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The author’s winning portfolio from the 2025 Ocean Photographer of the Year competition
In the wake of the 2025 Ocean Photographer of the Year results being announced, and my humbling win in the Portfolio category, I’ve had quite a few people reach out asking how I chose my images for the competition.
Honestly? I’d love to wrap up this article right here and simply say, “I just winged it!” And to be perfectly honest, there’s a sliver of truth to that. But the reality is a bit more refined, and I thought it might be worth discussing why I chose the images that I did, while offering a few thoughts that could be useful to others looking to build a strong competition portfolio. I do not profess to be an expert in such things, but there has been enough interest that I thought it useful to write down a few ideas.
When I began choosing pictures for my submission, the first step was of course to pick images I felt were good as standalone photographs. Second, I wanted to select images with subjects that are perhaps less familiar or at least less commonly seen in underwater competitions. Uniqueness of subject matter alone cannot carry an image to the finish line, but when it’s paired with strong composition, an interesting technique, or a technically solid execution, it can really help a picture—or a portfolio—stand out.
While there are countless jawfish images out there, and slightly fewer jawfish-with-eggs images, they are not an overly common subject in competitions these days. Despite hundreds of jawfish images of my own, this picture stood out from my others, as it isn’t one that I have made before nor one I have seen before. The fish was quite bold and allowed a close approach. I used double snoots aimed across the fish at each other to get the balanced lighting. It created a graphic picture that is easy to decipher and appreciate while still including the mouth-brooding behavior (Sony a1, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art, Isotta housing, dual Kraken KR-S160 strobes with snoots, f/14, 1/160s, ISO 125)
My personal taste in my photographic endeavors leans heavily toward animal portraits, so these are what my portfolio was (almost) entirely built around. The one exception was the spadefish image. Despite not being a classic portrait, the central fish is still the focus of the image, and the rest of the picture complements it.
Cohesion is key to a successful portfolio. I submitted a set of images I felt belonged together and would provide a better chance of success than a portfolio that feels scattered or disjointed. Judges may not always be able to articulate exactly why a portfolio resonates with them, but I suspect cohesion plays a major role.
Of course, all of that said, there is a massive caveat: competition judging is incredibly subjective. What wins one year might not even place the next, and sometimes your favorite image just doesn’t land with others the way you hoped it would. So take any “rules” or advice with a healthy pinch of salt. If there’s one takeaway I’d share, though, it’s this: Choose images that reflect you as a photographer and ones that you would be happy with or proud of should they receive recognition. That’s the only part of the process you can truly control.
And if you happen to “wing it” a little along the way? Well, sometimes that really just is the recipe for success!
While I see a polkadot batfish on nearly every dive in my local Florida waters, they are exceptionally rare throughout the rest of their small geographic range. For photographers outside of my area, they are a dream subject—and almost never seen in competitions. They are also a surprisingly difficult fish to shoot well. Despite their reluctance to swim and their somewhat poor swimming skills overall, they have a habit of turning their backs to you before you even get a single shot off. Having a cooperative individual is uncommon and I cannot pass it up. Their remarkable shape and those weird feet-like fins beg for dramatic lighting, especially in unappealing surroundings. A simple image technically, but it is quite graphic and showcases the pleasing strangeness of this fish. Head-on portraits are always best when you can get double eye contact (Sony a1, Canon 50mm f/2.5 Macro, Isotta housing, custom curved macro port, dual Backscatter Hybrid Flash strobes, f/10, 1/320s, ISO 100)
This picture of a pink salmon is one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever made. And it just so happens to fit my theme of portraits for this portfolio! While salmon have become an increasingly common subject in recent years, including in competitions, there is still room for them, especially if you are able to bring a fresh take. Compared to the jawfish or batfish, or the alligator further down, this salmon image goes to show that portraits can come in all flavors and styles. The picture focuses on one specific fish while giving a glimpse into the natural history of salmon and what a chaotic environment they endure on their march upstream towards mating grounds. A very slow shutter speed helped convey that while the picture is still sharp in the important areas (Nikon D500, Nikonos RS 13mm Fisheye, Nauticam housing, dual Retra Flash strobes, f/9, 1/10s, ISO 160)
