As the heatwave takes hold and we reach for our phones to bring swimming plans to life in the group chat, there’s no better time to think about what lies beneath the surface. While most of us are content to float on top, a handful of photographers are diving into some of the world’s most remote and extraordinary marine environments to bring back images that are equal parts science and art. Here are four worth having on your radar:
Matty Smyth
Australia-based Matty Smyth traces his love of the water back to childhood snorkelling trips with his brother along the coasts of France and the Mediterranean. Originally from the UK, he emigrated to Australia in 2007 and has since made the Pacific his playground. A two-time Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year award winner and ambassador for Nikon Australia and Aquatica Digital, Smyth sees underwater photography as equal parts wonder and responsibility.
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Jane Morgan
A standout photographer in the industry, Cornwall-based Jane Morgan has built an impressive competition record, taking the Plongeur D’Or (Gold medal) at the Festival Mondial de l’Image Sous Marine in Antibes and the BSOUP (British Society of Underwater Photographers) Underwater Excellence award, as well as earning multiple highly commended honours at British Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
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Renee Capozzola
Southern California-born Renee Capozzola brings an unusual double lens to her underwater work — a background in biology and a formative practice in oil painting — and the combination definitely shows. Her images, which specialise in wide-angle and split-level compositions, have earned over fifty international awards, among them Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021, the Female Fifty Fathoms Award through the 2021 Ocean Photography Awards, and first place finishes across the Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year, the UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition and the Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition, among others.
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Jade Hoksbergen
Of French-Taiwanese descent and raised in the Philippines, Jade Hoksbergen took her first scuba dive at nine years old, and the ocean has shaped everything since. By twenty she was working as a Divemaster in Saint Lucia, developing an eye for elusive marine life that now defines her photography. Recognised as Ocean Fine Art Photographer of the Year in 2023 and runner-up for Ocean Photographer of the Year in 2024, her work appears regularly in publications including New Scientist, Oceanographic Magazine and Scuba Diver.
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