Thai photographer Visarute Angkatavanich creates magnificently hued portraits that look more like choreographed dance shots than animal photography. Only when the viewers look directly at the bug-eyed expressions of the subjects of those photos, we notice those are fish, not ballerinas in dancer costumes.
Angkatavanich makes portraits of Siamese fighting fish (also called betta) against black&white backgrounds to isolate their natural hues and create illusion that they are moving through space. His intimate photos of these fish make it seem as though they are suspended in thin air.
The photographer became interested in betta fish after encountering them a few years ago at a fish show, and became obsessed with the species varying heavily in size, shape, and color patterns. The close-up portraits also brim with moments of unintended personality.
