Photo / Video News & Reviews
Scubaverse Underwater Photographer Interview: Paul Colley
In an ongoing series, Scubaverse.com’s Underwater Photography Editors Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown talk to underwater photographers from around the world that they admire.
This week’s interview is with UK-based underwater photographer Paul Colley.
Paul is a former Royal Air Force top gun instructor who pursued a long-standing ambition to be a wildlife photographer. He quickly attained high recognition for his underwater photography, including top honours in international competitions. His book Winning Images with Any Underwater Camera achieved critical acclaim for the contribution that it made to the research, education and application of underwater photography. Paul is currently Chairman of the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP).
N/C: How did your underwater photography start?
PC: I learned to dive at the turn of the last Millennium, took my first compact camera underwater in 2006 and never looked back!
N/C: What is your favourite u/w camera equipment (past & present) & Why?
PC: My favourite piece of equipment is a remote control Olympus compact camera. This is because I designed the system, which makes the results I get with it very rewarding. It allows me to take images of fish in fast flowing rivers in a way that marks them out as distinctly my own work.
Trout and Duck
N/C: What would be your advice to anyone new to underwater photography?
PC: Get onto a photography workshop, which will allow you to dive in the right places, at the right times, with the right advice from the right people and at a pace consistent with making good images. For me it was a revelation and I now love to run my own.
N/C: What, or who, has been your single biggest inspiration for your underwater photography?
PC: I think that Alex Mustard has been a huge influence for me, because he provides so much good information in an easy-to-understand way. He is one of the true contemporary masters of underwater photography and a real inspiration. My success with remote control photography is largely down to his advice to experiment with my own work.
Blue Sharks
N/C: What are your boundaries on post-editing image manipulation?
PC: I have no boundaries, just a personal mantra to be honest about what I have done. Post-processing is part of the digital workflow and we should embrace it. I always seek to improve the overall composition, but I also generally want to get it as good as I can in-camera and then just restore the essential truth of what I saw through the viewfinder. But some art and some commercial requirements need much greater manipulation; for example, composite scenes that cannot be photographed with one image. It’s not a sin to manipulate an image to a major extent if the image is to be a poster for marine conservation, for example!
N/C: Where is your favourite dive location, and is it for the photography?
PC: It’s difficult to pin down any one site, because there are so many that are so good for so many different reasons. But I love Egypt for its convenience and splendid reefs like those in the Straits of Tiran and in Ras Mohammed national park.
Brown Trout
N/C: What are you views on marine life manipulation, moving subjects?
PC: There’s no requirement to manipulate marine life. It stresses and even kills animals, so we should never encourage it.
N/C: What do you look for when you are making your images?
PC: The same that I encourage my students to seek. Good composition and specifically high contrast, which allows the subject matter to grab attention, and balance, which is how the different elements are organised within the frame. You can read about this in great detail in my book, ‘Winning Images with Any Underwater Camera’!
N/C: What motivates you to take u/w photos?
PC: A great part of it is making images count in conservation. I work a lot with marine and freshwater conservation agencies, for example the Blue Marine Foundation and Fauna & Flora International. This has helped two countries to establish major marine reserves around Ascension Island and in Cambodia.
N/C: If you could photograph any one thing/place what or where would that be?
PC: I would love to free dive with and photograph whales. I don’t mind where, as long as the water is warm enough!
You can see more of Paul’s work at www.mpcolley.com. You can also follow his exploits through his regular blog at blog.paulcolleyunderwaterphotography.com and on Twitter (@paul_colley).
An emotive photograph showing a freediver examining the aftermath of whaling sees
Alex Dawson from Sweden named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024. Dawson’s
photograph ‘Whale Bones’ triumphed over 6500 underwater pictures entered by underwater
photographers from around the world.
“Whale Bones was photographed in the toughest conditions,” explains chair of judging
panel Alex Mustard, “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.”
Photo: Rafael
Fernandez Caballero
Whales dominated the winning pictures this year with Spanish photographer Rafael
Fernandez Caballero winning two categories with his revealing photos of these ocean giants:
a close up of a grey whale’s eye and an action shot of a Bryde’s whale engulfing an entire bait
ball, both taken in Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. Fernandez Caballero took ‘Grey
Whale Connection’ while drifting in a small boat, holding his camera over the side in the water
to photograph the curious whale. ‘The End Of A Baitball’ required Fernandez Caballero to dive
down and be in exactly the right place at the moment the whale lunged. “The photo shows
the high speed attack,” he said, “with the whale engulfing hundreds of kilograms of sardines
in one bite — simply unforgettable to see predation on such a scale.”
