A Photo From Our Maldives Trip Now Opens an Exhibition
One frame from a Maldives week, now in an exhibition
Swiss photographer Franziska Stier has two works in Fragments of Summer, an online photography exhibition presented by the Greek cultural platform Culture365.
Her image Summer Encounter shows a diver and a manta ray sharing water. She took it on a trip with BookDiveBoat aboard Adora in the Maldives. The curators placed it as the opening work of Chapter II, Encounters. Her second work, Inheritance, closes the same chapter.
The exhibition runs online and is free to view.
Photo: Franziska Stier · Fragments of Summer, Culture365
Maldives, aboard Adora · Photo: Franziska Stier
From protest photography to reef ecosystems
Franziska Stier is based in Basel and spent years photographing protest and political movements before turning to the water.
What a liveaboard gives an underwater photographer
A frame like Summer Encounter is mostly a question of how many chances you get.
Three or four dives a day, for a full week
Browse Maldives liveaboard dates and cabin availability.
Reef detail · Photo: Franziska Stier
Why the curators chose stillness over spectacle
The curatorial note for Summer Encounter reads it as mutual awareness between the diver and the animal, rather than a dramatic wildlife shot.
That reading is also a description of correct manta behaviour underwater. Mantas approach cleaning stations on their own terms. Divers who settle low, hold position and let the animal choose the distance tend to get longer encounters. Divers who swim at them end the encounter.
The photograph works because nobody chased anything.
Position beside a cleaning station, not above it. Blocking the approach clears the site.
Contact damages the mucus layer that protects the animal. It is also the fastest way to lose the shot.
Exhaling directly under a passing manta usually turns it away. Time your breathing to the pass.
Maldivian dive guides brief site-specific rules before entry. Those briefings exist for a reason.
Adora carries 21 guests and dives from its own dhoni
Ask us which departure suits your camera setup and experience level.
Photo: Franziska Stier
Adora, Maldives
A 37-metre vessel built in 2014, running Maldives itineraries with a dedicated 20-metre dive dhoni.
The separate dhoni matters for camera work. Gear is set up and stored on the dive boat rather than moved on and off the main vessel between dives. Full Adora details and dates →
Where to view Fragments of Summer
The exhibition is online, free, and organised across five chapters you can move through in order.
Shooting a Maldives liveaboard week
A few things decide whether you come home with usable files.
Bring spares of anything that can fail: o-rings, silicone grease, a second battery, a second card. Nothing is buyable mid-ocean. Rinse the housing properly after every dive, not once a day.
Wide angle does most of the work in the Maldives. Mantas, eagle rays and reef sharks are large and close. A macro setup is worth packing for the reef days, but it is the secondary lens on this itinerary.
Buoyancy matters more than the camera. A photographer who cannot hold position without touching the reef will not get near a cleaning station. If you are new to liveaboards, read what to expect on a first trip before booking.
Your week starts where the current does
Tell us your certification level and we will match you to a route.
More on diving the Maldives
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Online reservation agency for liveaboards and dive resorts.
FAQ
Questions we get every week
Where can I see Fragments of Summer?
Who is Franziska Stier?
Where was Summer Encounter photographed?
Do I need to be an experienced diver to photograph mantas in the Maldives?
What camera setup works best on a Maldives liveaboard?
Can I book Adora through BookDiveBoat?
Put yourself in the water where these frames happen
No card needed. Tell us your dates and we will check availability across the Maldives fleet.
Images by Franziska Stier, published with permission. Summer Encounter and Inheritance courtesy of the artist · Fragments of Summer, Culture365.
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