A team of scientists has shared mesmerizing footage from a month-long exploration into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Among the scenes is a transparent-headed fish so alien that it looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

The species in question is the elusive barreleye fish – a type of spookfish that, until now, had never been seen photographed in the wild.

An absolute rarity of nature, it has a completely transparent, fluid-filled dome on its head protecting its eyes, which, to the layman eye, makes it seem like you’re looking at the fish’s brain.

ABOVE: The alien-esque spookfish can be seen at 2:06-2:08

Marine biologists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, led by Dr Aaron Micallef, spotted the ghostly being at a depth of 2,329ft (710m) in a region of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Doldrums Fracture Zone.

This is an extensive system of cracks and fault lines on the seafloor (13,000ft / 4,000m) roughly the size of Lake Michigan, around 800 miles off the northeast coast of Brazil.

Tectonic plates violently grind past one another, sculpting dramatic seascapes like sedimented basins that can house chemically altered waters responsible for unique deep-sea ecosystems.

ABOVE: See the fascinating deep ocean vents discovered by the researchers

"This discovery shows why exploration still matters," Dr Micallef told the Schmidt Ocean Institute. "Even in the Atlantic Ocean, where plate boundaries have been studied for decades, there are still places where the first close look can reveal something entirely new."

Dr Micallef’s crew, who operated a remote-controlled submarine called SuBastian from the surface, made more otherworldly discoveries.

Thanks to Substian’s 4K camera, they also bagged footage of a pair of beautiful and also never-before-seen thermal vents spewing life-creating materials into the ocean.

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Make your own underwater discoveries with the best waterproof cameras and the best underwater housings for your camera, along with the best underwater drones.

Imagine coming face to face with perhaps the ocean’s scariest predator and, instead of swimming for your life, staying put and reaching for your underwater camera.

Well, that’s exactly what a group of divers did recently when they unexpectedly crossed paths with a great white shark in the Mediterranean Sea, creating what is believed to be the first-ever footage of the species in these waters.

The video shows the shark come within a tantalizing three meters of the divers, who were clearing abandoned fishing nets from a sunken vessel in the Strait of Sicily, a stretch of the Mediterranean Sea between the Italian island of Sicily and Tunisia on the African mainland.

Divers from the Healthy Seas Foundation, Ghost Diving, and the Society for Documentation of Submerged Sites (SDSS) saw the predator, with Derk Remmers, head of Ghost Diving’s German branch, recording the beast.

Above" Derk Remmers talks about his encounter with the great white in the Mediterranean

“We were all a bit shocked – and amazed,” Remmers told Euronews Earth. “My fingers were trembling, that’s for sure – it was a big animal and we didn’t expect this at all.”

Remmers was incredibly lucky to have captured the video of the shark. While great whites have historically been sighted in these waters, their numbers are dwindling due to overfishing.

International law protects the species from fishing, but research carried out by US scientists and UK charity Blue Marine Foundation has found that the sharks are being illegally sold in North African fish markets. At least 40 individuals were estimated to have been killed off the Mediterranean coast of North Africa in 2025 alone.

“He swam by and then he turned around and faced us and came back. It seemed clear that he was curious and not aggressive – he was really laid back, like he had the attitude of being the boss down there. “And when we started releasing a few bubbles from our mouths, he started speeding up a little bit and vanished into the blue,” Remmers added.

Some 640,000 fishing nets are discarded by the fishing industry every year, with many of these ‘ghost nets’ killing marine life that gets entangled in them. Divers like Remmers will continue to recover these sunken death traps, until international authorities bolster efforts to protect great whites from illegal fishing.

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Here's our take on the best underwater housings for cameras and phones.

The OM System Tough TG-7 underwater compact camera and its predecessors, such as the Olympus Tough TG-6, have built up a substantial ecosystem of accessories.

Some of these add increased damage protection, while others improve the cameras’ capability for particular types of photography (such as macro or underwater) or provide scope to be more creative.

In this article, I’m going to take a look at the most popular Tough accessories from OM System. I’ll give an outline of what they do and my opinion on how useful they are.

Probably the biggest-selling underwater housing for a camera ever made, the PT-059 increases the depth to which you can safely take your TG-7 from 15m to 45m (from 50ft to 150ft) – making it much more useful for scuba divers.

It's worth bearing in mind that, to maintain the waterproof rating of your Tough camera, OM System recommends getting the internal seals serviced every year – which isn’t cheap. So keeping it safe inside an underwater housing, even when using it in shallow water, makes sense.

The OM System PT-059 is also supported by a substantial range of third-party accessories, such as lighting trays and wide-angle wet lenses. As underwater housings go, it’s light, relatively low-cost, well-made and comfortable to use. That’s why they are the underwater housing I recommend most often to TG-7 users.

See my full OM System PT-059 review

If you’ve owned a conventional compact camera before getting a TG-7, something that you will notice early on is that there isn’t a lens cover that closes when you turn the camera off.

The surface of the lens is exposed, which isn’t ideal if you want to pop it in your pocket when not in use. You will find you get fingermarks on the lens and there is an greater risk of scratching the lens surface than with other cameras.

The LB-T01 deals with this by fitting onto the camera in place of the original removable lens ring. You then have a manually operated lens protector that opens and closes with a twist of its outer ring.

It won’t fit inside an underwater housing but, as TG accessories go, it’s bordering on a must-have.

Like the lens barrier, this adapter replaces the removable lens ring on any TG camera from the TG-1 to the TG-7.

Fitting the CLA-T01 opens up a big range of extra accessory options for increasing the capabilities of your Tough. The adapter has 40.5mm screw fitting to accept the TCon-T01 Teleconverter and the FCon-T01 or T02 Fisheye Converters.

You can also use it to fit filters such as protective UV filters, like the OM System PRF-D40.5 Pro, or third-party options with a 40.5mm thread such as circular polarizing and ND filters.

If that wasn’t enough, it will also accept a 40.5mm lens cap such as the ones made for the OM System 14-42mm kit lens – so you can keep the lens protected despite not being able to have a lens barrier fitted.

If you have the CLA-T01 adapter, then you can fit the TCon-T01 x1.7 teleconverter, which ups the TG’s 100mm maximum equivalent focal length to 170mm.

For wildlife and sports photography, it will give valuable extra reach, but bear in mind that increasing the focal length will make camera movement more likely to cause blur in your pictures.

While this lens can be used underwater, I don’t recommend it as it’s best to reduce the distance to a subject whenever possible to help keep images sharp and colorful.

This converter screws onto the CLA-T01 adapter and gives an exceptionally wide angle of view to your Tough. With the camera zoomed to its widest, you get the circular fisheye effect; zooming in removes that, but you will have some barrel distortion.

This lens can be used for underwater photography when on the camera without an underwater housing. It will give a narrower angle of view, because everything appears closer underwater.

You can also use this lens with an Ikelite underwater housing that can be fitted with a domed port to accommodate the lens. The dome port corrects for the effect of water, giving an angle of view the same as in air, but you are tied to shooting wide-angle pictures for a whole dive when using it – because the lens is within the airspace of the housing.

Like many accessories, this circular diffuser fits onto your TG using the fitting that the removable lens ring occupies. It carries the light from the built-in LED to give a close-up light source.

Without the Light Guide in place, you can use the LED as a focusing light when light levels are low and you are still able light subjects with the built-in flash. Adding the Light Guide means that you have to use the LED as the light source to achieve your exposure.

Where subject and camera movement aren’t an issue, that will be fine. But for most still macro photography, if you need even light from all directions, I’d go with a ring flash diffuser.

In my view, where the LG-1 would be useful is in shooting macro video. You can set the LED to be on constantly and then, with the TG-7 or TG-6, use Super Macro Focusing to get very close to your subject.

The LG-1 can be used underwater, but only when using the camera without a housing.

Similar to the LG-1 Light Guide in appearance, if you want to take macro images this is definitely the better option of the two. It will give you an even light at a short distance from the camera, with the movement-freezing benefit of flash.

While ring diffusers and flashes do have a tendency to reduce texture in images, the light is also softer and doesn’t produce as much glare from shiny surfaces (such as beetle carapaces) that I’ve found the bare built-in flash of the TG camera often does.

This is one of those accessories that some people will find absolutely essential – in particular people using the TG for scientific or medical photography – while a lot of the folk who bought the camera for its toughness when doing outdoor activities won’t need at all.

Like the LG-1 Light Guide, the diffuser can be used underwater when the camera isn’t in a housing. I would suggest you take care when using them, because they aren’t anywhere near as robust as the camera itself.

This silicone rubber cover for the TG-7 adds considerable extra protection. While the TG-7 has a drop-proof rating, hitting rocks or concrete from even a fairly short height is likely to put some scratches on it – and unless you are very lucky, it’s likely to end with a trip to the repair shop or an insurance claim.

This cover gives you access to the controls, including having gaps for the dials and zoom, but adds some extra padding to much of the camera.

It does make it bulkier, and you’ll have to remove it to fit some accessories.

This a wrist strap that is buoyant enough to keep your TG camera floating at the water surface. Obviously it’s attached safely to your wrist, you don’t need it to keep your camera floating.

However, if you should accidentally let your camera go or drop it in the water, the CHS-09 will stop it plummeting into the depths. It’s also a well-padded wrist lanyard that would be nice to wear when using your camera for snorkelling.

And for people doing other water activities like kayaking, or using the Tough in everyday situations where they don't want it attached to their wrist all the time, the float feature is helpful.

As someone who’s accumulated a multitude of cameras, lenses and other equipment, individual cases aren’t something I tend to go for. But if your TG is your one and only piece of camera kit, this case might be for you.

I’d suggest that it’s more suitable for storing and travelling, rather than for when you want it ready to use. The TGs are quite weighty little cameras and they do have an impressive ability to find their way to the bottom of a bag, where a hard drop can cause damage if the padding isn’t sufficient. I’m speaking from experience on that one.

This case would definitely prevent damage in transit but, as someone who can’t stand having things bouncing around on the outside of a backpack, I probably wouldn’t use the built-in carabiner to clip it on.

Likewise, having a substantial hard case attached to a belt or the waist strap of a rucksack probably isn’t going to be comfortable.

I’ll be honest, I was completely unaware of this accessory before I started writing this article! It’s a relatively new piece of kit released for the TG-7 that gives you a protective cover/holder that can be attached to a belt or backpack strap, combined with a carabiner attachment and a spiral cord.

The spiral cord means that you can take the camera out of the holder, but still have it attached to you to prevent it from being dropped.

I can see this being useful for those doing outdoor sports such as climbing, hiking and kayaking, where they want the camera easily accessible with one hand but dropping it would be a disaster.

See our guides to the best waterproof cameras and to the best underwater housings

Sometimes the quest to perfect a photographic technique can become a consuming passion that drives the quest for perfection. Tamara Dean’s has already achieved great things with her various series of underwater photographs, but this is an environment that is often unpredictable and the conditions are hard to manage. Yes, Tamara has proved it’s possible to achieve great results even when nature isn’t cooperating, but the physical challenges could be compromising, and so she began to think about creating a custom-made location for her underwater photography projects where she would have a lot more control over key elements such as the characteristics of the water. She needed a swimming pool, but a very special type of swimming pool that would serve as a unique underwater studio.

This is where a company called Naked Pools came into the picture. It specializes in designing and building custom freshwater swimming pools. It’s also developed advanced sanitization systems for these pools, eliminating the need for large amounts of chlorine, other chemicals, or salt. Notably, Naked Pools claims its system uses less chlorine than tap water, which also has environmental benefits. From a photography point of view, fresh water has significantly better clarity and is also easier on the skin and eyes, which is an important consideration when models have to spend long periods in the pool.

“My art looks at how we interact with nature,” Tamara explains. “So, when I’m doing a photo shoot, I need my models to be in the water for anywhere between one and three hours at a time, and it’s important to me that the water is comfortable, and their connection with the environment feels natural.

“I chose a freshwater system because it’s so gentle on your eyes I feel like I can swim with my eyes open, which is really important for me. It’s also just got such a beautiful feel on the skin.”

Naked Pools co-founder and co-owner Darren Milne notes, “Our system combines advanced digital controls with a carefully designed electrode assembly to keep the water crystal clear. It’s perfect for everyday swimmers who want a pristine, low-chemical pool, and for artists like Tamara who need the clarity and quality of the water to create striking, immersive images.”

Tamara adds, “I live in an environment where we live on rainwater, so I am pretty sensitive to the smell and the taste of chlorine and chemicals. Having a pool with a freshwater system that has less chlorine than tap water fits beautifully into the way that I choose to live my life.

“When I look around my property, I’m completely surrounded by the most amazing natural environment, and so the fluidity between the environment I’m standing within and the water environment that I’m photographing in has a really lovely synchronicity.”

Unlocking Potential

Essentially, it was the desire to more fully explore her creative ideas and underwater projects that convinced Tamara to take the big step of building a dedicated swimming pool.

“Prior to installing the pool, I created a series titled Endangered, working in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef and Jervis Bay. That body of work revealed the potential for exploring new ways of representing the figure within the landscape through an underwater lens. The underwater studio ultimately unlocked what was to come. Before this, I had limited control over both my positioning and the conditions I was photographing in. The pool offered a level of control and consistency that wasn’t previously possible, and it remains a space that continues to inspire and delight me when creating new work.”

As her pool had to do more than just be a place to swim, Tamara had some very specific requirements for its design, particularly in terms of how it had to work for her photography.

“There were several key design requirements. Firstly, as noted earlier, I needed water that was gentle on both the eyes and skin, so my models could remain comfortable for long periods of time. And I needed a system that was easy to manage, as I am the one in my household who looks after the pool maintenance. The Naked Pools freshwater system has proved ideal for all this.

“I also needed the ability to carefully regulate the water temperature. Keeping it at, or just above, 30°C (86°F) allows my models to spend extended periods in and under the water without discomfort. In terms of scale, the pool was built to 4x12 metres, with a depth of two metres at the deep end, giving the models space to move freely. A special viewing window – 1x3 metres in size – was also installed at the deep end, enabling me to work from outside the pool and still maintain full control over my camera equipment.”

Seeing Clearly

The construction started with excavating quite a way into the hill in which the pool was to be sited. This was followed by the installation of the plumbing, filtration and heating systems, which were done before the concrete shell was poured. Then the acrylic viewing window was lowered into position, and finally the pool surfacing and tiling were completed.

Not surprisingly, there were some special requirements for the clear end, not just in terms of strength and safety, but also the clarity needed for photography?

“On professional advice,” Tamara comments, “we opted for acrylic rather than glass as it offers superior optical clarity for shooting through. The window is also extremely thick in order to withstand the significant water pressure, ensuring both safety and image quality.”

Obviously, a key aspect of Tamara’s pool studio is that it allows her to photograph her subjects from the outside the pool rather than shooting underwater with all the additional considerations that that brings.

“My preference is to photograph through the window,” she states. “I find working with underwater camera housings quite limiting in terms of camera functionality… from setting up the camera to responding to changes in light and focus. Shooting from outside the pool also allows me to review images easily, make adjustments, and communicate more clearly with my models. I’ve yet to find an underwater housing system that makes these processes seamless.”

Another plus of her custom pool is that it works well when shooting with natural lighting.

“I mostly work with natural light,” she says. “When I want to sculpt or control it, I block light strategically using large sheets of black material.”

Maintaining the clarity and cleanliness of the water over time is also extremely important, and even more so as Tamara needed a low-maintenance pool. 

“The Naked Pools freshwater system has proved to be ideal for my practice because it produces incredibly clear water without relying on chlorine, lots of salt, or any added minerals. Consequently, the water feels very soft and natural, more like swimming in a freshwater environment than a conventional pool, which makes a huge difference for both comfort and image quality. 

“From a photographic point-of-view, the clarity is key. The system keeps the water consistently clean and optically clear, which is essential when I’m shooting through the window. Ultimately, it removes a lot of variables and lets the water support the work, rather than becoming something I have to work around.”

Leap Of Faith

Although she’s essentially shooting in daylight, Tamara notes that there are still some specific camera adjustments to consider when photographing into her pool.

“I always adjust my color settings when shooting underwater to counteract the aqua cast. Water also alters perspective, so there’s some trial and error involved in positioning objects, people, and backdrops. Exposure is adjusted as I would in any situation where the light is changing, it’s a familiar variable to manage. All of these decisions are made by eye while shooting through the window.

“I tend to mostly work with only two lenses on my Fujifilm GFX100S medium format camera – the GF45mm f/2.8 and the GF63mm f/2.8 primes. Both allow me to best capture the physical dimensions of the space, as well as the relationships between the figures and objects within it.”

You won’t at all be surprised to learn that Tamara’s custom pool studio represents a significant investment. But she’s absolutely sure that the advantages and conveniences – not to mention the increased scope for her to pursue her underwater photography projects – will make it worthwhile over the long term.

“It was definitely a major investment and a leap of faith,” she concludes. “My hope was that it would open up new ways of exploring the effects of shooting underwater within my practice. And here it has exceeded all my expectations, and I continue to love the endless creative possibilities it offers.

“When the team at Naked Pools approached me about collaborating with them on a campaign, it seemed a natural fit. I’ve loved working with their freshwater system and truly am the biggest supporter of their product, so getting the opportunity to work with them to show others just how special swimming in a freshwater pool feels was a no-brainer. ”

To see more of Tamara Dean’s photography visit www.tamaradean.com.au 

For more information about Naked freshwater pools visit naked-pools.com

Underwater photography is in many ways the definition of a niche genre. It is amazing how much of an adjustment is needed when shooting in this unfamiliar medium. A special set of skills is required to work effectively in aquatic environments – both practical and technical.