Photo: Rafael
Fernandez Caballero
Lisa Stengel from the United States was named Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for her image of a mahi-mahi catching a sardine, in Mexico. Stengel used both a very fast shutter speed and her hearing to catch the moment. “If you listen there’s an enormous amount of sound in the ocean,” she explained. “The action was too fast to see, so I honed in on the sound of the attacks with my camera to capture this special moment.”
“It is such an exciting time in underwater photography because photographers are capturing such amazing new images, by visiting new locations and using the latest cameras,”
commented judge Alex Mustard. “Until this year I’d hardly ever see a photo of a mahi mahi,
now Lisa has photographed one hunting, action that plays out in the blink of an eye.”
The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the UK, and Jenny Stock,
was named as British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for her image “Star
Attraction”, which finds beauty in species of British wildlife that are often overlooked.
Exploring the west coast of Scotland, Stock explained “in the dark green depths my torch
picked out the vivid colours of a living carpet of thousands of brittle stars, each with a
different pattern. I was happily snapping away, when I spotted this purple sea urchin and I
got really excited.”
Photo: Jenny Stock
In the same contest, Portuguese photographer, Nuno Sá, was named ‘Save Our Seas
Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2024, with his photo ‘Saving
Goliath’, taken in Portugal. Sá’s photo shows beachgoers trying to save a stranded sperm
whale. The picture gives us hope that people do care and want to help the oceans, but also
warns us that bigger changes are needed. “The whale had been struck by a ship and its fate
was sealed,” explains Sá. “An estimated 20,000 whales are killed every year, and many more
injured, after being struck by ships-and few people even realise that it happens.”
Photo: Nuno Sá
More winning images can be found at www.underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com.
About Underwater Photographer of the Year
Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition, based in the UK, that celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools, and attracts entries from all around the world. The contest has 13 categories, testing photographers with themes such as Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour and Wreck photography, as well as four categories for photos taken specifically in British waters. The winners were announced in an award ceremony in Mayfair, London, hosted by The Crown Estate. This year’s UPY judges were experienced underwater photographers Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich and Dr Alexander Mustard MBE.
Header image: Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 winner Alex Dawson
The winners of the prestigious World Shootout 2023 underwater photography competition were announced at this year’s BOOT Show, captivating audiences at the world’s largest diving and water sports exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany. Hundreds of photographers from 54 countries competed across nine categories, pushing the boundaries of creativity and technical skill.
Grand Prize Winners
- Picture of the Year: Spanish photographer Eduardo Acevedo “secured” the top Honor with the prestigious prize the “boot Dusseldorf Director’s Prize, earning an Andromeda statuette and a €2,000 cash prize.
- Best 5 Images Portfolio: Luc Rooman from Belgium triumphed in this category, winning a dream 4-week diving trip for two to Papua New Guinea, valued at $18,900.
- Amateur Photographer: Alexandra Ceurvorst from the USA impressed the judges with her talent, taking home the 1,000 € cash prize award.
Celebrating Diversity and Innovation
This year’s competition saw 11,680 entries from 964 photographers, showcasing a remarkable spectrum of skills and perspectives. From the intricate wonders of Macro photography to the beauty of “Black Water”, the “Underwater Fashion” category added a touch of artistry and innovation, while the ever-important ” Environmental & Conservation” category served as a powerful reminder of the need to protect these fragile ecosystems.
Looking Ahead: AI and Ocean Conservation
World Shootout founder and producer David Pilosof unveiled an exciting addition for the 2024 competition: this year the Environmental category will be focusing on the impact of plastic on our oceans and future.
This category will embrace the potential of AI or other editing software as a tool to amplify the conservation message.
Entrants will submit campaigns of three original underwater photographs dealing with plastic pollution, along with their final AI assistance processing. This innovative approach encourages artistic expression while raising awareness about a critical environmental issue.
Explore the Stunning Collection
Discover the complete album of competition entries by clicking here.
For Low-resolution photos of finalist entries in eight categories, click here.
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