You don’t need a marine biology degree to know you're in the presence of a male sperm whale.
One look—and one clang—is all it takes.

Location:

Dominica

You don’t need a marine biology degree to know you're in the presence of a male sperm whale.
One look—and one clang—is all it takes.
Headliner
2023
Headliner
2023

Location:

Dominica
You don’t need a marine biology degree to know you're in the presence of a male sperm whale.
One look—and one clang—is all it takes.

Headliner

Dominica
2023
Dominica
2023

It’s impossible to grasp the true size of a sperm whale from the surface. You begin to sense it underwater—but never fully.

Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales on the planet. They're also the most dimorphic of any cetacean: males can reach seventy feet and weigh over fifty tons, while females are about a third the length and half the weight. Their communication and echolocation clicks are also distinct. While females click, males clang—more blacksmith's hammer against an anvil than baseball card in bike spokes.

You don’t need a marine biology degree to know you're in the presence of a male sperm whale. One look—and one clang—is all it takes.

While identification may be easy, encounters with males are far less common. Sperm whales form matriarchal units that include grandmothers, mothers, and juveniles. Females remain in warm tropical waters year-round, while males leave their units to live mostly solitary lives closer to the poles. These heavyweights will return to the waters off Dominica for just a few weeks each year to mate—making sightings especially rare.

On this day, the males were unmistakably present—bodies longer than double-decker buses swimming alongside the matriarchal units. On several occasions, I found myself some distance from the whales as they began their descent. But there was one moment when I knew I was perfectly positioned. 

One of the males coasted forward—a vessel of muscle and mass moving straight for me. He veered just enough to pass on my right, staying near the surface for air. Even with a wide-angle lens, he barely fit in frame. I focused on his profile, capturing the iconic shape as he glided past.

Too big to photograph.

Too big to comprehend.

Big enough to feel.

LIMITED EDITION

A moment captured for a life on paper.

Eric works with a renowned print studio in Brooklyn, New York, known for decades of expertise in archival pigment printing. The local lab allows for a collaborative approach, ensuring that his intended vision is expressed in the final artwork. When cared for properly, archival pigment prints can last for over a century.

Archival Pigment Prints

Modern printmaking, refined. Pigment prints utilize state-of-the-art digital technology and high-quality pigment-based inks to achieve striking reproductions. A digital image is applied directly onto the paper using precision inkjet printers, ensuring both image quality and longevity.

Vision meets the surface. Archival papers differ in weight, material, and texture. A paper is chosen to best suit the intent of the piece, from satin finishes to enhance rich shadows and colors, to handmade Japanese rice paper that offers a more textured and vintage feel.

The edition size ensures that only the number of prints indicated will ever be produced. Each print is proofed, reviewed, numbered, and signed by Eric, and includes a Certificate of Authenticity that is unique to your artwork.

Prices from $3,500 USD

print information

limited edition

Archival Pigment Print

16’’ x 32’’ / 40.6 x 81.3 cm
Edition of 15

24’’ x 48’’ / 61.0 x 121.9 cm
Edition of 7

Silver Gelatin Print

32’’ x 64'’ / 81.3 x 162.6 cm
Edition of 3

40’’ x 80’’ / 101.6 x 203.2 cm
Edition of 2

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legacy edition

Platinum Palladium Print

Sizes available on request

Edition of 1 + 1 Artist Proof

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Behind the Image:

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