Photographer Petr Polách is an experienced shooter and diver, but needed to call on all his photographic expertise when shooting his impactful image titled Dream Gate. He explains, "This image was taken while diving in the cave system in Yucatán, Mexico, specifically in the flooded cave Dream Gate’s downstream section."

"Flooded caves are characterized by an unfavorable situation for a photographer – absolute darkness," Polách explains. Fortunately, he had a solution...

The story behind still

Polách explains, "The world of flooded caves, in which the diver swims in a state of weightlessness among the beautiful stalactite decorations, completely captivated me and forced me to capture this beauty in photographs.

"I wanted to capture the size of the cave space, so in the foreground is a large stalactite, followed by a diver, and in the background a blue cave space with small stalactites.

"The colors in this cave made it possible to emphasise the space with complementary colors – orange and azure blue. I wanted to share this beauty with people who have no chance to visit this world," he says.

But how did he manage to lighten up the pitch-black cave? "The solution is to use external underwater flashes. For this photo, I used a total of five flashes – three external and two on the case."

Tech details – 'Dream Gate'

Gear info
Camera: Sony A7R II
Lens: FE 16-35mm f/4 G
Accessories: Five flashes (three external + two on the case)

Exposure details
1/80 sec, f/9, ISO 3200

In post-processing, Polách only made minor adjustments, focusing on color, contrast, brightness, and saturation to emphasize the natural impact of the scene.

To see more of Polách's work, visit his website.

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Major photo contests typically conjure images of big, high-end cameras – but not every photo that has won a major award was captured on pro gear. In fact, the Underwater Photographer of the Year has a category dedicated specifically to creators using compact cameras.

These award-winning images were taken with compact cameras – two of them with the Sony RX100 VII and one with a GoPro. But that’s not all the winning images have in common – the shots also illustrate how important light is to creating a successful underwater photograph.

Andrea Michelutti: Alpine Lookout

Andrea Michelutti won the compact camera category in the contest with this vibrant image a freshwater crayfish in Italy’s Lake Cornino. The photographer explained that the camera was dunked in the water with a Marelux housing, and the angle was too low to use the camera’s LCD screen. When the curious crawfish came up to the camera, the photographer fired off several shots without being able to see what the camera saw.

While the crayfish took center stage, the camera angle allowed the mountains to remain visible in the background.

What’s really striking about the photo, however, are the colors – and that’s due in part to Michelutti’s decision to use additional lighting along with the compact camera, adding light with a single Inon Z330 light.

Judge Peter Rowlands called the image “a compliment to the capabilities of compacts in the right hands.”

Manuel Wütherich: Veins of the Earth

The second-place runner-up in the compact category also used the Sony RX100 VII, but the gear used is outshone by the composition, lighting, and mash-up between the underwater world and the world above. Photographer Manuel Wütherich explained that this image was taken in the Cenote Dos Pisos.

A cenote is a natural, water-filled sinkhole, and in this shot, the diver is framed by tree roots, giving the underwater image a connection to the world above. Three video lights – the X-Adventurer M8000 – make the image pop with streaky light and contrast.

Contest judge Tobias Friedrich wrote, “All judges were very impressed by the sheer quality of the image...the composition and handling of the light inside the cave is just perfect.”

Rémi Conte: Natural Barriers

Rémi Conte brought the sky, land, and sea together with this shot taken with the GoPro Hero11 Black. The photographer explained that the colors of this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in French Polynesia demanded attention. The shallow coral reefs also helped improve the image’s clarity – a constant battle for underwater photographers.

“This image would have been a serious contender in the ‘grown up’ Wide Angle and Coral Reef categories too, despite being taken on a comparatively minuscule GoPro,” wrote Judge Rowlands. “That is a testament to how good this image is. Pretty perfect.”

The shot was taken with natural light and a Shoot Dome Port housing.

The compact camera is just one of fourteen categories in the 2026 Underwater Photographer of the Year contest – browse winners from each category here.

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Diver, underwater filmmaker, and marine conservationist, Barny Dillarstone has filmed a creature from the deep that he says has likely never been filmed alive in the wild before. And indeed, Barny’s footage of a purple eagle ray (myliobatis hamlyni) is wonderful to watch, but it’s just one of many incredible deep-sea encounters present on his YouTube channel.

Barny specializes in dropping underwater cameras onto the ocean floor, where he films all manner of underwater species, some familiar and some most certainly not. The purple eagle ray footage comes only a few days after I wrote a news story about another extremely rare encounter, when researchers filmed a sleeper shark for the first time in the near-freezing waters of Antarctica. But far from the South Shetland Islands, Barny’s footage was captured off the coast of Indonesia’s Black Magic Island.

What I like about the underwater filmmaker’s channel is that it’s not just underwater footage with a bit of voiceover. The production quality is like a televised wildlife documentary, with behind-the-scenes footage of the boat and crew, as well as each drop, which doesn’t always go to plan.

The underwater rig looks to be surprisingly simple. It’s built around an Insta360 Ace Pro 2, which is attached to a large, weighted cage, with a forward-facing light, and bait attached to a protruding rod. A huge length of rope is then attached to the rig, so the team can hoist it back up again after each shoot. Interestingly, Barny mentions how shallow-dwelling creatures tend to fear light at night, whereas in the deep, creatures seem to be attracted to it.

This – and a tasty squid – is what possibly attracted the beautiful purple eagle ray at the end of the video. Remarkably, though, it isn’t the only exclusive recording of a species that’s possibly never been filmed alive, but I’ll let you watch the whole video to find out what sea creature that is.

The channel is a reminder that only 5% of the world’s oceans have been explored by humans, making the seas a smorgasbord of rare encounters for bold filmmakers like Barny. And with quality underwater cameras now more affordable than they ever have been, we live in a time where new discoveries are perhaps more likely than ever.

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If you're interested in dabbling in underwater photography, but don't want to spend big, take a look at the OM System Tough TG-7. If you're looking for other cameras like the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, here are the best action cameras. And if you're thinking of submerging a camera that's not waterproof, you need an underwater housing.

A sleeper shark has been captured by an underwater camera for the first time in the Antarctic Ocean. The report by the Associated Press (AP) includes a video of the large fish nonchalantly drifting past a camera, operated by the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre.

In a world that’s full of cameras on the surface, it’s easy to forget that humans have explored just 5% of Earth’s oceans. As the Minderoo-UWA’s name suggests, it is committed to exploring some of the deepest areas of the ocean – which is why the camera was positioned off the South Shetland Islands, where the encounter happened.

The report explains that the footage was recorded at a depth of 1,608 feet in near-freezing water temperatures. To put the animal's presence into perspective, the sleeper shark (part of the Somniosidae family) is commonly found in the Pacific Ocean – but this latest development proves that the species is not just limited to the Northern Hemisphere.

It’s not just sleeper sharks that were thought to steer clear of Antarctica. AP spoke to researcher and founding director of the research center, Alan Jamieson, who said: “We went down there not expecting to see sharks because there’s a general rule of thumb that you don’t get sharks in Antarctica”.

Unsurprisingly, ocean warming could be the culprit. But with few cameras said to exist at the depth at which the sleeper shark was recorded, and with the center's cameras only operational from December to February, it’s not surprising that these majestic creatures have evaded scientists for so long.

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If you're interested in underwater photography, check out the best underwater housings. If you're looking to dabble in underwater photography for the first time, the OM System Tough TG-7 is one of the best waterproof cameras.

In the pitch-black waters above Indonesia's Lembeh Strait, photographer Massimo Giorgetta encountered something quite incredible. A tunicate salp – a transparent, barrel-shaped marine animal barely five centimeters across – had become a floating sanctuary for an extraordinary array of marine life.

Protected Lives was captured on 14 April 2023, during what divers call a blackwater dive. Unlike traditional night dives conducted on reefs, this more challenging approach takes you miles offshore into open ocean, suspended over deep water in complete darkness.

His image reveals a gelatinous, barrel-shaped salp glowing ethereally against a pure black background. Its translucent body is illuminated to reveal an astonishing community within: a yellow juvenile boxfish with black spots, several tiny flatworms in their juvenile form, larval mantis shrimp, heteropods, crabs and a number of other organisms clinging to the exterior.

The yellow boxfish, with its vibrant coloring, provides the main focal point of the photo, contrasting beautifully with the cool blue tones of the gelatinous host.

The scene as a whole, meanwhile, offers a striking example of how sea creatures utilize each other for survival in the open ocean. This shot won Bronze in the Nature/Underwater category of the Tokyo International Foto Awards 2025, having previously won the prestigious HIPA contest in 2023.

Technical execution

The Nikon D800E isn't the newest of models, but it proved ideal for capturing this arresting image. Introduced in 2012, the camera features a 36.3-MP full-frame sensor without an anti-aliasing filter, providing the level of detail capture that's crucial for macro work.

At the same time the Nikkor 60mm Micro lens provided the right focal length for capturing the entire salp, while maintaining working distance from this delicate subject.

Giorgetta also employed two underwater strobes, which are essential for blackwater work. Proper positioning prevents "marine snow"; suspended particles in the water column that would otherwise ruin the clean black background. In this case, the strobes illuminated the translucent salp perfectly, revealing internal structures and inhabitants without washing out the ethereal quality that makes the image so captivating.

Even with the right kit, though, shooting translucent, drifting subjects in open water at night is one of underwater photography's biggest challenges. Salps are always moving and barely contrast against the background. Buoyancy control becomes paramount; any errant movement will ruin the shot and potentially harm the delicate animal.

Giorgetta picked his location wisely. The Lembeh Strait, which separates the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and Lembeh, is world-renowned for its incredible biodiversity and unusual marine life. Its deep channels and nutrient-rich waters create ideal conditions for vertical migration, bringing deep-water species within range of photographers.

The photographer floated at 10 meters depth over an abyss plunging 60 to 100 meters below, where the divers' lights attracted sea creatures during their nightly vertical migration from the deep ocean to surface waters.

This technique requires advanced diving skills, precise buoyancy control, and the ability to work in disorienting conditions where the only visual references are your lights piercing the void.

Beyond that, the photographer's ability to recognize significance in something so easily overlooked also has to be commended. Many divers would pass by a 5cm salp searching for larger subjects. Instead, Giorgetta paused to examine this tiny transparent organism and discovered the remarkable biodiversity it sheltered.

The result is an unforgettable visual that speaks to both the beauty and interconnectedness of marine ecosystems.

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Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 photo contests now open for entries from December to May.

Titled Der Kuss (The Kiss), Hungarian photographer Ferenc Lorincz's striking image shows what appears to be an aquatic romance between a common carp and its domesticated mirror carp cousin in Lake Čierna Voda, Slovakia.

The fish face each other with mouths nearly touching against a stunning turquoise backdrop. Although actually, as Lorincz has revealed, this is more likely defensive posturing triggered by close proximity than any tender exchange.

Either way, the stunning image recently earned a Highly Commended in the Underwater World category of the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition; a testament to both its technical excellence and compelling narrative. So how was it made?

Camera, lens and housing 

Lorincz chose the Nikon D850 for this shot. First released in 2017, this DSLR camera remains popular among wildlife shooters, as it offers the detail needed to resolve every scale and texture while maintaining the fast performance to capture fleeting moments.

The back-illuminated sensor design and lack of anti-aliasing filter are crucial for underwater photography, where light absorption and scatter quickly degrade image quality. At ISO 200, Lorincz ensured maximum sharpness while providing enough sensitivity for the underwater environment.

As for glass, he selected a Nikkor 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5 fisheye; an ultra-wide lens that allowed him to get remarkably close to his subjects while capturing environmental context.

Fisheye lenses are popular in underwater photography because they minimize the water between lens and subject, reducing color cast and clarity issues. The extreme field of view also creates an immersive quality that pulls viewers into the scene.

To protect the D850 underwater, Lorincz used a Subal housing, which is widely regarded as the gold standard for professional underwater photography. These precision-engineered aluminum underwater housings provide full camera control access while maintaining complete waterproof integrity.

Lighting presented another challenge. Water absorbs light rapidly, particularly red wavelengths, which is why underwater scenes often appear blue-green without artificial light. Lorincz deployed two Ikelite underwater strobes to restore natural color and create separation between his subjects and the background.

Meeting the moment

Capturing a great shot, of course, is about more than just using the right gear. Shooting this scene required exceptional timing and underwater fieldcraft. Carp can be skittish, and getting close enough for an ultra-wide lens to work while maintaining natural behavior is challenging. The defensive interaction Lorincz captured lasted only moments, requiring quick reflexes and intimate knowledge of aquatic behavior.

The resulting image succeeds on multiple levels: technically flawless, compositionally strong, narratively engaging.

The "kiss" draws viewers in, while the reality (defensive action rather than affection) adds depth to the story. It's a reminder that in wildlife photography, the most compelling images often reveal behaviors that challenge our human interpretations.

Finally, for photographers wondering whether older cameras remain relevant, this shot provides a compelling answer. In skilled hands with quality support equipment, the Nikon D850 continues to produce stunning results.

Combined with the right lens, housing, and lighting setup, even a camera approaching its eighth year on the market can capture award-winning underwater imagery that rivals anything shot on newer bodies.

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Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from November to January.

Lurking sharks, jellyfish stings and timing the next breath aren’t usually concerns at most photoshoots, but a recent project by photographer and film director Steven Haining encompassed all those challenges – and then some. Together with model Ciara Antowski and a team of safety experts, Haining has broken the Guinness Book of World Records for the deepest underwater photoshoot for the third time.

The photoshoot clocked in at a depth of 163.38 feet (49.80 m), breaking the December 2023 record for 131 feet held by Kim Bruneau and Pia Oyarzun, although Haining himself held the two records prior for dives in 2021 and September 2023. Haining’s new record, however, is an even more notable accomplishment than the previous attempts because it falls below the 130 foot decompression zone for more than ten minutes.

Dives deeper than 130 feet require additional safety measures to avoid decompression sickness. Haining explained that 95% of professional divers can only dive to 130 feet because of the additional risks that come with heading beyond that threshold. Commonly referred to as “the bends,” decompression sickness causes a painful build-up of nitrogen gasses due to a rapid decrease in pressure.

Planned decompression dives require specialized training, which is why both Haining and Antowski spend a year training and practicing for the dive. To complicate the dive even further, the SeaFrog housing that Haining uses for his Fujifilm X-H2S is only rated to depths of 130 feet, so he had to modify it by swapping out O-rings and adding sponges, which ended up protecting the camera – and the 23mm lens – during the 52 minute underwater shoot.

Beyond the safety training, much of the planning for the shoot happened out of the water, as the photographer, model and safety team would only be able to communicate by hand signals once under the water and on the deck of the Hydro Atlantic shipwreck near Boca Raton, Florida.

The day of the shoot started with a scouting mission of the shipwreck, where the team spotted a tiger shark. The team also set a line tied to a buoy at the surface, with extra oxygen tanks attached to the line for the ascent. Haining then surfaced and discussed the shoot with Antowski before the two would have to communicate exclusively through hand gestures.

One of the members of the safety team, Ray Marciano from Isla Divers, gave the shoot a motto: if three things went wrong, they would try again another day – and while the photographer met up with a jellyfish on the descent, the team made it safely to the shipwreck without reaching that three-strike number. Antowski entered the water first with two safety divers, followed by Haining and two additional members of the safety team. But as Haining started his initial descent, his tank freed itself from a strap and as Haining went to rescue it, he was stung by a jellyfish.

Thankfully, the rest of the shoot went flawlessly, Haining said. Along with the modified housing around the X-H2S, Haining used Light&Motion strobe and video lights, as well as cave torches mounted to other divers to light the scene. The light and shipwreck worked with the water’s effect on the model’s dress and hair to create a series of images with an ethereal feel.

“As a portrait photographer who is very established in my industry and confident with lighting and direction, I fell in love with underwater portraiture because it creates a ton of challenges,” Haining said. “The look and art direction has to happen on the surface because communication at depth is limited visibility, no ability to speak and hand signals can only get you so far; Flashes don’t remote trigger under water so you have to work with constant lights and fibre optics, warm colors disappear the deeper you go so you need off camera lighting in order to bring those colors back.”

The photoshoot required a large team for safety both in the water and in a rescue boat, including Wayne Fryman as the technical and safety expert. “When it comes to people new to underwater, definitely remember that the safety of the team is more important than anything else.” Haining said. “At no point would my team and I attempt something we weren’t 100% confident would be safe.”

The photoshoot took a total of 52 minutes, with 15 minutes of that time spent at the record level. Safely resurfacing required a 16 minute decompression stop on the ascent back to the surface.

What will Haining do next with the world record shoot finished? “Sometimes diving is better experienced with your own eyes and not through a lens,” Haining said. “After this record is done I’m spending the next month or so with nothing other than a GoPro in my pocket on a bunch of dives so I can experience and live in those moments.”

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I sat down with Benjamin Yavar (AKA @ben.freediver), winner of the Photography category of 2024’s ViewSonic ColorPro Awards, who captured this incredible underwater photograph of a diver swimming towards a shoal of sardines in Moalboal, Philippines.

Now in its fifth year, ViewSonic’s Color Pro Awards continues to recognize excellence in photography, videography and digital art. The theme of the 2024 awards was ‘Momentum’ and the organizers challenged photographers and creators to explore the meaning of the word “beyond physical motion, delving into emotional and symbolic dimensions”.