This image of Atlantic spadefish is the one photo in the portfolio that doesn’t scream “portrait.” However, I felt that the central fish is enough of a focal point that the fish surrounding it are more of a complement than anything, and while the image is certainly about the overall picture, there is no denying who is the star of the picture. Coupled with a slow shutter, a common subject is rendered far more interestingly (Sony a7R Mark V, Sony FE 28–60mm f/4–5.6, Nauticam housing, Nauticam WACP-C, dual Backscatter Hybrid Flash strobes, f/14, 1/3s, ISO 50)
A small mosshead warbonnet living in a bottle at God’s Pocket Resort, Vancouver Island. While I’m not the biggest fan of artificial colors or backgrounds in underwater pictures, there was no way to pull off this picture without it, and it usefully shows a diversity of technique in the portfolio. I used a snoot for the face of the fish and a UV light to highlight the mouth of the bottle. Without the supplemental light, it would’ve been a snooted fish face floating in blackness. The bottle mouth provides subtle context. Again, an unusual subject and a portaiture style no doubt helped (Nikon D4, Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, Retra Flash strobe with Retra LSD snoot, Kraken Sports Hydra 2500, f/5.6, 1/160s, ISO 400)
Who can pass up a portrait of one of the world’s great predators? Alligators are common to us Floridians. However, outside of the southeast, they don’t exist, and even among those of us who live in their range, underwater portraits of them are few and far between—perfect then for submitting as part of a portfolio featuring infrequently seen subjects! The alligator is complemented by the cichlids in the background. For me, they are key to the success of the picture. Without them, this is still a fine portrait of an impressive animal and of course the star of the image is still the alligator. But with the cichlids, a secondary element of interest is added and they nicely fill an otherwise empty portion of the frame (Sony a9, Nikonos RS 13mm Fisheye, Seafrogs housing, dual Kraken Sports KR-S160 strobes, f/9, 1/40s, ISO 800)
Likely the most well-known subject I entered. This was the picture I was least confident in, because of that fact. However, I felt the setting and the mood helped this picture’s case. Typically, manatee pictures feature shallow, bright, sky blue water. I was fortunate enough to explore this river (under permit) very early in the morning. The low light levels and deep water made for a moody and beautiful setting that isn’t often seen in manatee pictures. The pose on the manatee, angled slightly towards the camera, and the touch of sunlight were the final touches (Sony a9, Nikonos RS 13mm Fisheye, Seafrogs housing, dual Kraken KR-S160 strobes, f/7.1, 1/50s, ISO 500)
In a portfolio of somewhat unusual subject matter, this longnose gar is for sure the most uncommonly photographed. However, an uncommon subject isn’t enough. There needs to be something additional. Imagine this exact pose and lighting on the fish, but with a black background—not very compelling. Those wonderful sun rays and the underwater garden in the background set the stage for this fantastic subject. Eye contact and prominence in the frame fit the portrait theme (Sony a9, Nikonos RS 13mm Fisheye, Seafrogs housing, dual Kraken KR-S160 strobes, f/6.3, 1/100s, ISO 500)
Peak weird and unusual! It is hard to find a gnarlier or more unique fish face than that of the Atlantic wolffish. Still, it’s another example of a simple image to capture. The wolffish does all the hard work. It is fantastically characterful on its own and extremely uncommon to see in competitions. The two very subtle aspects of the image I controlled, besides the composition and settings, were inward lighting to help separate the fish from the background while bringing out textures on its face and fins; and timing my shot for when the fish had his mouth open during his breathing cycle, to better view those remarkable teeth (Sony a7S Mark III, Nikonos RS 13mm Fisheye, Isotta housing, dual Retra Pro Max strobes, f/10, 1/4s, ISO 200)
While goliath groupers are not an especially uncommon subject, for people outside of Florida, they are not commonly seen or photographed, and even less so in major photographic competitions. This image features a huge individual, battle-scarred and full of character, just begging for a portrait. A slow shutter speed and slight camera movement allowed the ambient blues to show up even on a deep, dark dive, but gave the fish some three-dimensional pop with the drop shadow around it. It is subtle, but makes a significant difference to the aesthetic of the overall image (Sony a7S Mark III, Nikonos RS 13mm Fisheye, Isotta housing, dual Kraken KR-S160 strobes, f/14, 1/5s, ISO 100)
