Dolphins in Clear Water

Clear blue water surrounds a small pod of dolphins moving above a coral reef. Sun bands stripe their backs as they angle through the shallows, with pale sand opening between darker coral heads below. Small reef fish and branching coral add bits of yellow, orange and blue without crowding the picture.

Start with the dolphins' backs, fins and bright highlights along the waterline. Coral clusters make useful anchors across the lower half, especially where orange fans sit beside blue shadow. Open water needs a slower look near the end, but the light bands and soft bubbles keep those pieces from feeling blank. The final stretch is usually where pale sand fades into reef and the dolphins' shadows meet the blue.