Benjamin Yavar is a professional freediver and a continental record holder in freediving disciplines, from Chile, who also takes photographs underwater. His image is titled ‘Wormhole’ and refers to a phenomenon that occurs on the Moalboal sardine run in the Philippines, where he has lived for the past five years. Captured on a Sony A7 IV and Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G within a Sea Frogs underwater camera housing, it shows Yavar’s girlfriend swimming towards the huge school of fish.

“The sardine run doesn’t happen all year round so we were lucky,” he says. “The weather was perfect, with good conditions, no waves at all and good visibility underwater. We were a bit far from the shore for the sardine run but we saw them all running together. Normally, you get fewer fish than this.

“I was already underwater, shooting towards the sardines, when I saw my girlfriend diving towards them. That’s when this unique form or ‘wormhole’ was created. I started shooting and changing the aperture, then realized this was a unique moment. I looked at the images and knew I had something good.”

Yavar uses only natural light for his underwater photography and says that the Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G is ideal for him; he doesn’t need a faster lens. For settings, he shot at around f/11 to get everything sharp and ISO100. While his Sea Frogs housing isn’t the most expensive on the market, it’s lightweight and waterproof to 40m. He says Sony sensors are well suited for this type of photography as their raw files capture colour well – especially green, which is prevalent in underwater photography, and praises the Sony A7 IV’s fast and accurate autofocus and the sharpness of Sony lenses.

You can see more of Benjamin's work by visiting his website.

The next ColorPro Awards launches in spring. Find out more or follow the contest on Instagram: @colorpro

Check out previous Photo of the Day images, and the stories behind them. If you have an image you'd like us to consider for Photo of the Day, email it to us at digitalcameraworld@futurenet.com

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Want to try out a little underwater photography yourself? Check out the best waterproof cameras. Perhaps you're ready to take underwater photography that little bit more seriously, if so, then the best underwater housings for cameras and phones might be for you.

A team of marine biologists, zoologists, and cetologists from the Université Paris-Saclay, Université d'Antananarivo and Ambodiforaha Sainte Marie has discovered an incredible parallel between human babies, and baby humpback whales.

In the study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the scientists attached cameras with multi-sensory tags to eight humpback whale calves off the coast of Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar, and then analyzed the sounds they made during various contexts, such as feeding or play.

Prior research shows that humpback whales use sounds for a wide variety of purposes, including communication, attracting a mate, and sensory perception. The noises they make are often referred to as ‘whale song’ due to the repetitive nature of the sounds.

The cameras attached to the baby whales were able to record both video and audio, then analyzed the 33 hours of material.

They began by separating out the sounds made by the calves, then studying the noises made during different behaviors, such as nursing, playing, and simply doing nothing. This allowed them to notice patterns in the noises the baby whales made when they were communicating with their mothers, or when they were just expressing themselves.

The results showed that baby whales tend to get more vocal just before nursing in the morning – and this was the noisiest they got. The results suggest that, similar to human babies, baby humpback whales appear to "beg" their mothers for food.

Suckling sessions were mainly associated with two sets of low-frequency calls corresponding to previously described burping, barking and snorting sounds. Surface play sessions featured mid-frequency calls with whoop-like sounds and other call types.

“Suckling sessions were mainly associated with two sets of low-frequency calls corresponding to previously described burping, barking and snorting sounds, “the study says, “Surface play sessions featured mid-frequency calls with whoop-like sounds and other call types.

“These results address the significance of vocal signalling in mother–calf communication and the calf’s development, including the first identification of potential begging calls.”

The paper added, “This study offers new insights into baleen whale behaviour, underscores the importance of social calls in mother–calf interactions and enhances our understanding of communication systems in aquatic mammalian mother–young pairs.”

A recent study showed that trail cameras for conservation purposes are missing in the areas that need them the most, however, cameras are being increasingly used for conservation purposes. Earlier this summer, scientists attached cameras to sea lions to learn more about their behaviors and habitat, while a live webcam in California, accessible to the public, is being used to monitor the elusive exploits of Western rattle snakes.

Interested in conservation? Why not take a look at our guides to the best trail cameras, the best camera drones, and the best cameras for wildlife photography.

During what scientists described as “one of the most challenging” expeditions yet, they made a fascinating discovery, with benefits not just for wildlife, but also the use of technology in conservation.

Using a deep-sea baited remote underwater video system (BRUV), the team dropped a camera, safe inside presumably one of the best waterproof housings for cameras, down 1,054 meters into the sea off Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands.

The footage then cuts to multiple roughskin dogfish, appearing out of the darkness of the murky depths of the Caribbean Sea with its incredibly large eyes, characteristic of deep-sea wildlife, looking straight at the lens.

While you might wonder what there is to get excited about when it comes to dogfish, this was the “the first sighting of this species in the central Caribbean Sea,” said Olivia Dixon, a researcher at the non-profit Beneath the Waves.

The deep-sea is one of the “least explored regions,” continued Dixon in an Instagram post, and understanding species distributions there “is essential for guiding evidence-based conservation and habitat protection policies.”

In the research paper about the discovery published in the Journal of Fish Biology, it adds that while this study expands global knowledge of the distribution of the roughskin dogfish in the region, but also “highlights the utility of video lander systems for enhancing and expanding our understanding of the biology and diversity of deep-sea sharks.”

Baited remote underwater video is a system used in marine biology research and conservation that works by attracting wildlife into the remotely controlled camera’s field of view. Researchers can then record underwater wildlife diversity, abundance and behavior with high levels of accuracy and incidence.

The technology is highly effective at attracting scavengers, and therefore subsequent predators, and is fast becoming a popular form of technique due to its non-invasive method of generating large amounts of data.

Baited remote underwater video surveys were developed in Australia and are now used around the world due to their low-impact method and low-budget system that is less reliant on skilled labor than submersibles.

Fancy getting your own underwater footage? Why not take a look at our guides to the best waterproof camera, the best underwater drones, and the best underwater housings for cameras and phones.

Looking at James Lowe’s work, it’s easy to get lost in the dreamlike serenity of the underwater scenes, almost like you can reach out and touch the marine life in front of you. 

It’s a sensory experience, you can feel the cool water and the warm sun, hear the silence and the waves, and taste the salt on your lips. 

Whale sharks, orcas and penguins appear in his portfolio, but it is the underwater metropolis of the kelp forests of Cape Town that make up the bulk of his work. 

“It’s a three dimensional diving experience,” said Lowe, “The kelp is moving with the water so it’s like you can see the ocean's energy moving in the water.

“The fronds of the kelp canopy often partially cover the sun, sending incredible crepuscular rays down to the reef. The kelp forest reef in Cape Town is incredibly colourful and diverse. When diving in kelp forests you can’t always see what’s coming, so it adds an extra level of excitement to each dive.”

Lowe got into underwater photography while working on ships, documenting the remote destinations he traveled to, and after getting his scuba license, he realized what he was missing at home.

He said:

“I was talking to my roommate at a hostel I was staying at, telling him how I'd never dived before because I lived in Cape Town and we just had cold water and kelp forests, which wasn’t that interesting.

“He almost fell off his chair, and said that Cape Town’s diving was world class. When I got home, I bought myself my first mask and fins and weight belt and went to have a look for myself. I was about 26. I started making videos with my gopro but soon got bored and wanted to take my passion for photography underwater.

The innovations in some of the best waterproof camera housings has made underwater photography far more accessible in recent years.

Lowe favors his Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, a 24-105mm lens, and a 15mm fisheye lens, and an Aquatica underwater camera housing.

“I bought the kit second hand,” explains, “Because I understand the complexities of photography I was looking for a set up kit with multiple different domes, ports and strobes. The system I found was Aquatica. It turned out to be incredibly hardy. No bells and whistles, but it’s easy to change settings underwater, and makes me feel safe taking expensive camera gear under the waves.”

As well as selling his stunning photography on his website, Lowe offers kelp forest diving experiences in Cape Town, so you can experience the underwater jungle for yourself.

Kelp forests are dotted all over the Cape Peninsula, with the long kelp growing in shallow waters and growing up to eight meters tall. The long and dense tendrils provide a safe ecosystem for many species of shark, seals and fish, making them popular dive sites.

If you’re tempted to see what underwater treasures you can find, Lowe recommends, “Go do it. I probably dive 3–4 days a week if I can. Also, compose your image before you shoot and wait for your subject to swim into your frame.”

Inspired to get below the waves? Take a look at our guides to the best underwater housings for cameras and phones, the best waterproof cameras, and the best waterproof drones. 

This series, in simple terms a narrative of life on the canal, represents a collaboration between myself and Brett Evans Biedscheid. I’d always admired Brett’s work in photomontage and he felt the same about my photography. In our own disciplines, we’re both in the business of storytelling, and the prospect of working together, particularly on something that holds a real fascination for both of us, was exciting. There was a desire to explore and share the unique quality of Britain’s waterways, which lies somewhere between reality and imagination. Canals are steeped in history and folklore, and something transformative happens when you step into that world.  

As Brett describes it: “The waterways operate within their own definitions of time. Things move slower. Details that would surely be missed elsewhere are abundant and vibrant. The human beings that occupy this magical landscape have more time to develop, and stories of these characters’ exploits continually reverberate between the other residents of this environment. The wildlife that shares this enchanted space continues to operate at a symbiotic, confident – yet comfortable – distance.”

I started building an initial series of images during the pandemic days of 2020. My boat felt like a real haven, quietly tucked away from the madness, watching the natural world shift from one day to the next. 

Between lockdowns, I moved my boat from Leeds to Oxfordshire; a three-week journey, passing through the major hub of Braunston. Each year, boats congregate there for the Braunston Historic Boat Rally, which is full of color and character. You get a sense of the rich variety of people in this transient community. I started to document the boat rally and other folk on the canal, building up a library of faces, places and small details. Some of the images have been planned, some are opportunistic. Since the partnership with Brett started, that has added another dimension in terms of what I’m looking to capture.

Most of the images were shot on a Nikon Z 6 with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; portable for long canal walks but with plenty of flexibility, although sometimes you have to be patient and wait for the subject to move closer to your shooting position and fill the frame. 

The collaborative relationship has lifted my ideas around building a narrative to a whole different level. Often Brett will see something in an image that hadn’t occurred to me. I think developing a shared approach has really enhanced our practice. Of course, there are challenges. For a project like this the boat knowledge is still important, and within the creativity we need to retain a level of factual accuracy. But I’m so happy with what we’ve achieved, and I really hope we can keep going with this work and on other projects. 

I’ll give Brett the final word: “It is easy to imagine within this watery landscape that Father Time has tapped the brakes on, that you can hear, see and feel the myths and folklore that future generations will share being birthed and blossoming. Each photomontage illustrates a mythical tale – not from a distant past, but of the distant future.” 

Echoes of the Water exhibition

Echoes of the Water is at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury, UK, and runs from September 3 to October 26, 2024.

The legend of the Loch Ness monster, also known as Nessie, is a global phenomenon, a large, long necked creature said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. 

Perpetually popular in the press, researchers are back at the creature’s alleged ecosystem, but this time, they’re not looking for Nessie. 

Engineers from the University of Aberdeen have teamed up with the Loch Ness Center as part of their mission to uncover more about the world famous Loch, its natural inhabitants, and real inhabitants. 

To do this, they employed the university’s state of the art holographic camera to capture holographic images of the microbial life that lives in the loch’s deep waters. 

Dubbed the weeHoloCam, the camera can capture thousands of digital holographic images of microscopic marine organisms during one single dive, and uses the latest artificial intelligence techniques to identify the subjects of the images. 

The first images captured by the camera resembled tiny monsters, Nessie’s offspring perhaps? 

Sadly not, the images captured were of plankton particles. 

Thangavel Thevar, from the University of Aberdeen, said: "This was a unique opportunity for us to deploy the weeHoloCam into freshwater, as it has previously only been used in ocean salt water.

"We lowered the camera to around 200 metres and were able to see lots of interesting particles which, by working with biologists, should be able to give us more information about the biodiversity of Loch Ness."

Developed in 2021, the weeHoloCam is one of the most advanced subsea holographic cameras in the world, and is also one of the most compact, and the fastest in terms of image processing time.

It was developed as part of a project funded by the Defence & Security Accelerator (DASA), a part of the Ministry of Defence to be used for a range of purposes such as studying marine habitats and wildlife, and monitoring microplastic pollution in our oceans.

At just 9 cm in diameter and 60 cm in length, the camera weighs about 3.5 kg, which combined with its ability to quickly extract images, makes it a highly unique and useful camera.

Thevar said:

“Until now, speed has been a major limiting factor in terms of wider practical applications of digital holography. But with weeHoloCam, the recorded holograms are processed in near real-time, allowing scientists to visually examine images as they come in.

“Each hologram can be considered as a stack of thousands of 2D images, but we have developed an algorithm to rapidly reconstruct these 2D images, identify particles, and extract them to create 3D versions. The processing time is much faster than existing systems, which coupled with its small size makes the weeHoloCam one of the most state-of-the-art devices of its type in the world.”

Whispers of the Loch Ness monster go back as far as the year 565, but the modern legend began when a hotel manager reported spotting a monster-like creature in the waters in 1933.

2024 marks 90 years since adventurer Sir Edward Mountain organized the first search for Nessie.

Take a look at our guides to the best cameras for wildlife photography, the best professional cameras, and the best cameras for beginners.

A couple of weeks ago we reported on a platypus on the surface of one of Jupiter’s moons, which could provide the key to finding life beyond planet Earth. 

Now, we bring you another intergalactic delight in the form of a stunning red and pink koi carp, captured from the Chilean Atacama Desert.

The beautiful shape is actually a nebula known as Gum 3, an interstellar cloud of gas and dust which sits about 3,600 light years away from Earth, nestled between the Monoceros and Canos Major constellations. 

It’s named for Colin Stanley Gum, an Australian astronomer who catalogued 84 nebulae in the southern sky. 

The stunning image was captured using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory. The telescope is equipped with an enormous 268-megapixel camera, and is designed to survey huge areas of the sky. 

The VLT is one of the world’s most advanced optical telescopes, consisting of four unit telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter and four movable 1.8m diameter auxiliary telescopes.  

Nebulae are giant clouds of dust and gas occupying the space between stars. Some are formed by the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a dying star, and they also act as a nursery for new stars.

When the intense ultraviolet radiation from nearby young stars hits hydrogen atoms in the cloud, they emit visible light in a range of colors, red and pink in this instance. 

Simultaneously, tiny dust particles within the cloud reflect starlight, especially blue hues, which is why the sky looks blue from Earth. 

This combination of cosmic colors makes nebulae spectacular to look at.   

The koi carp nebula isn’t the only satisfyingly animal-like shape up above us. Here are a few of the others.

The Tarantula

The Tarantula is known for one of the stars in its outer regions because it became Supernova 1987A, the closest supernova to Earth observed since the invention of the telescope.

The Butterfly 

The Butterfly gets its name from its three-light year long wings, produced by gas pouring out of a dying white dwarf, a star that has burned up all of the hydrogen it once used as nuclear fuel.  

The Horsehead 

One of the most well known nebulae in the sky, the Horsehead was discovered by Scottish astronomer Williamina Flemming as she took a closer look at the photographic plate of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. 

The dark whisp of dust is part of a large stellar nursery, and is believed to contain enough mass to create around 30 Sun-like stars.

Check out our guide to the best cameras for astrophotography, and the best lenses for astrophotography.

We've also got all the information you need about the best low light cameras, and the best star tracker camera mounts. 

U.S.-based spelunking enthusiasts (and identical twins) James and Edward, also known as the Action Adventure Twins, are best known for documenting their action-packed escapades on their GoPro across YouTube and Instagram. 

Now we might have advised the twins in our best action cameras guide that the  DJI Osmo Action 4) and Insta360 Ace Pro have the famous GoPro beat on low-light quality, but, in what they claim is a world first, the twins film themselves dropping their GoPro camera into the deepest unobstructed pit in the U.S, revealing its murky depths for the first time.

“We took a GoPro down into the deepest pit in the USA, and are the first people to drop it down to the bottom of this cave,” reads the video’s caption. 

The explorers explained that they needed to rappel down 128 feet within the cave, a practice of using ropes and other equipment to descend a steep terrain, then drop the GoPro to the bottom of the 586-foot (180m) pit – twice as deep as the Statue of Liberty is tall, or the same as 'the Gherkin' building in London.

The GoPro appears to be attached to a homemade mechanism, dispensing line attached to a battery-powered drill, as they lower the camera into the pit. 

As the camera reaches the flat, stony bottom of the pit that few will have witnessed before, they slowly pull the camera back to the surface, clearly showing the dark eerie depths. 

The ascent is arguably more disturbing than the descent, as enormous rock formations become visible as the camera slowly makes its way back up to the surface, illuminated by a small attached spotlight. 

If heights aren’t your thing this might not be the footage for you, as towards the top of the ascent the twins almost lose the camera as it hits a rock. 

“Oh! You almost lost it,” one can be heard saying, as the other replies, “We almost lost it right at the end, right at the top part. Oh my gosh it started wrapping around the axle of this drill.” 

Spelunking, also known as caving or potholing, has become a popular outdoor pursuit for the adventurous, while others prefer to watch terrifying footage of people squeezing through tight underground tunnels through a screen. 

