Elegantly floating

The first words that come to mind when engaging with this photograph are strong, feminine, dangerous, honest. Strong and dangerous because the composition directed it to be bold and almost lurching. Feminine, as lines of the jellyfish are like wisping hairs in the wind and honest because of the way Emily Yamamoto chose to make this image, not complicated, but elevating the sense of friction and contrast.

Southern California native and proud resident of Long Beach, Yamamoto made this poetic photograph of a jellyfish in her hometown at the Aquarium of the Pacific during an evening party.

The out-of-this world form of the jellyfish created an artistic, almost painting like image of opposites. The background seems to remain peacefully calm, yet as you engage with this photograph, there is a sense of motion – a harmonious dance of sorts. The plunging translucent lines and the deep matte background play well against each other and create a dynamic illusion that leads you to forget that they are in fact playing in water. Yamamoto said what inspired her to capture this moment was, “I loved the way the light shines through these delicate organisms and how elegantly they float.”

Yamamoto is a digital marketing manager for Mitsubishi Motors and is used to creating experiences for customers; she is also well traveled and uses photography to tell a richer story of her personal experiences. She made this image using a Sony Nex-5R with a Sigma 19mm APC wide angle lens.

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Each week, we’re featuring photos of Southern California and California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or tag your photos with #socalmoments or #californiamoments on Instagram and Twitter. Follow us on Twitter or visit latimes.com/socalmoments for more on this photo series.