The curious Touch

Photograph by David Bertran

The first time I saw a photograph of an octopus reaching out and touching an underwater camera dome port was back in 2018, when I was buying my very first underwater photography setup. It was love at first sight. From that moment on, I dreamed of capturing a similar image of one of the ocean's most fascinating creatures.
But there was one thing that was very important to me: I wanted the interaction to happen naturally, without forcing or disturbing the animal. So I started learning more about octopus behavior, especially when they are most active, and discovered that mating season could offer a better opportunity for an encounter. From there, it was all about having the right camera setup, being patient, and, of course, a little bit of luck.
In May 2025, almost seven years after seeing that first photograph, everything finally came together. A curious octopus extended one of its arms toward my camera, giving me the opportunity to capture the image I had been dreaming of since I first started underwater photography. What makes this photograph so special to me isn’t just the image itself, but the fact that the interaction happened entirely on the octopus's terms.

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