“Wonderful – three of my fears in one video: being underground, claustrophobia, and falling into a pit,” commented user @sammyday3341 on YouTube. 

Check out more from GoPro with our top picks of the best cameras, the best GoPro accessories, and GoPro gimbals. You can also take a look at our best 360 cameras here. 

One of the best things about walking the halls of The Photography & Video Show is discovering equipment that you might not have seen on any other occasion. This was certainly the case today when I happened upon the Aquatech stand and the Joby Seapal, an underwater housing unit for mobile photography. 

The Joby SeaPal Waterproof Case offers content creators the chance to take their workflow overboard and introduce a whole new world of underwater phone photography. The best cameraphones of today offer fantastic photographic capabilities for stills and video and have become more than viable for content creation, for those who like to take to the water for the sea, snorkel, and surf, the Joby SeaPal is a fantastic new option. 

The Joby SeaPal is the successor to the Aquatech AxisGo, featured in our guide to the best underwater housing for cameras and phones. Most underwater housing systems require model-specific cases, which requires buying a new one when updating your phone. The SeaPal was designed by Aquatech to be universal to all the latest iPhone and Samsung camera phones and simply requires switching the configuration of the inner bumpers which allows you to change the case to fit your requirements, futureproofing for your next phone update!

The underwater case provides ultimate protection with waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof housing, and the case enables access to your phone's touchscreen features via a flexible panel, even whilst underwater. In addition, the Joby SeaPal ecosystem offers a range of incredible accessories that take the case even further.

The SeaPal Dome offers 'crystal clear underwater photos' and is perfect for under/over shots, the Sports Leash is much like a surfing leash and provides great security for your housing unit, and the SeaPal Shuter Grip allows further versatility with a waterproofed ergonomic design for remote triggering your mobile camera shutter, ensuring your phone becomes the 'ultimate aquatic storyteller'.

After looking at this year's Underwater Photographer of the Year images I felt inspired to try out the genre for myself, and the Joby SeaPal Waterproof Case will allow me to take those first steps into the water.

If you are at The Photography & Video Show this week be sure to check it out in person at Aquatech stand M500. Tickets are still available for the show either at the door or via the official website.

You may also be interested in our guides for the best waterproof camera, the best action cameras, and the best 360 cameras. 

The Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 competition provides a window into a magical world, with stunning imagery that provokes thought and contemplation. 

The Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition based in the UK that celebrates images taken beneath the surface of the sea, lakes, ponds, and even swimming pools and attracts entries from around the world. The outstanding quality of this year's images is a showcase of what can be achieved with a range of camera equipment, and not just the best underwater cameras on the market. This year saw 13 category winners and 4 special award winners including, of course, the coveted  eponymous award.

• See our guide for the best underwater drones

This year's title of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 has been awarded to Alex Dawson for his image titled 'Whale Bones', pictured above. Dawson triumphed over more than 6500 underwater images submitted from all over the world. Whale Bones depicts a freediver examining the effects of whaling whilst diving amongst the giant skeletons of discarded whale carcasses in Greenland. 

Chair of the judging panel Dr Alexander Mustard MBE, describes the image as being "photographed in the toughest conditions." He goes on to explain, “as a breath-hold diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear witness to the carcasses. The composition invites us to consider our impact on the great creatures of this planet. Since the rise of humans, wild animals have declined by 85%. Today, just 4% of mammals are wildlife, the remaining 96% are humans and our livestock. Our way needs to change to find a balance with nature.”

It was not the only image to be given an award, with Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 being awarded to Lisa Stengel from the United States for her image of a mahi-mahi fish catching a sardine, taken in Mexico and titled 'Window of Opportunity'. Stengel used a very fast shutter speed of 1/3200s, and the use of her hearing to catch the decisive moment. The latest camera technology is enabling new and exciting images to be created underwater, resulting in scenes we have never seen before.

The Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 is a UK-based competition that highlights British waters by including 4 categories dedicated to the home isles. An award for British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 was also given and this year Jenny Stock came out on top with her image 'Star Attraction'. Stock highlights the 'often overlooked' with her psychedelic image of a sea urchin taken while exploring the west coast of Scotland.

The competition prides itself in raising awareness about marine conservation and has teamed up with the Save Our Seas Foundation to present the Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2024 award. Portuguese photographer Nuno Sá was this year's recipient with his photo titled 'Saving Goliath', which depicts beachgoers in Portugal trying to save a stranded sperm whale that had been struck by a ship. Although not taken underwater, it provides a great insight into the effects of life under the surface. The image gives hope that humanity still cares about our waters but also highlights the need for action.

The 2024 competition showcases the very best in underwater photography, and the full list of category winners is a sight to behold.

For more information on shooting action and adventure see our guides on the best travel drones, the best underwater cameras for fish, and the best action cameras.  

The coral reefs are in great danger from the effects of climate change, and with what is thought to be only eight years to save them, quick restoration is vital. Canon has partnered with the Coral Spawning Lab to help document and share much-needed research.

Canon will provide state-of-the-art imaging equipment, such as the best Canon cameras and Canon lenses, so the researchers can create a database of photographic activity. The groundbreaking research being carried out at the lab is providing a deeper understanding of the mysterious coral reefs and has recently created the world’s first-ever predictable broadcast of coral spawning in a completely closed system. 

So, what is coral spawning? 

Coral Spawning is typically an annual natural spectacle where coral synchronizes the release of sperm and eggs, where they will naturally drift to each other, inseminating and producing larvae. 

At The Coral Spawning Lab, researchers take the eggs and sperm before natural insemination, and a kind of coral IVF procedure takes place to study and genetically breed more robust species. 

The groundbreaking researchers at the London-based lab will use Canon's imaging equipment, to monitor all aspects of the coral's life cycle, providing new information regarding 'embryological stages, and mortality rates, among other key markers of growth'. This will provide an extremely visual encyclopedia of information, helping to restore our coral reefs damaged by climate change. 

Coral reefs are an extremely valuable and vital natural resource providing $2.7 trillion – yes trillion! – in services per year. These include tourism, natural ingredients for medicines, and a thriving ecosystem that provides food security for locals. Despite the immense value the reefs have on humanity, they are being decimated by the effects of climate change. They are now expected to decline by '70-90 percent' if sea temperatures continue to rise. This would have an unprecedented impact on our planet's ecosystem.

Combining efforts and sharing information is vital for global success, so all of the information gathered by The Coral Spawning Lab will be open source and encouraged to be viewed. This includes sharing all data with local communities in many of the reef's natural tropical environments, in the hope that the reefs survive for further generations. 

Canon states, "We are committed to working together to create a more sustainable world for the people and wildlife on the planet. Our partnership with the Coral Spawning Lab is an excellent opportunity to help protect global biodiversity and can be viewed as one of our ‘nature positive’ initiatives taking place across Canon Group."

This partnership is a great example of how large organizations can combine and use their expertise to help the fight against climate change. Canon has several initiatives as part of its sustainability efforts, working with researchers and communities worldwide. A fascinating video on Canon's website provides more details on the partnership and a behind-the-scenes look at the lab. 

See our guides for more information on the best Canon DSLR lenses, and best Canon EF-M lenses, and if you want underwater advice see our guide to the best waterproof camera.

Our underwater world is unique, inspiring and bizarre. With over 30,000 known species of fish and over 6,000 different species of coral, the oceans are awe-inspiring havens for water-based wildlife. However, unlike on dry land, not everyone can access these areas nor get to shoot them without the right specialist equipment, both for the dive and the camera. 

Maria Munn first considered the idea of underwater photography when she was in hospital after sustaining life-threatening injuries in an accident in which she suffered 15 fractures. While in hospital, Maria watched a programme about whale sharks and decided that if she survived and could walk again, she wanted to learn to photograph them.

Once she had recovered, Maria set about her quest, travelling the world and shooting underwater environments. From launching the first underwater compact camera photography courses with Emperor Divers in Egypt to shooting white sharks in Mexico, Maria has seen and done it all. 

“Scuba diving can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of physical ability,” she says. “If you have a disability, scuba diving offers a unique sense of freedom, transporting you into a world of weightlessness and intrigue.”

Shooting with both compact cameras and DSLRs, Maria was the first person in the UK to gain a distinction from the Royal Photographic Society for her work, before she turned her hand to helping beginners. Now teaching the genre from her studio in Dorset, her students have won awards, been published in National Geographic and worked on programmes such as the BBC's Blue Planet II.

Interview

“I was in hospital recovering from injuries in a life-changing accident when I watched a programme about whale sharks. I decided then that if I survived and was able to walk again, I would learn to photograph sharks”

Essentially, so many things can affect the quality of your image – the operator’s ability to stay still, the clarity of water, distance, available light, where the subject is and how fast it’s moving. Being able to think in a nano-second to change the camera’s controls or position yourself at the best possible angle takes a lot of practice. And whether you’re freediving or going out with scuba gear, you have to remember to keep yourself safe too.

Get ready for underwater photography:

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Chris Burkard, world-renowned outdoor photographer and explorer, takes us on a journey across the seven seas. From the rugged shores of the North Atlantic to the tranquil waters of the tropics, Burkard's new book The Oceans is filled with the awe-inspiring beauty of the world's deep blue waters and provides us with an insight into Burkard's inspiration and early beginnings.  

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Burkard's adventures have taken him all over the world, but it was close to home where the seed of this project was planted. An early road trip along the coast of Bukkard's home state of California led to a love and deep appreciation of the ocean, its diversity, and the communities that thrive there – most notably the surfing community. A coming-of-age journey that Burkard says "Taught me that you don’t need to travel far or have a huge budget to find untamed, magical places. You can create captivating images out of things that are meaningful to you in your own backyard."

This is a lesson that we could all listen to from time to time. It is easy to get bogged down and uninspired by your local surroundings when you see images from distant exotic places all over social media. But you have the unique ability to know your surroundings better than anyone, being able to capture a perspective unlike anyone else. If you stop, be present, and take notice, the magic Burkard refers to can be found anywhere. 

An early text in the book highlights Chris Burkard's early struggles with being colorblind. An incredible realization for me, as his use of color tones has always been a highlight of his work. Instead of using complementary colors, Burkard focuses on contrast when looking for a shot, looking for relationships between dark and light. Burkard states that being colorblind has "Allowed me to home in on capturing this contrast a little more than I would have been able to otherwise."  

The Oceans provides an insight into regions of the globe I never knew existed, and looks like they have been taken from a Tolkien novel. A mixture of camera and drone shots show unique perspectives of distant lands and the ocean we find on our doorstep. It shows the vast beauty of the natural world and reminds us that we must do better to look after it. Through his art, Burkard encourages us to see the oceans not just as a resource to be exploited, but as a source of wonder and inspiration that deserves our respect and stewardship.    

The Oceans by Chris Burkard published by Gestalten is available now at $80 / £55 / AU $126 (approximately). 

If Chris Burkard has inspired you to head outdoors to take pictures at our recommendations for the best cameras for landscape photography

Online sleuths believe they may have identified a key clue about the implosion of ill-fated OceanGate submarine, Titan, which came to grief on June 18 2023. 

The tragic expedition to the Titanic wreckage, which claimed the lives of five individuals including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, has drawn the attention of internet inquisitors, who believe the on-board camera system holds the secret to unravelling the highly publicized mystery. 

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Just 105 minutes into the trip the submarine lost all contact with the mothership, Polar Prince, and it’s thought that the vessel is likely to have imploded due to an electrical failure, a failure of the bolts securing the pressure hatch, or instability to the pressure hull. 

Internet users have been discussing the possibility that the sub’s camera system could hold valuable information about what really happened on the day. Installed on Titan was a Rayfin Benthic imaging system, capable of recording in 4K while transmitting lower-res images to a screen. 

The IP-based cameras have previously delivered remarkable footage of marine life near the Titanic wreckage including corals, sea sponges, and other deep-sea creatures who get sustenance from the decaying iron structure. While some people believe the cameras on board may have survived the implosion, experts are unsure whether they would’ve retained operation due to power shortages and lack of light.

The cameras were supposedly located outside the sub's pressure dome, which has led to speculation that at least one of them could provide information on what happened in the minutes before implosion. It might also be possible to obtain details about what happened in the 1-hour, 45-minute descent showing the conditions that the sub was faced with.

"The cameras were outside the pressure dome," said one commenter (as reported by LBC). "At least one of them seems to have survived as you can see a glimpse of it in the wreckage. Its local storage may very well have glimpses of what happened."

Alongside the OceanGate CEO, on board the submarine were British billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahsada Dawood and his son Suleman. 

In the days that followed the communication blackout, a rescue mission searched more than 10,000m² of ocean off the coast of Newfoundland using helicopters, submersibles, fixed-wing aircraft, and a ship in the hope of finding the vessel with the passengers on board still alive. 

Soon after 8am EDT on June 22 (the time that the vessel's oxygyen supply would have run out), debris from the vessel was found and all five crew members were later confirmed to have died. Since the accident, OceanGate has suspended all expeditions and commercial operations.

Also check out the best waterproof cameras and the best waterproof phones, perfect for using in the pool or at the beach. 

Today is World Wildlife Day, established by the United Nations to celebrate the planet's rich diversity of wild animals and plants. To commemorate the day, the Marine Conservation Society has compiled a collection of incredible ocean photography.

The images were all captured in the waters of the United Kingdom, featuring marine life native to British territories. The most stunning shot of the selection was taken by snorkeller diver Mark Kirkland, of a basking shark on the Isle of Coll in Scotland (pictured above). 

• The best underwater and waterproof cameras are your best friends for taking marine photographs

"Through late summer the basking shark passes through the Isles of Coll and Tiree in huge numbers on its migratory journey north," said Kirkland, who captured the image on an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II.

"Despite being the second largest fish in the sea (up to nine meters long) and a close relative to the great white shark, it's completely harmless, with a preference for microscopic plankton as its food. This split shot was taken on a glorious evening's snorkel with three large individuals."  

Disproving the misguided notion that the best Micro Four Thirds cameras are not good in low light conditions, fellow OM shooter Dan Bolt used the original Olympus OM-D E-M1 to photograph a stunning firework anemone (above). 

"As the UK's biggest anemone, the firework anemone can have a stalk and tentacles of up to 30cm long. Usually restricted to deeper waters, in many western Sea Lochs in Scotland they are accessible to sport divers," he notes. 

"These beautiful creatures also have a party trick: under UV light they fluoresce and emit blue and green light and display patterns not seen under daylight."

A nightmare-inducing angler fish was captured in all its glory by Jon Bunker (above), using one of the best compact cameras, the Sony RX100, on England's south coast in Dorset. 

"Among the most beautiful of our ground-dwelling fishes, the angler fish's mottled brown tones and leafy protrusions of skin make it almost undistinguishable from the rocky, weed-strewn ground that divers often encounter them in," he said, being somewhat more charitable about the fish's looks.

"Broad circular pectoral fins seem to grip the seabed like clasping hands on either side of the massive, dustbin-lid head. Ahead of a decreasing series of weed-like dorsal spines, the anglerfish wafts its distinctive lure or 'illicium' to entice unwary prey into its cavernous mouth."

The Marine Conservation Society fights for cleaner, better-protected, healthier seas. Campaigning for improved laws to protect the ocean, the charity hopes to shine a light on its wild and wonderful inhabitants. 

For divers and snorkellers, its Seasearch program is a wonderful way to give back and explore the UK's waters; volunteers conduct underwater surveys, providing an insight into the state of the UK's seas. You can learn more about the program, and how to get involved, by visiting www.seasearch.org.uk. 

The Underwater Photographer of the Year competition attracts thousands of entries each year, and showcases some absolutely stunning results from photographers all over the world, with 12 diverse categories to enter. 

Sea creatures captured in their natural habitats can make for some remarkable viewpoints that we seldom get to see, and a chance to connect with the underwater world in new ways through the power of photography. 

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Photographer Kat Zhou from the US has been awarded the prestigious title of Underwater Photographer of the Year for her stunning image of a pink river dolphin emerging from the water, with a sunset background, titled Boto Encantado (below)  Interestingly, this phrase in mythology relates to traditional Amazon River folklore about a dolphin shapeshifter who at night transforms into a handsome young man.

River dolphins (botos) are an endangered species, and as Zhou explains, "Many river dolphins have been killed for use as fish bait, drowned in gill nets, or poisoned by mercury pollution from mining. I fear that one day botos will truly become no more than mythical creatures.

"Though I did not witness the transformation, I was enchanted by these beautiful mammals in a different way. After seeing how botos would sometimes bring their beaks above water, I wanted a split shot at sunset. Though the water was so dark that I was shooting blind, this dolphin gave me a perfect pose and smile!"

Chair of the competition judges, Alex Mustard, spoke glowingly of Zhou's winning shot. "Kat has created a striking composition capturing this rarely photographed and endangered species in a precision composition. This is by far the best image we've ever seen of this species, whose numbers are declining at an alarming rate and whose IUCN’s Red List status was worryingly uprated to Endangered in 2019."

Spanish photographer, Alvaro Herrero, was named the Save Our Seas Foundation Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2023, with his winning image Hopeless (below) being captured in Mexico. Herrero's photograph depicts a humpback whale dying of starvation, as a result of its tail being broken after getting entangled in ropes and buoys, making it unable to swim properly.

"Taking this photograph was the saddest moment I've experienced in the ocean, especially because I have spent so much time with humpbacks underwater, experiencing eye contact, interactions, and seeing how the whales are such intelligent and sentient beings," said Herrero.

