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A dark, moody image of a mako shark, captured offshore Jules’ local waters in San Diego. The city’s proximity to deep water and its varied underwater environments means there is an almost limitless supply of marine creatures that could be seen on any given dive
 

While there are countless reasons people shoot underwater images, a select few, like San Diego-based underwater photographer and photojournalist Jules Jacobs, have found a way to make a real impact on our oceans and its inhabitants. Jules has made it his mission to document not only ocean beings, but also the wonderful people working to save them.

Jules has had his work published widely, everywhere from National Geographic to The New York Times, and his passion for the underwater world and the stories he tells is evident in every feature and every image. I consider myself fortunate to call Jules a friend, and I really admire the way he approaches his photojournalism. In the following interview, Jules discusses his passion for underwater photojournalism, what drives his photographic journey, and his motivations for conserving our marine world.
 

DPG: How and when did you begin making pictures underwater?

My journey with underwater photography officially started in 2021, but my obsession with the ocean began far earlier. As a kid in suburban Maryland, the closest shoreline I had access to was three hours east. I was obsessed with the ocean and convinced my parents to let me start a saltwater aquarium. My aquarium was my own little slice of the ocean and represented a microcosm of the threats that face it. It taught me how human-influenced factors can exacerbate or subdue stressors to aquatic ecosystems. Fostering that love of nature in my backyard, I told the stories of local wildlife, primarily shooting birds, and topside wildlife conservation issues in the Washington D.C. area. When I moved to San Diego in 2021, I finally had my first opportunity to jump into underwater photojournalism head first. With kelp forests, submarine canyons and a rich community of scientists in my own backyard, I use every opportunity to tell the stories of our precious waters and the people working to protect it.
 

A school of bream in the beams: Jules’ underwater photography journey began when he moved to California in 2021. In a relatively short amount of time, he has built an impressive and diverse portfolio, especially of California’s remarkable marine life
 

DPG: Knowing you personally, I suspect I know the answer to this, but do you have a preference between wide-angle versus macro photography?

I am primarily a wide-angle shooter but will shoot macro when a story requires it. I believe that a photojournalist/visual storyteller needs to be well-versed in every “style” in order to make and tell well-rounded stories. Personally, I prefer the wide-angle approach, as it feels closer to the way that I see the world, and I believe it allows me more of an opportunity to tell a nuanced story in a single image.
 

Each year, millions of opalescent (market) squid gather somewhere off California’s coast to mate en masse. It used to be far more predictable but as ocean conditions and climate conditions change, the timing and location of the run seems to be much more random. Here, two male squid latch onto a female, hoping to be the one who gets to pass on his genes
 

DPG: Everyone always wants to know the answer to this question: What equipment do you currently shoot with and why have you chosen that gear?

I shoot with the “vintage” Nikon D850 in a Nauticam housing. The water-contact optics from Nauticam are unbelievable. I basically always have the WACP-1, EMWL, or SMC-1 on my rig. The WACP-1 has especially been a gamechanger for me, allowing the flexibility to get both wide-angle images and portraits all without having to switch lenses. All that in a rectilinear package has made it my go-to tool for storytelling shoots. For lighting, I use the Retra Primes. I find the quality and spread of light from the Retras to be gorgeous. I may upgrade to the Retra Pro Max in the near future, but I am extremely happy with what the Primes give me currently.
 

On the slopes of Scripps Canyon in Southern California, pelagic tuna crabs form writhing piles, thousands of individuals thick. This rare appearance comes after a five-year hiatus for the species in the area. While tuna crabs are typically found on the high seas of Baja California, they are less commonly observed further north in San Diego’s near-shore canyons—and definitely not in such massive aggregations. The underlying cause of these novel aggregations is unclear. Some experts believe that warm water currents set off by El Niño pushed the tuna crabs into the canyons. Dr. Megan Cimino at the University of California, Santa Cruz, notes that these abnormal migration patterns suggest that “something different is happening in the ocean” and could be a more common occurrence in warming seas
 

DPG: An impossible question, I know, but what is your absolute favorite animal to encounter or photograph underwater?

Ah man, this one is tough! The amazing thing about San Diego is that we have these ever-changing seasons of life, where new organisms will cycle through our waters coming in with the currents. It keeps San Diego fresh and makes shooting here always a treasure hunt. We have a resident population of Eastern Pacific green sea turtles—an amazing story of cross-border conservation between Mexico and the United States—which are a privilege to shoot and swim with, so they’d likely be very high on my list and the easiest answer to this question.
 

