FROM a two inch seahorse to a 40 foot whale-shark, this striking and colourful collection of planet Earth's sea life captures the beauty of the deep. Photographed by 51-year old Mark Laita, the collection of over 100 images of sting rays, iridescent jellyfish and deadly puffer fish has just been released in a book titled 'Sea'. Fascinated by the colour, movement and design in the wildlife of the deep, Mark criss-crossed America for his book, traveling from Los Angeles, to Atlanta, to Florida and back again. Using specially designed tanks for the smaller fish such as the sea horses, Mark produced the majority of the photography inside his LA studio. "I traveled thousands of miles to Atlanta aquarium to capture the majestic whale shark," explained Mark who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. "I obviously couldn't fit a whale shark into my studio, but the aquarium at Atlanta has three whale sharks and is the size of an American football field." Using local sea-life importers in LA, Mark also managed to work his way through an impressively colourful array of characters. "Jellyfish, all manner of tropical species were photographed as part of 'Sea'," said Mark. "Some of the species I even caught myself from the Pacific Ocean such as the Moon Jellyfish. "I returned them to the ocean once I had finished using them for the project." Primarily working as commercial photographer whose clients include BMW and Apple, Mark's skills have long been recognised. "This project took me around a year to produce and was the result of a conversation with my publisher who appreciated my earlier sea-life photography," said Mark. "The beauty of the creatures in the deep are what attracted me to this project and I hope that readers can see the intricate detail that all sea life has. "I am proud of the work and hope that people can see the need to conserve our beautiful wildlife."