"The photo is a reflection of how our oceans are suffering, the product of man's selfishness and lack of responsibility. But I am, at least, happy that I could capture this moment and can now share it with the world and hopefully drive some real changes.”

The competition also crowned another photographer, Ollie Clarke, as the British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023 for his image The Swarm (top of article) featuring a whale shark – the largest fish in the world. 

Being a UK-based competition, there are four British Waters categories whereby submitted entries must have been captured in UK waters. This image was shot by Clarke in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, where the British-born photographer now lives. 

The Most Promising British Underwater Photographer title was awarded to Theo Vickers, from the UK, for his image of Himanthalia algae titled An Island's Wild Seas (above) captured at a conservation zone on the Isle of Wight. 

Be sure to check out the full winners gallery and collection on the Underwater Photographer of the Year website, with over 130 amazing images and video interviews featured from the competition.

Each year, the contest creates a free-to-download yearbook showcasing the complete collection of winning images. You can check out and download the 2023 yearbook from the competition website while you're there!

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The seemingly trivial 'no flash photography' rules that we often see at tourist attractions and museums aren't so trivial after all, and should never be ignored or flouted – especially at an aquarium full of adorable aquatic creatures. 

A shocking video has been shared online that depicts multiple flashes being set off at a crowded aquarium, and resulting in the death of a fish that comes hurtling into frame at a sharp speed and hitting the glass at full velocity, resulting in a sea of blood (pardon the pun). 

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The poor tuna fish had been startled and confused by multiple flashes used by tourists visiting the aquarium, and unfortunately resulted in the self-inflicted death of the sea creature. As reported by Pool Magazine, the aquarium tank uses acrylic material that is highly reflective – and therefore affects the animals on the other side of the glass by confusing or agitating them. 

Footage captured at the time of the event shows several strong flashes of light against the glass (we counted at least seven, watching it back), suggesting that this was not a case of a visitor accidentally leaving their phone flash settings on auto, but that these tourists were either unaware of the flash photography rules or simply did not care enough to abide by them.

It seems like as a species we really are declaring war on marine life, and it's not just plastic in the ocean that these poor aquatic animals have to worry about anymore. The incident can be seen at about 20 seconds into the video, which was shared to Reddit just 2 days ago, and posted on the r/Wellthatsucks channel. You can view this below: 

tuna_fish_tried_to_break_on_through_to_the_other from r/Wellthatsucks

Watch video: Flash photography kills fish

The camera / smartphone flashes are said to resemble reflective light bouncing off of the water and waves to the fish, and can even confuse them into thinking the light is prey, prompting them to try and swim towards it – and colliding with the glass casing of the aquarium tanks instead. The speed of the fish in the video is pretty phenomenal, and also concerning; it is interesting to wonder what the fish thought it was heading towards at such a powerful and rapid velocity.   

Speculation from Reddit users discussing the thread suggests that the aquarium in question could be at three possible locations: either the Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta Aquarium, or some users are pretty adamant that it may be the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan (due to the presence of whale sharks).

So let this be a warning: if you see a 'no flash photography' sign, please don't ignore it. It is there for a reason.

• You may also be interested in the best waterproof camera, as well as the best underwater housings for cameras and phones, plus there's also the best underwater drones, and the best waterproof phones to use for your marine photography needs. 

A US team of researchers, scientists, and glaciologist situated in the Allan Hills area of East Antarctica have been making discoveries on their mission to find and extract the continent's oldest existing ice, as well as extend Earth's climate record. 

The multi-year mission and project involving The Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX), requires drilling into ice cores within the Antarctic Ice Sheet that contain the oldest recorded glaciers, in the hope of extracting at least one dated ice core.

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Scientists and researchers in Antarctica have been making progress on their five-year mission as part of the COLDEX project to extract the oldest known Ice Sheet on the continent. The process recently involved plunging a camera down a 93-meter hole in an attempt to collect samples that the team has estimated to be over two million years old, as reported by Sky News. 

A video recorded by Ph.D. student Austin Carter on December 23, 2022, shows the camera being hurtling and rattling down a borehole that is 93 meters deep until it eventually reaches soft ice and snow at the bottom. How the team managed to get the camera back up the hole remains a mystery. 

Using a camera as part of the mission to extract data and samples really highlights in a visual sense just how deep the Antarctic Ice Sheets really are, and similarly to our deep oceans, just how much remains to be explored and witnessed. The 30-second video of the Antarctic butthole recorded by Carter can be viewed directly via the Sky News website. 

The team behind the mission in Antarctica is hoping to extract ice cores from this southernmost continent to produce a continuous record that documents at least one million years into the history of our Earth's climate, which could in turn allow scientists to determine how these ice sheets react to warmer climates and the ice sensitivity to potentially harmful atmospheric greenhouse gases, as has been discernably articulated by the Antarctic Sun publication.

COLDEX's Director for Field Research and Data, Peter Neff, has shared with the Antarctic Sun that: “All of these different types of scientific teams need to work together… to find essentially a needle in a haystack”. Neff is also a glaciologist from the University of Minnesota, and his colleague Edward Brook is the director of the COLDEX project and a climate researcher at Oregon State University. 

Neff continues, “We're looking for that perfect location where you're going to have a full sequence of ice that's on the order of two miles thick.” Brook also shared with the publication that “The goal is to extend the ice core record of climate change back as far as we can,” and that  “It would even be remarkably important if we could push it back to three or four million years or even older.”

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Good news for the climate, as a hefty meadow of Seagrass has been discovered by a team of marine scientists and researchers. Located in The Bahamas, this newly found blue carbon ecosystem of aquatic flowering plants is now the largest known in the world, and was discovered thanks to the help of Apex predator Tiger Sharks. 

This new study published by marine scientists details how the team found a safe way to equip the help of tiger sharks by fitting cameras and trackers to their dorsal fins, providing invaluable footage, mapping, and movement data to aid in determining the whereabouts of seagrass, its extent, and distribution. 

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The Study published in Nature Communications reveals that researchers used "instrument-equipped" tiger sharks to obtain crucial data, strapping cameras securely to the dorsal fins of the mammals, and supposedly chose these predators specifically in relation to their proven fidelity, strong habitat selection, and high consistent associations with seagrass ecosystems across the globe. 

Seagrasses collect large amounts of organic carbon, which the plants trap and harbor in sediment, making the conservation of seagrass absolutely critical for reducing the impacts of climate change on our world. 

Research teams tagged and tracked 15 individual, free-swimming tiger sharks located on the Great Bahama Bank and Little Bahama Bank with satellite tags to estimate data on geolocation and vertical habitat preferences.

The research paper also suggests that eight tiger sharks were equipped with satellite tags only, as well as seven sharks that had been equipped with biologging camera tag packages to assess what is known as a benthic habitat type. The study saw the first-ever deployment of a 360-degree camera being borne by a marine animal, and this innovative research element has certainly paid off.

The intelligent tiger sharks gathered hours of reliable seafloor imagery and footage for researchers and scientists to utilize, having traversed 4177 km on both regions of The Bahama Banks, and up to 11.3 km per day surveyed by the sharks that were fitted with cameras. 

The article and study suggest that the application of animal-borne camera tags offers a unique opportunity for scouting areas that humans and divers cannot survey, as these highly mobile animals can move greater distances over short periods of time, without the need for an air-break, and are not limited by human constraints. 

Researchers supposedly used a combination of existing spatial estimates, with processes that involve remote sensing, extensive ground-truthing of the seafloor, and data from 2,542 diver surveys - with that of the data gathered by the camera-fitted tiger sharks, to map out the Bahamas seagrass ecosystem patch, estimating that it could be as large as 35,521 square miles, or at least 66,900 km2 .

Thanks to the marine vlogging efforts of the tiger sharks, researchers were able to gather evidence of major knowledge gaps present in the ocean ecosystem, as well as obtain a greater understanding of the benefits of partnering with marine animals to address these gaps, and finally, highlight the importance of rapid protection for oceanic carbon sinks. 

The team noted that highly mobile fishes, and green turtles, could serve as critical allies in future research and in guiding the discovery of novel seagrass ecosystems. The study states:

"Pooling tiger shark and human efforts, we assembled one of the largest and most innovative seagrass survey efforts undertaken to date, with robust ground truthing supporting the designation of The Bahamas Bank as the largest seagrass ecosystem on Earth. These findings have broad implications for estimates of global carbon storage while highlighting the role of highly mobile animals as powerful surveyors of expansive ocean habitats."

You can see the full research study on Nature Communications.

You may also be interested in these guides to the best underwater fishing cameras, as well as the best underwater housings for cameras and phones. Check out this TikTok video that captures 12ft shark attack, and see our review of the SeaLife Micro 3.0 underwater camera.

In less than two months time, The Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022 will be announced. The award has never been more critical, as it continues to shine a spotlight on the most inspirational environmental photographers from across the globe and raise awareness of the environmental issues our planet is facing. 

Last year, Italian photographer Giacomo D'Orlando was recognized for his work documenting a self-sustainable underwater farming project, which could be an eco-friendly solution to current methods of farming that involve deforestation and loss of habitat. 

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Giacomo has had an affinity for photography from an early age, and has always enjoyed watching nature documentaries with his grandfather. At 21 years old he decided to pursue a career in photography, and has since gone on to win several awards including the Sony World Photo Award and Environmental Photographer of the Year. He has also been published in National Geographic, The Washington Post and Stern Magazine.

With the next installment of Environmental Photographer of the Year just around the corner, and the COP27 Summit taking place in just a few weeks' time, we caught up with Giacomo to chat about what winning the award meant to him, how he ended up an environmental photographer, and why it's so important to raise awareness of climate change and the environmental impacts it has. 

When did you turn to documentary photography and what specifically made you concentrate on the environment?

I have been interested in photography since I was a child, although it wasn’t until I was 21 that I realized it was what I wanted to pursue as a career. I had dreams of traveling while sharing stories and inspiring people all over the world. My grandfather was passionate about Jacques Cousteau and National Geographic documentaries, and I remember how much I enjoyed watching them together on TV, and so I decided I wanted to become a documentary photographer. 

I concentrated on the environment as it should be a priority to educate people about the importance of our environment, especially now that we are reaching an irreversible breaking point. I want my work to inspire people to take action and preserve and protect our planet.

You've got an impressive list of accolades to your name. Have any awards been particularly special?

Thank you very much, I’m truly grateful for every award and the chance to platform my work and hopefully inspire more and more people to care about our planet. 

I’m pretty attached to the Award of Excellence of POYi in the Science and Natural History category. The competition was at the maximum levels and I had to compete with some of the photographers that I have always loved since the beginning of my career and other colleagues that I really esteem. I have never thought I could have reached this achievement and for me, it’s been just mind-blowing. 

Having my photography shortlisted for the Environmental Photographer of the Year Award is also a favorite as so much work went into capturing my submissions. From having to learn to dive and take diving exams in order to document Nemo’s Garden, to visiting Noli four times in order to photograph the various phases of the project, and visiting Pisa University for the laboratory phases of the project, it was an incredible experience. 

I’m really proud to be able to offer a positive outlook on what a more climate-conscious future could look like on an international stage, especially as last year’s photos were exhibited in conjunction with the COP26 conference. Looking forward, winning the Environmental Photographer of the Year Award would make me even more proud of myself and my work, and surely would be an unforgettable achievement.

If you could go back and reshoot one project, what would it be and why?

Like many other photographers would say, there is more than one project we would like to reshoot, especially the ones we’ve done in the early stage of our careers. Personally, I would reshoot all the social issue reportages done between 2015 and 2017. But, if I had to pick an environmental shoot, I would reshoot my reportage 'Submerged Conscience' done in the Great Barrier Reef. In 2018 I didn’t have a diving certification, or a proper underwater camera, as I was using GoPro for shooting during snorkeling sessions. 

I’m in a lucky position that at the end of 2022 I will be heading back to Australia to reshoot this footage, to include it in the second chapter of my long-term project 'Symbiosis'. I'm sure that with my current knowledge of the topic and my upgraded skills I will do a better job!

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Are you working on any new projects?

I’ve been working on 'Symbiosis' since the start of 2022, which will take at least four years to finish and is focused on the impact of climate change and anthropological stressors on the marine environment and coastal communities of the world. These include coral bleaching, biodiversity loss, coastal erosion, sea level rise, and ocean acidification and I want to investigate how these affect the lives of coastal communities. 

A central part of the project will be dedicated to the positive solutions that both local communities and scientific authorities are undertaking for our future in preserving the health of the marine ecosystem. I hope to inspire stakeholders to increase positive actions aimed at preserving the marine environment for generations to come, so an exciting few years to come!

What is the best advice you've received about pursuing a career in documentary photography?

Definitely not to give up, and follow your dreams. I'm probably just halfway there in my career and, from experience, I can say find stories you’re really passionate about sharing and that will keep you determined. 

What equipment do you use?

I used a Nikon D800 for the pictures on the surface and a Nikon D7500 for the underwater shots.

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Other than Italy, what countries have you felt most at home in?

Since the beginning of my photojournalism career in 2015, I have lived in Nepal, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, and in the last months in Thailand and Indonesia. I must say that in every country I left a piece of my heart and met many nice people who became my dear friends. 

For me, the concept of home is where you are living in the present. I have never felt a stranger, because I think that our home is actually our planet and not a single state with boundaries created by governments. That is also why I'm really committed to telling stories about the environment, because they unify us as human beings instead of separating us as individual citizens.

If you were stranded on a desert island, which bits of kit would you bring with you? 

Well, this is a tricky question. Of course as a normal person I would bring a survivor kit that permits me to find food and maybe helps me build a safe shelter. As a photographer, I would bring a film camera with a lot of film to document my experience as a survivor, hoping that someone one day will find me. It would be interesting sharing this kind of experience and also could be a way of keeping me occupied from not going mad. At the end of the day, I hope to be lucky or smart enough to not face these kinds of problems in the future.

How important is it for competitions such as EPOTY to continue to raise awareness around issues such as climate change?

It is extremely important. I’m just one person but competitions like EPOTY bring in thousands of entries and the winners’ are displayed around the globe to inspire positive actions aimed at preserving and protecting our planet. The high-profile sponsors such as Nikon, CIWEM and WaterBear play an important role in encouraging people to enter, and raise awareness amongst multiple different stakeholders. For any other aspiring environmental photographers or those who are interested in raising awareness for climate issues out there, I can’t recommend entering the EPOTY competition enough. 

It is a great opportunity to find other people who don’t give up in front of these new challenges brought by climate change but rather are putting a lot of effort into finding new solutions for our future which makes me so much more hopeful.

Have you got any goals you are currently working towards?

My aim is to encourage people to understand the importance of our environment. My approach is to document the positive solutions that mankind is pursuing in order to stimulate a proactive debate about our future. Rather than simply documenting the impact of climate change on our planet, which could be counterproductive as it can generate such feelings of hopelessness, I hope to inspire people with a positive climate alternative vision for the future. 

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a battery-free, wireless underwater camera that could be used to monitor the effects of climate change, explore the unknown and track pollution levels. 

The ocean makes up around 70% of the Earth's surface and yet, we seem to know more about the Moon and Mars than the ocean floor. In fact, 95% of the ocean still remains unexplored, due to the incredible depths it reaches and the advanced technology needed to study it. 

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At the deepest point in the ocean, known as the Mariana Trench, you could fit the whole of Mount Everest underwater and still have a mile of sea above it – which gives you some idea of how vast the ocean really is. 

The camera is able to take color photos, even in dark underwater environments and images can be wirelessly transmitted through the water which means exploration missions could last weeks and be able to cover more ground than ever before.

One of the challenges of deep-sea exploration is the cost - it’s expensive to power underwater cameras for long periods of time as you need some sort of vessel to charge the batteries. This new camera from MIT is powered by sound from the ocean waves and converts it into electrical energy to power the imaging and communications equipment. 

“One of the most exciting applications of this camera for me personally is in the context of climate monitoring," said Fadel Adib, an associate professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and director of the Signal Kinetics group at MIT. 

"We are building climate models, but we are missing data from over 95% of the ocean. This technology could help us build more accurate climate models and better understand how climate change impacts the underwater world."

In order to create a battery-free camera, scientists had to find a way that the camera could use its surroundings to generate electricity. They came up with the idea of using sound, and fitted the device with piezoelectric materials that produce an electric signal when a mechanical force is applied. When sound waves generated from passing ships or marine life are detected, they hit the transducers causing them to vibrate and convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy – clever!

Not only can the energy generated from sound be used to control the device and capture photos, it's also used to transmit data. By converting the images to bits (1s and 2s) they are able to be sent one at a time to a receiver. "The receiver transmits sound waves through the water to the camera, which acts as a mirror to reflect those waves," explains MIT. 

"The camera either reflects a wave back to the receiver or changes its mirror to an absorber so that it does not reflect back." The process is known as underwater backscatter and has been successfully trialed in several underwater environments.

With a working prototype developed, researchers are now looking into ways of making it even better by being able to record video, stream images in real-time and increase the range of the receiver. With sea levels rising and heating at a scary rate, there has never been a more important time to monitor the effects of climate change. Hopefully, devices like this will become available to more and more people, businesses and charities who are dedicated to preserving our seas, oceans and the wildlife inhabiting them. 

Beginning her career as a marine biologist, Cristina Mittermeier turned to photography as a way of increasing awareness of her cause. She has gone on to become an internationally recognised photographer and public speaker. 

