (using a book on Reef Fishes as a reference).
I also prepared a version using Vue d'Esprit. Again, it's essentially the same image as the Bryce one, recreated as closely as I could manage. It got me the coveted "Picture of the Day" award at e-on Software, the creators of Vue d'Esprit! Check it out below...
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