Photo

Rolling in the Deep

The gorgeous world of cave photography.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
    01
    Spelunking is not for the faint of heart. Putting aside all the kit you have to haul and the rappelling you have to do, there's the enveloping darkness broken only by your headlamp.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
    02
    Dinko Stopic's stunning photos reveal the beauty of a hidden world and the wonders of cave exploration—no easy feat, given the challenges of illuminating a vast cavern armed only with the lights on your back.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    Stopic made his first adventure in 1996 when a couple of buddies invited him on an expedition to Velebit, Croatia's largest mountain. Though he had zero experience caving, he tagged along.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    "I spent a week in the mountains, did a couple of pits, and fell in love with speleology," he says. By now, he's explored more than two dozen caves.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    It took some time before Stopic mastered cave photography, in no small part because caves tend to be devoid of natural light. Making good photos in such conditions requires teamwork—and plenty of strobes.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
    06
    Stopic works with at least two assistants; three are better and four are ideal. Each carries a remote-control flash around his neck like a St. Bernard wearing a keg of brandy.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
    07
    You'd think he dreads working in darkness, but he finds it is an advantage. "Absence of any type of light gives you the full control over composition," he says. "One can choose what will be highlighted, and what will stay in the dark."
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
    08
    Spelunking is by nature a risky endeavor, and the shoots are intense. Stopic and his crew spend five to 10 hours underground, so they travel light and put safety first.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    The dust and humidity common in caves can play hell with gear, so Stopic keeps it simple: Other than the strobes, his rig consists solely of a Canon 5D Mark II with a 17-35 f2.8L.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    Dropping his gear into an abyss would be a nightmare, so he keeps the bag hooked to his belt and his camera strapped to his hand.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    That makes getting a shot a bit cumbersome, as he must remove his gloves, take out his camera, mount the transmitter, adjust his settings, fire a few frames, and then reverse the process.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    It's slow going, coupled with the exhausting work of actually exploring a cave.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    "I love that pure, intense smell of mud," he says.
  • Photo: Dinko Stopic
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    "Some psychologists compare exiting from a cave with rebirth. I wouldn't go that far, but there is some special feeling when you get back on daylight after hours in complete dark."

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Taylor Emrey Glascock is a writer and photojournalist who loves cats, toy cameras, and good light. She is based in Chicago, but her heart belongs to a small town in Missouri. ... Read more
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