Founder of The International League of Conservation Photographers and co-founder of SeaLegacy with her partner, Paul Nicklen, she expanded that work in 2020, with the formation of Only One, a digital action platform built to support and uplift the ocean conservation community while driving action to achieve measurable, sustainable and equitable returns for people and the ocean.

Cristina and SeaLegacy recently joined forces with PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors), the world’s largest purpose-driven diving organisation, to launch the new ‘30x30’ initiative. 

We sat down with Cristina to find out more about this and get a flavor of her Super Stage talk at The Photography Show at the NEC Birmingham, which takes place on Sunday 18 September… 

You are a co-founder of SeaLegacy – did its collaboration with PADI come about because of a natural fit between the two organisations? 

In our efforts to support the protection of 30% of the ocean by 2030 we must build a public narrative that frames the ocean as a solution and as an opportunity. We partnered with PADI because it has a vast audience of ocean-loving individuals who are already a natural group of supporters for this ideal. We felt that it would be beneficial to build alignment with our own audience to greatly expand the constituency that supports this lofty goal globally. 

Are you optimistic that we can hit 30x30 by the end of this decade, given that we’re at 5% now? 

The new incentives created by the blue carbon credit exchanges that are cropping up in places like the Bahamas and that are quickly spreading to other countries have the potential of greatly exceeding our hope for 30%. In order to issue carbon credits through the protection of habitats like seagrass beds and mangrove forests, those habitats must be protected. 

As countries cash in on these protections there is a growing amount of revenue that can be dedicated to building blue economies and that will greatly incentivise more protections. It is the perfect mechanism to help coastal countries and especially island nations build their economies through the protection of their blue assets.

Having studied to become a marine biologist, what led you to taking up photography? 

I became a marine biologist first and it took me another 10 years before I even thought about becoming a photographer. 

I stumbled upon photography as a mechanism to invite new audiences into the conservation narrative because I could see that people felt less intimidated looking at images and asking questions about what they were looking at than being confronted with data points and graphics. 

We need every human on this planet to be engaged and although we must lead with the best science available, there is no doubt in my mind that visual storytelling is the most effective means to communicate both the urgency to act and the opportunity presented by those actions.

How effective is visual storytelling in moving people from apathy to action? 

Stories, values and culture have the power to move hearts and minds in ways that facts and advocacy alone often cannot. Humans are hardwired to understand the world through stories, and photographs are two-dimensional stories that show us the world around us. 

Stories bypass our cynicism and partisan biases to tap directly into timeless narratives of struggle, power, redemption, and cooperation that have been told and retold since time immemorial. 

Nearly every child is raised to be kind, to share, to look out for others, to forgive and to listen – it is only in adulthood that these earliest lessons somehow become naïve. Photography is a tool that reminds us of what it means to be a good citizen on this planet.

Your book ‘Amaze’ was published in 2018, with its memorable ‘Lady with the Goose’ cover photograph. Is it still one of your favourite images? 

The ‘Lady with the Goose’ still makes me smile, but these days she also is an important part of my business through the sale of fine art. She is my most popular image and one that always starts up the best conversations. 

I will never forget the day I made that image and the surprise I felt when the roll of 120 film I shot her in came back from the lab. I made three frames and only one was in focus. In the other two the goose was panicking and kicking around. I knew she was special from the minute I saw her and I knew that she would mean a lot to my career as an artist.

Your talk at The Photography Show will be called ‘Enoughness’, which is the name of one of your photographic series. For anyone not familiar with the term, and without giving too much away, what can the audience expect to see and hear at the talk?

Fuelled by insatiable hunger, we have destroyed entire wildernesses and almost 50% of the biodiversity on our planet. In the pursuit of more, we carry on as if the resources of planet were unlimited, and yet we are still left empty. 

In the meantime, the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to grow as the greed of the few robs and decimates the lives of many. 

However, if we were to measure wealth by the depth of our connection to the natural world or the love we feel from the people around us, the pride we derive from our traditions, our language, our contributions to our communities, what would ‘enough’ look like then? 

This is something for all of us to think about and cultivating a sense of ‘enoughness’ is a beautiful tool to help us cope with the challenges ahead. 

Don’t miss Cristina at The Photography Show

Cristina is one of the headliners on the Super Stage, which is hosting photography and filmmaking greats from across the spectrum over the three days of The Photography Show & The Video Show 2022 at the NEC Birmingham, which runs on 17, 18 and 20 September. 

As mentioned in her interview, Cristina’s talk is titled ’Enoughness’ and will take place on Sunday 18 September at 13.15. Tickets cost £12 each. 

Click here for more information, and to buy tickets. 

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A graduate from the University of Rhode Island (URI) has developed a camera that could help save one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems, coral reefs. The 3D printed camera was developed by marine scientist Alex Runyan and although it looks like a toy camera, it can monitor coral reef ecosystems by creating 3D models of them.

Coral reefs are found in tropical destinations all around the world and while some of the best waterproof cameras are great for photographing them, they do little to help monitor how they are changing over time. Countries such as Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Fiji have beautiful coral reefs but due to higher ocean temperatures and ocean acidification, many of them are dying. 

While monitoring coral reefs can be done using sonar there are some limitations as URI graduate Alex explains. “There’s a difference between 3D and sonar; with sonar you can get some three-dimensionality; however, with this, you can get fine detail coloration of those ecosystems, which is especially important when it comes to monitoring corals because those colors are signs of its health.”

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Another benefit of Alex’s camera over other technology for studying coral reefs is cost. Not only can the equipment to study coral reefs cost tens of thousands, but you’d also need to hire a research vessel and crew. Alex’s version with labor and materials would cost between $60 and $100, making it more accessible for many.

The camera itself is 3D printed with resin and houses two lenses within the Plexiglass that are used simultaneously. The information from both lenses is measured and the difference between them is what creates the 3D image. 

Alex recently took the camera on its first test voyage in Bermuda but the fiber optics cables she was using lost connection with the unit due to kinks and breaks in the cables that interfere with the transfer. Alex explains, “We learned that the fiber optics have a limited shelf life, and the results would vary based on the number of times the cable went into the water.”

With a new set of fiber optics reels, Alex tested the camera again reaching depths of 75 meters. Using a virtual reality headset, Alex was able to control the camera and collect a decent amount of data. She hopes that this technology will not only be used to monitor coral reefs but also to explore the deep sea with a few modifications. 

The low cost of Alex’s camera is a massive advantage as it makes marine conservation and monitoring accessible to more people. Coral reefs tend to be in areas where people can’t afford expensive equipment or large research vessels and this makes it possible for anyone with an interest in coral reefs to monitor the changes in them.  This might be one small step for camera technology but one big leap for the future of coral reefs.

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With the increasing hybridization of cameras – with many now highly capable at both recording video and shooting stills - I’ve found the commissions I take on as a freelancer have diversified. While I still class myself as a music photographer primarily, I’m now also regularly producing music videos for independent artists. I really enjoy pushing myself to develop my skills in this area and to increasingly work on higher production projects - but it’s not without its challenges.

This challenge rarely takes the form of developing interesting concepts for any given video though, but rather how to realize them successfully on what are often strict budgets. This was the case for Priestess’s latest music video ‘sea u n tea’, a production that ended up becoming perhaps my favorite video creation yet.

During the initial planning stage with Priestess during phone-calls, we agreed that we’d like to cut more traditional performance clips with abstract footage that had a simple narrative for ‘sea u n tea'. Ideally we wanted to show Priestess drowning, then having a moment of realization, and eventually swimming confidently underwater. The metaphorical intent of this narrative was to reflect the focus of the song: a friendship lost among a sea of negative emotion, but overcome, allowing her to move on to a more positive space.

With lyrics in the song mentioning the colour blue and the sea, as well as ambient almost-underwater sounds in the track’s background, there were metaphorical links to be found between this chosen concept and the song. If we could also tie-in performance elements to this concept somehow without them jarring, even better. This approach would help the video to feel distinctly different to previous performance-only videos that we had produced together, and increase interest in its content. However, that concept development part of the planning process was to be its easiest section…

With underwater housings for cameras regularly as much – or even more – than the camera itself, and with no real chance of me as an independent video maker being able to plan a shoot on-location at a lake or similar that could be safely managed, the concept felt almost impossible to realize. I thought about using special effects, but quickly decided I had neither the expertise nor budget to utilize effects to the standard I’d like. Hiring an underwater videographer to film the section again was also substantially out of budget.

Eventually though, and after much research, I stumbled across a potentially viable solution in ‘Tank Space’ (www.tankspace.co.uk). A 2000sqft facility for hire in north Nottinghamshire, Tank Space provides the UK’s largest permanent indoor rain machine, as well as a 10,0000-litre tank with no structural supports, enabling clear views of a submerged subject. Competitively priced, and with a range of professional Arri lights as well as numerous RGB panels on offer to clients, I’d struck gold. Speaking to Tank Space owner Kai in an initial phone call also reassured me that not only was my aim for the video achievable, but that with him on hand to coach Priestess through her performance underwater, we could shoot the whole thing on site, in a single day. Our concept was a go!

Before arriving at Tank Space, Priestess and I planned the outfits she would wear in the video for effect. In the underwater shots she’d be clad in all-white flowing items that would hang and swirl in the water as she moved, while in the performance shots filmed in the rain room, she’d be wearing an edgier all-black outfit that was tighter so that the rain didn’t pull its shape around as it became waterlogged. I wrote a shot list of takes to capture on the day that I could pull together during editing with variety and some more creative shooting angles highlighted, and prepared my equipment for filming.

When it comes to equipment, I’m currently using a Nikon Z6 II and F-mount lenses mounted via a Z-mount adapter for all my filming. This body may not provide some of the bit-depth, resolution or frame rates of the newer Nikon Z9, or other more video-refined cameras on the market. But with 50fps in 4K possible, and most of the music videos I produce eventually being uploaded to YouTube and social sites in 1080p 25fps, the Z6 II is capable of producing pleasing footage with scope for slow motion and digital crops during editing if required. It more than meets the needs of most of my current clients. Of course I’d like to upgrade this setup at some point to a more dedicated video camera, but as always as a freelancer, it’s a case of making sure each gear investment pays off. For now at least, the Z6 II does the job, while also being a very capable stills camera for photo commissions.

Along with a 3 Legged Thing Winston 2.0 tripod for static takes, I packed my DJI Ronin S2 gimbal to help give me smooth-looking shots that had camera motion. With the focus motor included in the DJI Pro Combo that I bought with this gimbal, I can use the device’s front control dial to manually focus lenses while keeping my hands firmly on it - checking accuracy using focus peaking – which is a real benefit when shooting solo! Lens-wise, my most utilized optics are a 14-24mm f/2.8 for wide compositions and intimate-feeling close-ups, and a 24-70mm f/2.8 for more standard mid-shots and head-shots, all with stylishly shallow depths of field. Of course plenty of fast and high capacity XQD/CFexpress cards are essential to store all the footage on.

We began our shoot day with the music video’s underwater scenes. While this wasn’t the chronological order I had planned for the video’s final edit, logistically it made the most sense, as the warm water in the huge tank could then also be used by the rain machine. On one side of the tank is a blacked-out marquee positioned directly alongside it – this was the shooting position. From inside here a subject could be filmed or photographed with no reflections from external lighting catching the tank’s glass; the only light visible coming from inside the tank. It’s a simple solution to underwater filming that doesn’t give away the mystery as to how the footage was shot, but a highly effective one.

Lighting the tank from above we set up two large Arri heads to emulate natural light, and the rippling light beams that it creates as it passes through the surface of the water. Lifting the shadows, two smaller color-matched panels were positioned to light through the side windows of the tank. I wanted our lighting to be fairly low-key, with highlights cutting through deep shadows, and so was careful not to over light the background of the tank. Tank Space does provide lighting options that can produce all sorts of colorful lighting effects using waterproof panels and tubes, but for the authentic underwater look I wanted to produce, things were kept basic.

The next challenge was to direct Priestess as we filmed our takes. When underwater, she couldn’t hear Kai or my instructions clearly, and although the blacked-out marquee meant no reflections on the glass during filming, it also meant that Priestess couldn’t see me to take visual directions. Set up on a tripod for wide shots that captured almost the entirety of the tank to make the scale of the scene seem as great as possible, I had to wait between her dives into the water to direct Priestess on what I wanted her to do and roughly where in the tank I wanted her to stay.

Kai also helped massively at this point as he coached her through how to dive and hold her body for best effect. Defying the body’s natural urge to quickly float to the surface is a skill in itself! While the process remained slightly trial-and-error, working together we soon had the takes I was looking for. Handheld, I then captured a wide variety of closer more detail-orientated shots to cut in with the wides, including the material floating around Priestess, her hands and feet moving through the water, air bubbles rising, etc. This kind of B roll can often feel less important during filming, but from experience, I know it often ends up fundamentally important to the feel and success of the final edit.

Next it was time to move on to our performance scenes in the rain room. Measuring 7m x 7m, this space has countless sprinklers overhead that create enough heated rain for a whole band to play amongst a downpour. With the ability to also submerge the floor slightly, it’s also possible to capture the ripples and splashes of the rain drops as they hit the ground. Lights were once again set up for a low-key look, illuminating the artist and rain, but allowing for the background to fall into clean shadow. I began with capturing some straight-on, and side-on mid shots of Priestess performing the track; compositions that often fill the bulk of a live segment as they feel intimate but still give some context to the scene. These mid-shots were a mix of both tripod and gimbal shots, recorded at 25 and 50fps, allowing me to choose between static compositions and ones with more motion, as well as real-time and slowed-down footage as desired when editing.

I then moved on to some wide full-body composition takes, encouraging Priestess to stomp and kick the water in order to make the scene as dynamic as possible, with the extra ripples and splashes of water giving additional energy. A low-angle take of the surface of the water also allowed me to capture some abstract-looking reflections of the performances. Finally, I climbed a step ladder to get some high-angle perspectives of Priestess; an interesting viewpoint of the performance that revealed ripples around her in the surface water as they emanated from her movements and the rain falling around her.

For all of these takes I used the location’s sound system to play back the track as Priestess performed, as this not only helps to keep the artist in time with the track, but makes syncing all of the takes at the editing stage much easier. Playback speed of the track is normal at 25fps, and required a double-time playback when shooting slow motion at 50fps in order to maintain sync when slowing the footage down. After a day of being soaked, albeit in warm water, I think it was a relief for Priestess when I called time on the day after our final take. But with her professionalism, and Kai’s continued help, I was confident we’d captured some really interesting content.

The editing stage for “sea u n tea” then began, for which I’m currently using Final Cut Pro as my software of choice. The first step is always to sync all of the performance takes with the track and stack them up on the timeline so that I can easily choose the segments I wish to use, without having to manually sync each clip. It’s here that having audio playback during the recording process really helps, as with this sound Final Cut can sync 95% of the takes automatically, with the remaining few just needing a slight manual shift to sync perfectly. As this video was to be a bit more conceptual in its approach, I then began my edit by choosing the segments of our underwater shoot that I liked and that best fit the narrative. These were then laid out in small groups on the timeline at regular periods, predominately during instrumental sections and the verse’s pre and post chorus where I knew the live performance would be more subdued.

Regular use of slow motion helped with a slightly ethereal, magical feel, revealing details in motion and the scene not normally perceivable. When building these narrative segments I tried to mix close-ups and wide shots to build interest, complimenting and contrasting with each other. Then I selected from my synced takes performance clips that felt the most dynamic, again making sure to vary between angles and framing approaches regularly in order to maintain interest and energy. Many of these cuts between clips are made in time with the song’s beats for impact. With this rough cut complete, I then levelled up the exposures across my clips if there was a slight deviation, and began color grading the footage. I wanted the rain and underwater footage to have a low-key look, with deep blacks and slightly teal highlights. I chose this color approach as I wanted the footage to feel somewhat brooding, dramatic, cold, and almost vampire-themed at times, but with a nod to the color blue which complimented the water theme and Priestess’s synonymous hair color that she has maintained throughout her recent releases. After a few tweaks with feedback from Priestess, ‘sea u n tea’ was complete.

I feel the final video succeeded well in realizing our initial concept. Tank Space allowed us to create footage that we just wouldn’t have been able to produce any other way on our budget, and although our team was small, I think the production values feel fairly high in the final edit. Kai’s expertise in helping to guide Priestess in the water for best effect were invaluable, and her willingness to keep going through the day was admirable. The response to the video by Priestess’s fan base since release has also been overwhelmingly positive - the real measure of success!

You can check out the full video here (video credit Matt Higgs Photography, Priestess)

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The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is a UK-based community and charity of ocean lovers fighting for cleaner waters. In celebration of the vibrant and diverse creatures that live in our seas, the MCS has gathered a selection of images taken by seasoned divers and photographers. 

Despite the fact many of the photos are colorful captures of life underwater, our seas and oceans are fragile ecosystems in desperate need of protection and restoration. Marine habitats are at risk due to plastic pollution, rising ocean temperatures, chemical waste and oil spillages. There are initiatives such as the Big Ocean Clear Up that are trying to make that are trying to improve these eco-systems but more needs to be done. 

While the best underwater drones are coming into their own, scuba divers and snorkellers are key to conducting underwater surveys that provide an insight into the state of the seas in the UK. While many of the Seasearch volunteers are recreational divers and snorkellers, working in association with the MSC is a fantastic way of giving back to an environment that brings so much joy.

