Ocean Predator 'Surrounded' by Huge School of Fish Spectacular | Shark | Photographer

Joanna Steedle, from New York State, USA, used drones to take many spectacular aerial photos along the coast of her hometown. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

[The Epoch Times, April 06, 2023](The Epoch Times reporter in EnglishMichael WingReport/Compiled by Zhang Yufei) Joanna Steidle (Joanna Steidle) from New York State, USA, learned the skills of drone aerial photography before graduating from college. Once she has her own first drone, her life will be different. completely changed. She quickly became an aerial photographer, specializing in capturing the wonders of the ocean from the air, and was a winner of drone photography competitions around the world.

“I live about three miles away from the sea,” Steidl, from the small town of Southampton, New York, told The Epoch Times. “Bait balls,” tens or even hundreds of thousands of herring forming dense, massive formations to defend against predators. But that’s also when they really attract predators.”

(courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

The predator she was referring to was the shark. Once this extremely threatening marine life appears, this huge, irregular formation of fish will continue to twist and deform to avoid sharks, usually producing spectacular and wonderful “fish art”. At this time, the drones in the sky just sent Useful.

Often, the sharks will “cut their way” directly through the large schools of fish, but they will sometimes sneak up on them from below, often for rarer artistic effects.

“This shark just came out from under the ‘baitball,'” Steidl, 50, said of a photo showing the shark enclosed in a heart-shaped bubble randomly formed by herring Paoli.

(courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

“I really like this photo I took last year, but kept it private until Valentine’s Day this year,” she said.

Steidl in herInstagramThe photo was posted on , where there are many more of the wonders of the ocean she’s captured.

It is worth mentioning that Steidel’s artwork not only appeared on the pages of online media, but also made her a place in the art world of her hometown, and even made her among the top 15 winners of the DJI Dajiang Global Drone Photography Contest The competition attracts about 15,000 to 20,000 aerial photography enthusiasts from all over the world to participate every year.

A school of cownose rays off the coast of Southampton. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

(courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

One of the barriers preventing many from taking up aerial photography is the cost of drones, which can cost more than $15,000 for such professional-grade imaging equipment, she said.

Looking ahead, the drone photographer hopes to one day expand her horizons by visiting Iceland, Vietnam, Australia, Bali, and especially Hawaii.

“I wanted to capture some of the surfers on the big waves,” Steidl said. “It’s a lot of fun. I love surfers.”

▶ Please enjoy more beautiful photos taken by Steidl:

(courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

Seagulls photographed from above Southampton. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

A flock of seagulls flies over the beach. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

In October 2022, an adult humpback whale and its calf swim in the waters near Bridgehampton, New York. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

A summertime view of a horse farm in Bridgehampton. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

A heart-shaped pond at Morton Wildlife Sanctuary in Southampton. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

(courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

A creek in East Hampton, New York. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)

Autumn landscape in Bridgehampton, New York. (courtesy of Joanna Steidle)