Photographers are passionate people. We tend to experience life with a camera attached to our hands, pointing toward the things that we love, in an almost desperate attempt to document it all before the moments pass us by.

One look at Kurt Arrigo’s photographs and one can quickly see that his passion is water. The backdrop of almost every one of his photos is water–whether underwater or above in a sailboat. He is widely acclaimed for his work in sailing photography, an interest that took off after photographing the 1992 America’s Cup in San Diego. He has since documented many international yachting events.

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NIKON D3X 17mm 1/8 secs f/22 ISO/Film 64
Les Voiles de St. Tropez 2009
NIKON D3X 75mm 1/6400 secs f/4 ISO/Film 400
Rolex Fastnet Race 2013
NIKON D800 400mm 1/8000 secs f/8 ISO 400

Kurt has also taken his passion for water down under – as in, under the surfaces. He has traveled internationally shooting underwater wildlife from the Galapagos Islands to the Great Barrier Reef and a published book of his home country of Malta, Malta: A Coastal Journey.

[REWIND: Spellbinding Images of Underwater Rainbows by Mark Mawson]

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NIKON D800 24mm 1/80 secs f/8 ISO 200
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NIKON D800 24mm 1/500 secs f/4.5 ISO 400
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NIKON D800 24mm 1/250 secs f/5.6 ISO 400
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NIKON D800 24mm 1/800 secs f/4 ISO 400
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NIKON D300 17mm 1/1000 secs f/4.5 ISO 200
© Kurt Arrigo
NIKON D800 24mm 1/1600 secs f/2.5 ISO 125
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NIKON D300 17mm 1/1000 secs f/4 ISO 200
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NIKON D800 24mm 1/160 secs f/2.5 ISO 400

In addition to his work with water, Kurt also is the stills photographer for most of the international productions on Malta, working with A-List Hollywood actors and actresses. Check out more of Kurt Arrigo’s images on his website, 500px and Facebook.

CREDITS: All photographs by Kurt Arrigo are copyrighted and have been used with permission for SLR Lounge. Do not copy, modify or re-post this article or images without express permission from SLR Lounge and the artist.

[Via @My Modern Met]