One of the photos included in the collection shows a catshark (below) taken by Sam Mansfield. "As a kid on the coast, I’d look for curious leather ‘mermaid purses’ (shark egg cases) washed up along the shoreline," he recalls. "Snorkeling off Cornwall last year, I was ascending from the kelp as the sun dipped toward the horizon and was taken by sunrise as this shark brushed past me in the shallows. With the last of my breath, I grabbed a picture and watched its life into the green."

If you live in the south west of England, chances are you’ve seen the shell or a leg of a spider crab washed up on the shore. But you've probably never caught two of them fighting, as Martin Stevens did while snorkeling in Cornwall (top image). Martin spotted the two spider crabs crawling along the shallows just as they jumped at each other and began to fight. Luckily he had his camera to hand and managed to capture the action before the crabs scurried off. 

Perhaps one of the most surprising images was taken by snorkeler and photographer Peter Shucksmith, who captured a humpback whale off the coast of Shetland, Scotland. "I heard a blow and lifted my head to see the back one of the whales that were heading towards me," he said. "Putting my eye back to the camera, two large shadows appeared at the periphery of my vision and suddenly they were right in front of me."

If you feel inspired to take up snorkeling, give scuba diving a go or even just get back out with your camera, you might be able to help the Marine Conservation Society in a number of ways. If you’re passionate about clean seas and beaches, check out the MCS website or its dedicated Seasearch page to find out how you can get involved. 

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The eighth edition of the annual Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPOTY) competition has revealed the winning images across multiple categories, celebrating the most sea-sational images captured of life in the deep. 

Rafael Fernandez Caballero was awarded the overall winner of UPOTY 2022 with his breath-taking image of whale sharks titled 'Dancing with the giants of the night'.

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Winning the Wide Angle category , Spanish photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero was also awarded the winning title overall for this year's Underwater Photographer of the Year competition with an unexpected yet tremendous capture of a cluster of whale sharks. 

Caballero used a Nikon Z7 II paired with a Nikon 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5 Fisheye lens to snap the perfectly-timed shot, with settings such as an ISO of 5000, f/4.2 and speed of 1/80 in an Isotta Z7II housing. Additional lighting was also used by Caballero in the form of One OrcaTorch D950V.

Captured on a late night in the Maldives, Caballero recalls a singular whale shark heading towards the light of his team's boat, the BlueForce One, prompting them to jump in the water for a closer look. Another whale shark emerged, and a few hours later multiple whale sharks arrived in large numbers, surrounded by a total of 11 whale sharks. Shark researcher Gador Muntaner was among the team with Caballero who could not believe their eyes, a unique moment unfolding that no one believed possible. 

The judges were also sea-swept away with Caballero's winning image with UPY Chair Dr Alexander Mustard (MBE), former marine biologist and award-winning underwater photographer, suggesting that "It is said Jacques Cousteau [French explorer] only saw three whale sharks in his whole life, so a photo of five together is something special... darkness was the opportunity, but also the photographic challenge for Rafael to see and successfully photograph such a grand scene in the inky sea. What a spectacle, a frame with more life than water."

Additional judge Peter Rowlands, editor and publisher of Underwater Photography Magazine, shared that "This image took my breath away from the first viewing and I never tired coming back to it. Scale, light and the sheer numbers of big subjects, it was quite obvious from an early stage that this was, by some distance, our winning image."

Other winners of the competition include Up and coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022, Quico Abadal, also from Spain with his image titled 'Supernova in paradise'. Winning the Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022 category was Paul Pettitt (UK) with his image titled 'Diamonds and Rust'. 

The category My Backyard features images taken closer to home, with Finnish photographer Pekka Tuuri winnimg with his image of three frogs that appear to be 'hugging', surrounded by bokeh-esque tadpoles forming a unique background. This same image from Tuuri also won the Behaviour category of the competition.

The Save Our Seas Foundation Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2022 was awarded to Vietnamese photographer, Thien Nguyen Ngoc. The image shows an aerial perspective of busy anchovy fishing activities off a coast in Vietnam. salted anchovy is valuable as the most important raw material to create fish sauce, though when overfished can become a decreased dietary staple endangering whales, sea birds and other marine predators facing starvation. 

Winners, runners up and highly commended images from all 12 main categories can be found on the competition's website, featuring images of shipwrecks, portraits of great white sharks and macro shots from British waters. 

Prize pool's work a little differently for the UPY competitions, operating a points system that leads to eventual prizes, with a single photographer taking home only one prize from the prize pool, and as many of the fixed category prizes that they win. Photographers with the most points get first pick of the pool, with some categories offering their own allocated prize-pools, and  the Underwater Photographer of the Year winner is given first choice pick from the pool, regardless of their points total. 

A full run-down of the prize pool and sponsors can be found online, but a summary includes seven-night accommodation and diving packages at specified resorts, cash prizes and vouchers from the likes of Scuba Travel, ScubaLamp products, Nauticam SMC-1 and CMC-1 lenses, plus Magic Filter products and a FIX NEO Premium 3000SWRII FS light. 

Each year, the UPY competition creates a free-to-download yearbook showcasing the complete collection of winning images. You can check out and download the 2022 ebook on the UPY website.

A full run-down of the prize pool and sponsors can be found online, but a summary includes seven-night accommodation and diving packages at specified resorts, cash prizes and vouchers from the likes of Scuba Travel, ScubaLamp products, Nauticam SMC-1 and CMC-1 lenses, plus Magic Filter products and a FIX NEO Premium 3000SWRII FS light. 

Each year, the UPY competition creates a free-to-download yearbook showcasing the complete collection of winning images. You can check out and download the 2022 ebook on the UPY website.

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I crafted my vision for Celestial Bodies by using models submerged underwater in deftly designed scenarios, photographed in my native home of Hawaii. 

This connection between water and space is explored in a way that shows the beauty, freedom and, conversely, the struggle and complexity of the human condition (a recurring motif in my work). The two vast expanses are juxtaposed, their order and chaos, and one’s feeling of being infinitesimal, yet feeling the wonder of being a part of the universe at large. These emotions caused the ancient Greeks and other past civilizations to look for answers in the majesty of the stars.

The Celestial Bodies collection explores the human condition and spirit through the gravitationally bound structures of the universe. I’m exploring the idea of the two opposing yet complementary forces into which creative energy divides, and whose fusion brings the phenomenal world into being, with double images that I hoped would transport one in time and space into a classical yet futuristic world. 

For over a decade I’ve explored elaborate scenes of otherworldly colours and entwined bodies that celebrate humankind’s vigour and warmth. This project was a way to take it to the next level and let go of the material world around us; to imagine us as more than that.

I used a Nikon D810 and 24-70mm f/2.8 and love the soft natural tones and silkiness of the final images. The models were in a pool and I shot from above to use the refraction of light between water and air. 

Outer space and nebulae

There will always be a central concept that I base everything around and from there I keep notebooks of ideas and technical thoughts. For this collection I was researching outer space and nebulae. Then comes the logistical part of planning the shoot, choosing the models, costumes and colours. First, the pool is scheduled, then, once we arrive, we all let go and explore how far we can go with these concepts. There was something magical about this time for me, where I really wanted to expand my vision and go into unknown territories. It was the first time that I became interested in outer space, what was happening out there and how we were connected. 

Usually I shoot with ‘normal’ people, rather than pro models, teaching them as we go along. This can be challenging at first, but it’s what gives life and purpose to each image, because you’re feeling what’s real. And that realness is vulnerability.  

You can see more of Christy’s incredible artwork on Instagram and her website. 

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UK charity the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society has announced the winners of it photographic contest. The Ultimate Sea View competition showcases images that demonstrate the UK’s enduring relationship with the sea. This year the annual competition received over 1,500 entries from both amateur and professional photographers.

The judging panel awarded the overall prize to Michael Marsh for his entry, The Fisherman's Wake, showing a stunning aerial shot of a fishing trawler taken in Whitstable, Kent.

The competition, now in its ninth year, was judged virtually on 8 September by a prestigious panel of photography experts, with Online Picture Editor at The Telegraph, Neil Stevenson, joining former Sunday Times Picture Editor, Ray Wells, Picture Editor of the i, Sophie Batterbury and the Chief Executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Capt. Justin Osmond RN.

Captain Justin Osmond said: “We thought that Michael Marsh’s winning image, ‘The Fisherman's Wake’, really encapsulated the fishing sector, an area of Britain’s industry which has taken a significant hit due to Covid-19 and was particularly striking with the trawler being alone out at sea. We hope that next year – as we celebrate ten years of the competition – is the best contest yet and on behalf of the Society, I would like to say a massive thank you to all of those who entered this year and hopefully we will see you back again in 2022!”

In addition to the overall prize, winners were also named in four categories: Coastal Views, People & Recreation, Industry and Ships & Wrecks.

The Society, which provides financial support to former seafarers and their dependants, encouraged photographers of all abilities to submit pictures that captured the essence of the UK’s enduring connection with the sea, including merchant ships, fishermen, coast, harbors and ports.

"As we are now in the ninth year of the photography competition, it’s brilliant to see the same level of enthusiasm and to be receiving the same fantastic standard of images as when we first launched the competition almost a decade ago," said Captain Justin Osmond. "This year, whilst the difficulties associated with the pandemic seem to be receding, there are still many challenges facing the seafaring community and the competition gives us a great platform to acknowledge and celebrate our maritime community and ensure that those working within it have access to vital support."

At the start of the pandemic, the Society launched a £1m Covid response fund, supplementing the Society’s existing annual grant expenditure, aiming to provide support for working maritime professionals impacted by the pandemic. 

The fund continues to be effective this year, with the charity’s applications for grants during this period more than doubling, highlighting just how many livelihoods within the industry have been affected by the crisis.

If you are in the position to donate to the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, you can do so via the Society's website.

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The nominees for The Ocean Photography Awards 2021 have just been announced and members of the public are invited to vote for the winter in the Community Choice Award category. 

The awards are split into six categories covering all elements of ocean photography. The categories are designed to be broad and open to interpretation to ensure the bravest and boldest photographers aren’t confined to strict requirements. The competition invites photographers to submit images that will connect emotionally to the judges and highlight the beauty and diversity of ocean life. 

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The Conservation Award focuses on photographers who document the negative impact humans have on the ocean through climate change, plastic pollution and overfishing. From an emperor penguin chick standing alone on the edge of an ice shelf to a sea horse tangled in a disposable mask, these powerful images highlight how ocean life is suffering at the hand of humankind. 

On a more light-hearted note, the Adventure Award features photographers who capture breathtaking moments of marine life and people’s connection to the sea. Images include world-renowned surfer Matahi Drollet, riding a wave known as Teahupo’o in Tahiti, a diver surrounded by sea lions in British Columbia and a humpback whale crashing back into the ocean.

With so much of the ocean to discover, the Exploration Award centers on photographers who bring the rawness of ocean exploration to life. Submissions include expeditions to frozen fjords, the rare sight of Southern Bobtail Squid putting on a colorful display and a diver exploring an underwater cave of Speleothems (formations formed by minerals) in Dos Pios, Mexico. 

Open to photographers aged 21 or under, The Young Photographer of the year award is for photographers showing skill beyond their years as well as a clear understanding of the ocean. The three nominees include Hannah Le Leu, Jack McKee and Mikayla Jones whose images of a sea turtle, a flying fish and two gray whales impressed the judges. 

The Community Choice Award is chosen by the public and gives people the opportunity to vote for their favorite. A shortlist of six images will be showcased on a digital public gallery for one week and the image with the most votes will win. 

Awarding an entire body of work, The Collective Portfolio Awards showcases photographers who have a longstanding commitment to ocean conservation with an impressive body of work. A total of ten images had to be submitted taken at any time during the photographer's life. Winners of the category will take up a one-year residency as a member of the SeaLegacy collective as well as a public expedition and magazine features.

The prizes for The Ocean Photography Awards 2021 vary from a £2500 cash prize for the overall winner, to Instagram takeovers, 1:1 mentoring schemes, a copy of the Ocean Photography Awards book and an exhibition in London. Altogether the prizes are worth more than £500,000 and the breakdown can be found here.

Winners are announced on 16th September 2021 and entries will be judged by a panel of ocean experts including Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, Shawn Heinrichs, Ami Vitale and others. To keep up to date with the competition follow @ocean_photography_awards on Instagram. 

To see some of this year's entries scroll below.

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I have been using objects as a means of expression in my work for the past 10 years. I’m interested in their symbolism, and a random connection of elements that have a prior lack of relation, in order to suggest an emotional message. 

My work revolves around intuition and ideas, surrealism, and the world of the subconscious and dreams. Above all, it is deeply irreverent, seeking to transform and stamp objects with new identities, challenging the obvious, and focusing attention on the extraordinariness of ordinary life. 

The most important part of my creative process is how the ideas arise, whether looking for a specific image or in the realization of a project, but it all begins through observation, from experiences or from what may concern me. Having many objects or elements to work with makes you live constantly in the association of those elements, which can end in ideas.

Surprise, surprise

I look for surprise by joining two distant objects with a different symbolic charge; also with the decontextualization and manipulation of the object. Through these tools, these pieces of our daily life are ‘denatured’, to give them a new meaning.

I don’t give titles to photos, because that would condition an initial interpretation and reduce the weight of what I’m trying to achieve, which is a dialogue between the work and viewer. 

I think my work is on the path between sculpture and photography. Without this manipulation or previous preparation, I would not have the object, and without the photographic capture, I could not capture it for its visualization.

Objects come from very different places. They can come from people I know, others I find by chance and others I look for in shops. Many times the main challenge is to get a specific object to use. I have a lot of ideas to develop in the future when I find the items I want. I usually keep them once found, since I may use them again. Other times I like to go back to the work itself to give new meanings, or tell new stories with elements that have already been used. For backdrops, I use basic materials and have a surface where I stick white, black or grey backgrounds to complement the subject. 

Images have long been a necessity for me. Not just for creating, but for a need to capture my thoughts and ideas. I use a Nikon D800 and, usually, a 50mm lens because its angle of view is similar to how the human eye sees. I do not use lighting equipment – natural light gives me the kind of light with soft shadows that I need. My studio has a large, south-facing window, and I choose to shoot in the early hours of the day. I live on the north coast of Spain, where the weather is often cloudy, that’s why I get that kind of light. 

García’s work is represented by art galleries the world over and has featured in several photography festivals. 

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As one of the most incredible (and sadly misunderstood) creatures on the ocean, the shark is a subject of awe around the world. And it's easy to see why when they're caught on camera! A video shot by Discovery was recently posted on the channel's official TikTok account, showing a shark making an attack on a decoy set up by the film crew. 

'Zola', the great white shark, is 12ft long and was apparently "the biggest shark in the area right now". Zola launches itself fully out of the water, making a "graceful, efficient attack" on the decoy that proves successful.

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The Discovery channel's TikTok posted this video as part of Shark Week. The clip was originally from 'Air Jaws: Going for Gold', where a team of experts led by wildlife photographer Chris Fallows bait the area's great white shark population into breaching the water's surface. 

The Air Jaws team includes shark scientist Enrico Gennari, marine biologist Alison Towner and photographer Dickie Chivell. In order to bait the sharks into breaching the ocean surface, the team mimic their favorite prey – seals. The team set up a rubber seal that trails behind their boat, training their cameras on the decoy in order to capture the jaw-dropping moments that happen when the sharks come to the surface.

Shark Week might be over now, but you can still experience all the fun of watching these incredible creatures on the Discovery TikTok channel. Alternatively, check out some of the best pictures from 21 years of Air Jaws on the Discovery website (some regions may not be able to access this site). 

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A new advertising campaign by Greenpeace features a startling scene in which a pack of press photographers outside Downing Street are buried under a sea of plastic waste. The video, uploaded this week to YouTube, denounces the UK government's strategy of offloading its plastic waste onto other countries.

'Wasteminster: A Downing Street Disaster' begins with a model of Prime Minister Boris Johnson (voiced by English impressionist Matt Forde) extolling the virtues of the UK government's commitment to tackling plastic waste before plastic bottles start falling from the sky.

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Before long both he and the furiously clicking photographers are buried beneath 1.8m kg of plastic (the amount Greenpeace claims the UK exports to other countries every day).

The Prime Minister seems to be more fortunate than the photojournalists, as he surfs the growing mound of plastic waste towards the gates at the entrance to Downing Street, while they topple off their ladders and disappear beneath it. (Cabinet minister Michael Gove doesn't fare too well either.)

Greenpeace points out that the UK is the second biggest producer of plastic waste per person in the world, behind the US, and because it is producing so much it is dumping it on other countries that can't cope with it either. However, the government deny they are doing this.

The environmental organization teamed up with London-based Park Village Studios, whose talented animators helped show what this amount of plastic would look like piled up on Boris Johnson's doorstep. The film has already has more than 27,000 views.

If correct, Greenpeace's findings are truly staggering. The government have yet to comment on the organization's claims

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From the Jurassic Coast of Dorset to the northernmost waters of Scotland, there is a huge array of incredible landscapes and animals beneath the water’s surface in the United Kingdom. 

The Marine Conservation Society has gathered some of the most amazing ocean imagery capturing the wonders of UK seas by talented photographers and divers around the country.

• Read more: Best waterproof cameras

The Marine Conservation Society’s sightings program asks beachgoers to report animals including jellyfish, turtles and basking sharks when they spot them in UK waters. Divers can join Seasearch, a volunteer diving scheme that monitors underwater life, with the opportunity to hone underwater photography skills.

