Busy, busy day so I am reposting this one on Matty Smith an amazing underwater photographer. Not sure I could ever do what he does, but I love looking at it.
Reposting Underwater Photographer Matty Smith
This is another photographer that we have looked at before, but on the old blog. I was very silly and deleted a lot of those posts, so now I have to do them again. Today we are going to look at the amazing work of underwater photographer Matty Smith.
Who is Matty Smith?
Matty Smith is an Australian photography and has world wide recognition. We could go into everything about him, but I’m going to cut and paste something from his About page.
“Matty Smith has exhibited his award winning images in over 70 countries across 5 continents around the world including the London Natural History Museum in the UK and the Australian Museum right here in Sydney. He has spoken publically about his style and approach and had his work recognised and admired by Sir David Attenborough and HRH Kate Middleton.”
There is a lot more information him on that page, which you can find by clicking here.
He often speaks at photography events about his work and how he does it as well.
Why I like his work
Perhaps the most important reason is because I know it is something I could never do. Water is one of those things that scares me a bit, and then being under the water around sharks and crocodiles, yeah, maybe not. That does not mean that there isn’t a fascination with what is under there.
The way he portrays ocean life is something that not a lot of photographers seem to be doing. The gear is quite expensive, so it is out of reach for many people. The half and half images require a special domed camera housing that is very expensive. With it you can get images that almost make the worlds seem part of one another. They are, of course, but we often separate the world into what is above the water and what is below. Land and ocean.
The images have clarity and you can really see what is there. That is not easy to get and I have no idea how much work in post he does. Though, I did ask him about it once and he said he prefers to get everything in camera and do little editing after.
The little glimpses of what is underwater is inspiring. There are so many colourful and unique creatures down there. It is a wonderful way to show us some insight into the world below.
Where to find Matty Smith
He has a website where you can find out more about him, click here.
You can also find him on Facebook by clicking here.
Let me know what you think of Matty Smith’s photos.
Amazing photos!
I totally agree.
A photographer acquaintance, who has scuba experience, gave it try several years ago. He said it was more difficult than he had anticipated, but with more practice and opportunities to shoot underwater he should be able to take better shots.
Yes, I imagine it would be really hard. Not something I think I will ever try. Do you love your friends photos?
You bet. Dan’s one fine street photographer. He did a couple more underwater shoots. One was among a pair of manta rays; he got a close up of manta wing which was a little too close for comfort. The other, he was taking what he thought was a fairly sedate photo of a coral. He didn’t see the moray eel peering between the coral until he downloaded the image to his laptop. I think that ended Dan’s underwater photography desires.
That is a shame that he stopped doing it. I have a friend, Chris who is doing heaps up near the Great Barrier Reef.
Wow. Just wow.
I totally agree Jonathan.
These are incredible, Leanne. The oceans are in my mind almost another world. I never learned how to swim as a kid, so this is a world that is beyond my reach. So the underwater photography just fascinates me. Thanks for sharing this.
I think the same, they are another world altogether. I am not good with water. Glad you liked them Tim.
They are wonderful. Thanks again for sharing.
Matty is my inspiration as you know. His images are extraordinary.
I have to admit I was thinking about your when I was doing the post. Thought you might like it.
Thank you, I did.
😀