Four Underwater – Four photographers are turning remote underwater worlds into images that feel both scientific and artistic. From Australia to Cornwall, Southern California to the Caribbean, their careers span major awards, editorial visibility, and a shared sense of responsib
The heatwave has people daydreaming about water—about slipping into the sea, about the first cool breath after the sun. But for a different kind of artist, the real work begins below the surface. These four underwater photographers are chasing remote marine environments and returning with images that sit right on the line between science and art.
Matty Smyth has been tracing that line for years. Australia-based and originally from the UK. he credits his love of the water to childhood snorkelling trips with his brother along the coasts of France and the Mediterranean. He emigrated to Australia in 2007, and since then the Pacific has become his playground. Smyth is a two-time Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year award winner and an ambassador for Nikon Australia and Aquatica Digital. For him. underwater photography isn’t just wonder on demand—it’s responsibility. paired with the kind of curiosity that makes people want to look closer.
In Cornwall. Jane Morgan has built a competition record that reads like a passport stamp from one underwater event to the next. Her breakthrough includes taking the Plongeur D’Or (Gold medal) at the Festival Mondial de l’Image Sous Marine in Antibes. She also earned the BSOUP (British Society of Underwater Photographers) Underwater Excellence award. alongside multiple highly commended honours at British Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Her work belongs to the same world as trophy counts and rigorous judging—but it’s also the kind of photography that reminds you the ocean isn’t a backdrop. It’s a subject with its own rules.
Southern California-born Renee Capozzola approaches the water with a double lens of her own. She brings a background in biology and a formative practice in oil painting. a combination that shows clearly in how she composes—especially through wide-angle and split-level compositions. Capozzola’s images have earned over fifty international awards. Among them are Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021. the Female Fifty Fathoms Award through the 2021 Ocean Photography Awards. and first place finishes across Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year. the UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition. and the Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition.
Jade Hoksbergen’s route into the ocean began in childhood, and it never really let go. Of French-Taiwanese descent and raised in the Philippines, she took her first scuba dive at nine years old. By twenty she was working as a Divemaster in Saint Lucia, honing an eye for elusive marine life. Those years shaped the way she photographs, so that what the camera catches feels earned rather than staged. Hoksbergen was 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.
Across very different backgrounds, there’s a shared current in their careers: the ocean as both art and evidence. Smyth’s journey from UK childhood snorkels to two Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year wins. Morgan’s medal trail from Antibes to BSOUP recognition. Capozzola’s blend of biology and oil painting that has racked up more than fifty international awards. Hoksbergen’s path from first dive at nine to Divemaster work in Saint Lucia. then fine-art recognition and regular editorial visibility.
When people reach for their phones during a heatwave. it’s often to capture what’s right in front of them—light on water. a moment of escape. These photographers keep reminding us there’s another kind of magic waiting underneath. and that bringing it into view can be a form of stewardship as much as a creative act.
underwater photography marine art Matty Smyth Jane Morgan Renee Capozzola Jade Hoksbergen Nikon Australia Aquatica Digital Plongeur D’Or Festival Mondial de l’Image Sous Marine BSOUP Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Ocean Fine Art Photographer of the Year New Scientist UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition
So is this about actual underwater photography or just like marketing for Nikon? Kinda confused.
The headline makes it sound magical but the article is kinda… all over. Like where’s the part that says what they’re doing besides awards? Also heatwave daydreaming about water is me lol.
I thought underwater photographers were like scuba instructors or something. But apparently it’s “responsibility”?? Seems like they’re promoting ocean conservation without saying it. And Nikon?? Thought it was like government funded or whatever.
Cornwall + Caribbean + Australia… so basically they travel a lot and take pics? Not mad, just don’t know how that’s “scientific and artistic” when it’s still just photos. Renee Capozzola sounds familiar like I’ve seen her on Insta or maybe I’m mixing her up with someone else.