"The Grey seals on the North coast of Scotland [above] are not as accustomed to divers as in some UK locations, but it was fun to watch them enjoying themselves at a distance," said Kirsty Andrews. "They were far more comfortable in the surging waves than I was, as I clung on to kelp to capture this photo."

"Over recent years underwater fluorescence photography has become a passion of mine, particularly in British waters," said James Lynott. "I never know quite what I’m going to find that will fluoresce under the blue (near UV) light. 

"After spending the day diving at the Garvellachs my buddy and I decided to stop off for an evening dive in Loch Fyne. The site we decided on was at Inveraray slip which is fantastic for fireworks anemones. This particularly large individual was a favorite of mine from this dive as I was able to capture the whole anemone with its long tentacles stretched out within frame."

"This young lumpsucker was about the size of a tennis ball and was living attached to the blades of sugar kelp," Alex Mustard told us. "My buddy Kirsty Andrews found this one and I photographed it with one of my flashes backlighting the kelp to reveal its golden color. 

"As always with great finds, it was at the end of a long and chilly November dive, so I only had time for a few pictures before I had to bid it goodbye. I like the featherstar arms peeking into the background of this image, which are so characteristic of this area in the far north west of Scotland."

The shrimp is a warm-water species ranging from the Mediterranean to the Azores and, prior to 2007 was found only as far north as the Channel Islands. Since then the shrimp has become well-established along the Dorset coast. It’s a favorite among local Seasearch divers and underwater photographers alike and always a joy to find underwater.

Despite its extravagant color, the shrimp can often be very hard to spot. It lives protected among the stinging tentacles of the snakelocks anemone which also frequents warmer waters. When not lit with a torch or a flash these tiny shrimp can be quite transparent. 

Breeding females can often be much larger with more vivid pink and white colors along their bodies. Non-divers might be able to find these shrimp among some of our deeper rockpools – so keep your eyes peeled this summer! 

This Tompot Blenny is presenting a smiley face to the camera but he's actually carefully guarding a stash of eggs in the crack behind him. Male tompots can be quite feisty in guarding their territory, which they keep clean and tidy, ready for several females to lay eggs in, if they're lucky. They will fertilize the eggs and guard them for around a month in the early summer.

"I was solo diving at a site called A-Frames – which gets its name from the huge sunken concrete blocks which once formed a large pier," said Mark Kirkland "They're a great anchor point for marine life so there's usually something interesting going on. 

"It's only an hour’s drive from Glasgow so I dive there regularly. Within minutes of entering the water I found my first one, then my second… and my third. They were everywhere! They're quite comfortable around divers, however will burrow in the sand when they've had enough and that's exactly what this one was starting to do when I snapped this shot."

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) campaigns for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries, and protection of marine life. Through education, community involvement and collaboration, the MCS raises awareness of the many threats that face our seas and promotes individual, industry and government action to protect the marine environment. 

The MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the Good Fish Guide, as well as involving thousands of volunteers in projects and surveys such as MCS Beachwatch. You can find out more at the Society's official website.

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There's no doubt that the photography industry has had some major setbacks. The industry has been in decline for a number of years and the pandemic has done it no favors. However, a new report is suggesting that we might be about to see a massive boom in one part of the industry – underwater cameras.

Fior Markets is a consulting company that produces in-depth market reports. The company is predicting a huge boom in underwater cameras, expecting the market to reach a staggering $15.3 billion by 2027. 

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Underwater photography is currently quite a niche, with several of the major manufacturers not having any real offerings for this kind of photography. The few cameras that are waterproof are mostly action cameras such as the GoPro or the Olympus Tough TG-6. 

Due to its highly niche status, the market size is currently $4.8 billion, based on figures from 2019. However, Fior Markets is expecting this to grow by more than three times over the next 6 years. This level of predicted growth might cause the major manufacturers to consider entering the waterproof camera industry more seriously. 

Fior explains its reasoning by saying, “this growth is attributed to the rapid urbanization and increasing consumer spending capacity of the consumers, increasing penetration of the internet and the rising influence of social media, and rising adoption of underwater cameras.

“The global underwater camera market is expected to witness significant growth, owing to the growing trend of sharing videos and photos over networking sites, advancements in technology, and the growing popularity of smart action underwater camera. "

Fior expects the major companies in this industry to be companies such as Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Ricoh, GoPro and OM Digital Solutions (formerly known as Olympus). 

It will certainly be interesting to see how much truth there will be to Fior's prediction. With camera phones and action cameras already beginning to incorporate waterproof technology, we wouldn't be surprised to see a stronger focus on this in the future as consumers start to return to beach and adventure holidays. 

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Underwater photographer Erena Shimoda is the survivor of a car accident that tragically took her father's life and left her severely injured when she was young. Based in San Francisco, California, she is now looking for other survivors to photograph, empower and inspire confidence in with her powerful underwater pictures. You can see more of her fantastic portraits on Instagram or visit her website to donate or sign up for a photo session.

We sat down with Erena to find out more about her working life as a photographer – and to discover what kind of kit she uses when working underwater.

"I was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Every summer my father took us to the Ocean and since then I’ve been spellbound by the underwater world. In 2003, I discovered scuba diving and instantly thought 'This is it!' so I bought a disposable underwater camera and haven’t looked back.

"In 2013, I launched a campaign called Underwater Healer About Face, to help survivors of cancer or domestic violence and those with disabilities or PTSD to rediscover their beauty from underwater portraiture and total immersion. I, too, am a survivor of a traumatic car accident that tragically killed my father and left me severely injured. I started this project to help other survivors and make my father proud.

"The weather can be a challenge - the Ocean is beautiful, but it can turn dangerous instantly. I’m always aware of the currents, visibility and marine life around me as safety is my top priority.

"Most of my clients are new to underwater modeling. They are excited, but inexperienced. The first five minutes are the most challenging, but I guide them through breathing exercises, teaching them to relax. After 10 minutes, the heart rate slows and they can stay under longer and move more confidently. I want them to be free underwater as this is their underwater space to escape and let go of whatever they have on their minds. I give small guidance, like point their toes and no blowfish mouth to make it more serene."

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01. Ikelite E200DL underwater housing

I’ve been using Ikelite Underwater Systems exclusively. An 8” diameter dome provides better edge sharpness and less aberrations when using a rectilinear lens. Since I shoot wide angle images, this dome works really well. The Ikelite support team is really responsive and super helpful when I  have questions. I’ll continue using their brand because I trust them.

02. Canon EOS 5D Mark III 

My first underwater camera was a disposable Kodak Film camera. Currently, I’m using a Canon 5D Mark III. I’ve been using Canon for a quite a while and I’m comfortable shooting with wide angle lenses for both scuba diving and pool photography. I love capturing the mystical underwater world and share my story when I come back on land to edit.

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03. Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG fisheye lens

My Sigma 15mm lens is a fisheye which has a wide aperture of f/2.8 which is important for shooting underwater as it can be so dark. As a fisheye, it’s superwide, but has lots of barrel distortion, so to tame it I pair it with a Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 1.4x teleconverter tube, that makes it a bit more zoomed in and more similar to a 21mm wide angle lens than a fisheye. It fits in my underwater housing with the 5D Mark III body perfectly.

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04. Lume Cube 2.0 LED Light

I always have these extra lights handy. I bring them as a backup light source because you never know how dark the environment you work in is going to get. These also give me creative freedom. I love playing with lights and seeing all the surprises that emerge from getting creative with the lighting angles.

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05. Ikelite DS161 & DS160 strobes

I use strobes and flashes for both scuba diving and pool photography. Lights bring out more colors and richness. I don’t use an extension cord for scuba diving but I always bring it for indoor or outdoor pool photo shoots. A 15-30 feet extension cord helps me to light my subject and shoot from farther away.

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06. GoPro HERO4 Session 

I bring my GoPro HERO4 Session to document my shoots, and get ‘behind the scenes’ images of me in action - it’s always handy for social media. I use a monopod and also attach it to my underwater camera housing too. The GoPro model I have doesn’t need a housing when I’m shooting in a pool, but for scuba diving, I need a housing. I love this so much. It is compact, and it can record video and shoot images to a high quality.

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Oceanographic Magazine has just unveiled the winning and shortlisted images in its annual Ocean Photographer of the Year awards. The contest had over 3,000 images submitted into six categories, but it was Canadian photographer Nadia Aly who won this year's grand title, being named Ocean Photographer of the Year for her underwater shot of mobula rays. 

Awards judge (and prolific conservationist and underwater photographer) Cristina Mittermeier found Nadia's photograph to be "perfectly exposed, compellingly dramatic and deeply intriguing. I know from experience that this image was not easy to create. Nadia Aly’s acknowledgement as the Ocean Photographer of the Year is a testament not only to the sheer power and uniqueness of her imagery, but to her journey as a photographer as well."

Second place: Sacha Specker

Third place: Magnus Lundborg

Other shortlisted entries

There was a stunning raft of entries into the competition this year, in the six categories of Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year, Ocean Exploration Photographer of the Year, Ocean Adventure Photographer of the Year, Young Ocean Photographer of the Year, The Community Choice Award and The Collective Portfolio Award.

The Ocean Photography Awards, in partnership with SeaLegacy and supported by Princess Yachts, is a celebration of our blue planet and a platform to shine a light on the threats facing the ocean. 

All the winners and commended images, can be viewed here.

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Fancy taking an underwater dip and doing your bit to save the ocean at the same time? GoPro and PADI have partnered together to ask people to capture an underwater selfie in the name of ocean conservation.

Chief Brand and Membership Officer for PADI Worldwide Kristin Valette-Wirth says “We’re thrilled to partner with GoPro to inform, excite and empower people everywhere to seek adventure and save the ocean on Underwater Selfie Day and year-round.” 

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GoPro's wide angle views are perfect for capturing not only your expression but whatever experience you are immersing yourself in. "So, kicking off an international #UnderwaterSelfieDay, which also celebrates protecting the environment, is something we are thrilled to be a part of,” says GoPro Vice President of Global Marketing Rick Loughery. “Participants will also notice that the HERO9 Black they are vying for is the first GoPro to be sold in plastic-free packaging—one more step we are taking to protect the environment.”

How to participate

Dive below the surface and take your best underwater selfie with your GoPro, or share one from a past adventure, showcasing the world you want to save so you and future generations can continue to seek adventure. Post your selfie photo or video to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter on 7 November 2020. 

Tag PADI and GoPro with #underwaterselfieday. A panel of judges will identify the top post based on performance and style, composition and framing, and overall creativity. The winning entry will earn $2,000 US and the recently launched GoPro HERO9 Black. Two runner-up participants will also win the GoPro HERO9 Black. This GoPro is the first to offer a 23.6MP sensor to deliver 5K video with 14.7MP frame grabs, 20MP photos, next-generation 3.0 features and more.

For official rules and to learn more, visit the official PADI website. Meanwhile, to learn more about the community of PADI Torchbearers coming together to save the ocean and to join the movement, visit PADI's conservation page. 

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The National Maritime Museum has announced its 'Exposure: Lives at Sea' exhibition, which will showcase incredible documentary photography exploring life at sea today. Opening on 20 November, 2020, this exhibition will focus on "isolation and camaraderie, science and survival, climate change and conservation – the lived experience of men and women at sea". 

Showcasing the work of six seafarers and researchers, this documentary photography has been designed to show large-scale panoramic works against smaller and more intimate pieces. With locations ranging from the reefs of Mexico to the desolate landscapes of Antartica, the 'Exposure: Lives at Sea' exhibition will show the different ways people interact with the sea.

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The six photographers featured in the exhibition include Corey Arnold, Peter Iain Campbell, Michał Krzysztofowicz, Popescu Cezar Gabriel, Jennifer Adler and Octavio Aburto. Corey Arnold is a commercial fisher and photographer working in the Alaskan seas. His work highlights how the camaraderie of the crew onboard helps to alleviate the difficulties of such an extreme environment. 

Meanwhile, conservation photographer and underwater journalist Jennifer Adler focuses her images on the feats researchers accomplish while navigating underwater realms to assess the health of our oceans and establish how we can best protect them.

Octabio Aburto is also interested in conservation, using his documentary photography to question how we can balance ecotourism and development. By charting the health of the reef in Mexico through his images of healthy, diverse and abundant marine life, he aims to use science to influence conservation in the region.

The 'Exposure: Lives at Sea' exhibition will open on 20 November 2020 in a socially distanced and visually-led exhibition. The admission is free and you can see more information on the Royal Maritime Museum website. Meanwhile, check out some of the images from the upcoming exhibit below.

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Watch video: Home photography ideas – Pool portraits

The best child portraits usually occur when the kids are doing something they enjoy, rather than just being told to pose. Most kids love being in the water, so the swimming pool is a great place to get out your camera!

Underwater scenes can be wonderfully vibrant, with rich blue tones, shimmering bubbles and eye-catching reflections on the surface, and then there are the dynamic poses – all made possible by the water.

The pool, however, can obviously be a perilous place for cameras – so we need one of the best underwater housings for cameras you can afford. Many might think that underwater photography with a camera involves using expensive hard cases, but you can get great results with cheaper options – like a soft waterproof bag made by Ewa-Marine. The camera is sealed in the bag, and controlled through the material.

• Get more photoshoot ideas

There are lots of other options for underwater photography, from the best waterproof cameras to the best underwater drones, and even the best GoPros and action cameras. 

However, with a pure DSLR or mirrorless camera we you can achiever better image quality, faster focusing and increased low light performance. You can also set up your camera to capture the action with the right exposure settings, focus options and focal length. 

So, with a few inexpensive items and some simple techniques we’ll show you how to capture vivid portraits of your kids underwater…

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Portraits in the pool

01 Outdoor pools

Outdoor pools are ideal, as on a sunny day the light bounces around the walls and floor for portrait lighting. It helps if the pool isn’t too deep, as this allows light to bounce off the floor and means we don’t have to tread water while shooting.

02 Underwater camera bag

We used an Ewa-Marine soft waterproof camera bag – the lens sits in a cylindrical section at the front and buttons and dials can be used through the material of the bag, although it can be clumsy. So it’s really best to get settings sorted before sealing in the camera.

03 Test the water

It’s a good idea to check that the housing is sound every time you use it. Before putting the camera in, try a little tissue paper, then seal up and submerge the bag. Give it a squeeze under the water and check for bubbles. If the tissue comes out dry, you’re good to go.

04 Use silica gel

Underwater casings can fog up, so try dropping in a silica gel pouch. This will hopefully suck up the moisture in the air and help prevent the lens front element from misting up while the bag is in the water. A foggy front element will ruin the fine detail in your shots!

05 Start shooting

When you’re ready to dunk the camera, give yourself and your subject a 3-2-1 countdown, take a dip and start shooting. Due to the magnifying effect of the water, you might need to move slightly further away from your subject than you think.

06 Watch for expressions

Closed eyes and uncomfortable expressions can ruin any portrait, so ask the subject to try to look happy or pull a funny face under the water. A few simple items like sunglasses or hats can add character to the portrait, as well as a splash of color.

Set up your camera

01 Try back-button focusing

Half-pressing the shutter button to engage autofocus can be rather tricky through the bag. So instead – if your camera allows it – try setting up back-button focusing. With this option enabled, focus is activated with the AF button on the rear of the camera body.

02 Set a wide focal length

As you can see in the difference between body and head here, water has a magnifying effect. As such, it’s best to use a wide-angle lens, or the wide end of a standard zoom. Framing can be tricky underwater, so a wide field of view also gives you the option to crop later.

03 Use a narrow aperture

Focusing can be less than precise when shooting underwater – especially if your subject is moving towards you – so it’s best to use a narrow aperture as this will give you greater depth of field, meaning more of your subject and scene are in-focus.

04 Prevent motion blur

You’ll need a fast shutter speed to freeze the action, especially if you plan on capturing jumps and splashes. We used manual exposure mode with a 1/500 sec shutter speed in conjunction with an f/11 aperture and Auto ISO (so that the ISO adapts to suit the conditions).

3 tips for taking a dip

01 Props and toys

Whether shooting underwater or any kind of child portrait, props, toys or items that are special to the subject will help make the shoot more personal and add extra interest to the portrait. We brought a few underwater animal toys, like thes octopus.

02 Try a jump

Asking the kids to jump in from the side can result in a burst of bubbles. It can be tricky to focus on the exact spot where they’ll enter the water, so try pre-focusing on a spot that’s roughly the same distance away, then duck under the water and wait for the jump.

03 Look for reflections

At the right angle, the underside of the surface of the water can create beautiful abstract reflections of your subject. It’s best to get down low to capture the reflections, and use a wide focal length to include more of the surrounding pool.

Correct underwater colors

Fix blue color casts with simple skills in Camera Raw or Lightroom

When shooting underwater, the white balance and colors can be difficult to perfect in-camera. By shooting Raw, though, we have the option to adjust the white balance later, with the exact same results as if we’d done so before taking the shot. 

To correct the blue casts that often affect underwater photos, use Camera Raw (or Lightroom)’s white balance eyedropper tool and click on a point that should be neutral, like a white piece of clothing. Then go on to tweak the Temperature and Tint sliders until the colors look right. 

If the sky is showing through the water, correcting the colors might skew those above the water. If it does, try painting with the Adjustment Brush tool loaded with negative temperature and tint.

Read more: 

The best waterproof camera: underwater cameras for fun and action
The best underwater drones and ROVs
The best underwater fishing camera: see what your fishy friends are up to!