“You had a once-in-a-year day today.”
Wildlife experiences tend to be easier to describe in feelings than in frequency. Even then, I often find myself taking days, months, or even years to find the right words to accompany an image.
The nature of these moments varies significantly. A combination of conditions, duration, and behavior makes it difficult to assign odds to what you'll observe.
So, this time, I let my guide to do it for me.
Most encounters with the whales are brief. They swim past you in seconds, already preparing for their next descent into the abyss. Even during these respites for air, the titans slice through the water far too quickly to keep up with.
The two most coveted behaviors—sleeping and socializing—are not only the most visually impactful, but they also give you the most time and flexibility to compose an image.
On this day, I was graced with both.
Socialization events, like the one captured here, are seldom witnessed. Sperm whales form tightly knit matrilineal units of around ten members. Grandmothers, mothers, and calves—sometimes from multiple family units—pause their travels to gather at the surface.
They twirl in place, bob their heads, and press together in a tangle of forms, clicking constantly in conversation. These 15-ton giants converge in a single moment—bodies and time aligned.
No matter how many times I return to Dominica, I likely won’t have a day like this again. It was the novelty of the encounter, but also its essence. While you hope a subject will interact with you and your camera, it's often the interactions among the animals that carry more weight.
The whales engage in this spectacular display—not to impress, but to connect.
These bonds being forged will last the rest of their lives.
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
16'' x 24'' / 40.6 x 61 cm
Edition of 10 + 2 AP
24'' x 36'' / 61 x 91.4 cm
Edition of 7 + 2 AP
40'' x 60'' / 101.6 x 152.4 cm
Edition of 5 + 2 AP
50'' x 75'' / 127 x 190.5 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP
8'' x 12'' / 20.3 x 30.5 cm
Edition of 5 + 2 AP
12'' x 18'' / 30.5 x 45.7 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Larger pieces available by commission
There’s something special about being dwarfed by another living animal.
There’s something even more special about being invited into their shared moment.
.webp)
Pigment-based inks and precision digital technology achieve striking reproductions. Each image is applied directly onto archival paper using high-fidelity inkjet printers, ensuring both image quality and longevity.
Archival papers differ in weight, material, and texture. Each is chosen to best suit the intent of the piece—from satin finishes that enhance shadows and color, to washi that offers a textured, tactile feel.
Silver gelatin prints are produced using traditional darkroom techniques that date back to the early 20th century. The image is exposed onto paper coated with a light-sensitive silver salt emulsion and developed through chemical processing.
The paper's gelatin layer captures intricate details and textures within an image. Prints reveal rich blacks and a broad tonal range, giving each piece a distinct dimensionality.
Each edition is strictly limited to the number of prints indicated. Every work is proofed, reviewed, signed, and accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
A select number of Artist Proofs are reserved for the artist, family, or collectors.
Platinum-palladium printing originated in the 19th century. It is a manual process requiring extensive preparation and craftsmanship, and some of the rarest metals on earth.
A digital photograph is converted to a negative of the image, which is then used in this traditional contact printing method.
Rich blacks, soft grays, and detail in shadows are unmatched, even by modern inkjet printers. Smooth tonal transitions and a warm appearance create a print that is uniquely platinum.
Black brush strokes around the edge of the image from the chemical application reveal the handmade nature of the piece—no two will ever be the same.
Platinum-palladium prints have an archival rating of more than 1,500 years.
A solution of noble metals is used to coat the paper, allowing for the print's longevity. When ultraviolet light is exposed through this digital negative onto the chemical layer, platinum particles become physically embedded in the fibers of the paper. These particles form the image, which is then developed in a chemical bath.
Each edition is strictly limited to the number of prints indicated. Every work is proofed, reviewed, signed, and accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
A select number of Artist Proofs are reserved for the artist, family, or collectors.
For additional information on this print, including availability, pricing, or edition details, please complete the form below.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
%20srgb.jpg)