I photographed this Purple Sea Fan skeleton in a sudden inspiration while birdwatching on the coral sand beach of Dry Tortugas National Park, about 60 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico from Key West, Florida. The intricacy of the coral was simply astounding, so I looked around for an idea and settled on focusing on the coral with the sea and sky as impressionistic bands of color behind. It reminds me a bit of a mosaic, with the lovely color of the Gulf of Mexico providing a beautiful background.

I just noticed that I took the photograph on Earth Day, which is an appropriate reminder of the state of the bleaching coral reefs, endangered sea creatures, and rising seas.

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.