Matty Smith: In Two Worlds

MORNING STAR I shot this image at Lissenung Island, Papua New Guinea, a few years ago for the island dive I owe my career to this humble little stinger. My images of these thumb-sized siphonophores have graced city billboards to advertise cameras, been plastered on the sides of buses to spread the word of London […]

Physalia physalis also known as the man-of-war

Beyond Black

OUR UNDERWATER WORLD IS FULL OF VIBRANT COLORS, interesting patterns and textures, and fascinating creatures. It’s a wild place that is unpredictable and simultaneously harsh and harmonious. Taking a camera into that world allows us to record snippets of beauty in ways that help us tell various stories. Learning to use your camera effectively takes […]

colorful sealife

Mike Bartick: Blackwater Beckons

My catering business in California was going well, but the more it grew, the more I was stressed and wanted to be underwater. Diving and photography were cathartic, and I kept coming back to Anilao in my mind.

Snapping Turtles

THE ANCESTORS OF MODERN SEA TURTLES shared the oceans with ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs during the late Jurassic period 150 million years ago. Their descendants now inhabit reefs and oceans around the world.

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Teamwork in the Depths

Imagine yourself aboard a dive skiff on a tropical blue sea, getting ready to dive with legendary underwater photo pros Marty Snyderman and Michael Aw and extremely talented masters of the genre Tanya Griffin Houppermans and Vijay Raman.

green sea turtle off Dumaguete in the Philippines

Chuck Davis: The Blue in Black and White

I knew Chuck Davis’ photography long before I met the man, so interviewing him revealed a wealth of fascinating information. One of the most surprising things I learned is that Chuck shot on film all the black-and-white images featured here and processed and printed them in his darkroom.

A school of blue rockfish

Underwater Cave Photography

AS I FLOAT IN THE SOFT DARKNESS of a flooded cave, a tunnel leading away from me catches my eye. Like a mountain trail, the passageway offers spectacular views, physical challenges, and exhilaration. As I exhale into the water, I feel a dissolution of self. My goal as a photographer is to convey that sensation in a photo.

Photographing underwater caves in Mexico

The Eclectic Vision of Renee Capozzola

THE ROUTE TO PROMINENCE IN UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY is varied and constantly evolving.

Over-under of paddletail snapper school at sunset

Underwater Photography with Compact Cameras

MANY DIVERS DON’T WANT TO TAKE LARGE digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) housings or expensive mirrorless cameras on their dives. Their goal is to capture memories to show their family or post on social media, not to get the highest-quality underwater images.

Female diver swimming in front of the Elviscott wreck

Jennifer Hayes

READERS WILL KNOW THE BYLINE “David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes” from scores of National Geographic magazine features. Working as a team they have photographed the wild ocean from the tropics to both polar regions and even some rather unusual aquatic realms in between.

Harp seal pup
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