Emerging through fields of feather boa kelp, an Eastern Pacific green sea turtle swims through the sunset. Sea turtles are ecosystem engineers: They modify the environment, creating new habitats and niches. In particular, turtles clear old grasses, giving younger grasses light and room to grow. They also recycle nutrients and energy into the ecosystem, essential to the rocky reef’s life cycle. San Diego’s kelp forests, macroalgae reefs, and seagrass meadows serve as the turtle’s teenage stomping grounds. Once dinner-plate-sized youngsters grow severalfold and become sexually mature, they begin migrating back to Baja, where they will lay their eggs, only for their young to continue this cycle. While turtles historically found refuge in Southern California, sightings have been low until recently. With the popularization of turtle egg soup and turtle meat, the population of these ancient mariners took a nosedive. The migration of these turtles from Mexico to the United States means their conservation depends on international cooperation. Thanks to increased public awareness and strict rules on egg poaching in both of those countries, Eastern Pacific green sea turtles are once again helping to mow San Diego’s seagrass
 

DPG: Do you have a most memorable marine life encounter or experience?

Last spring, I had the opportunity to dive a shallow whale fall after a baby gray whale passed away along its migration route. It was a moment that humbled me underwater. Seeing such an iconic creature become a casualty of changing currents really brought home how a global phenomenon can affect us right in our own waters. I took down five video lights with me, placing them with muck sticks along the length of the whale to try to light it in harsh conditions. The work was published by The New York Times, allowing me and my writing partner Sruthi Gurudev to talk about the issues facing gray whales along their entire migratory route, and the issues facing the California Current in-kind.
 

A baby gray whale, estimated to be only a few months old, lies on the seafloor after passing away. For about six years, the gray whale population, which conducts the longest migration of any mammal, has experienced steep declines. In this instance, unlike previous die-offs, the population has failed to rebound. Scientists attribute this decline to climate change, which accelerates Arctic warming and disrupts the gray whale’s prey. Ship strikes and entanglements in fishing lines aggravate losses to starvation.“We’re unlikely to return to a world that can support 25,000 gray whales anytime soon,” says Joshua Stewart, an assistant professor at the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, USA
 

DPG: You have so many remarkable pictures but if forced to choose one, what is your favorite picture you’ve ever captured and the story behind it?

I think my favorite image has to be my aggregating anemone split. It was an image that took me months of trial and error to figure out. I had to spend hours getting battered by the surf, waiting for just the right skyline to add drama to the scene. Whenever I look at that image, I’m reminded about my ability to endure harsh environments, and the creativity that comes with pushing one step further in the pursuit of something unique.
 

A colony of aggregating anemones transitions to low tide in La Jolla, California. The intertidal zone is a highly variable environment, and its inhabitants have evolved various adaptations and strategies to cope with its ever-changing conditions. For instance, researchers recently found that intertidal anemones produce fluorescent proteins that protect their tissues from stress-induced oxidative damage. In helping anemones cope with a barrage of stressors—from greater temperature extremes to increased ocean acidification— these fluorescent proteins could be the difference between life and death for anemones in a changing ocean. This could also mean that the future for anemone populations will literally be brighter in response to climate change-related stressors. This image was created using a UV excitation filter and an amber gel that reduced excessive blue light
 

DPG: Another impossible question: Of all the fantastic creatures on Earth, which one is still on your absolutely-must-photograph list?

This one is actually easy for me! It has been a dream of mine to get to Australia’s Great Southern Reef to dive with and make images of leafy seadragons. I’ve loved seahorses since I was a little kid and the leafies have taken seahorsing to the absolute peak! Imagine getting to spend time in the water with a creature so perfectly evolved and adapted to its kelp-filled environment—how spectacular!
 

A stand of elkhorn kelp rises towards the sun, 80 feet beneath the surface, bathed in nutrient-rich green water from the California Current
 

DPG: What other photographers inspire you?

I’d be remiss to not mention my underwater photography heroes—David Doubilet, Thomas Peschak, Brian Skerry and Alex Mustard. People like my mentor Shane Gross, Morgan Heim and Dave Showalter are masters of conservation storytelling, and have been huge inspirations and advocates on my journey into the field of photojournalism.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of a small group of top-notch up-and-coming shooters including Sage Ono, Nico Hahn, Isaac Szabo, Anton Sorokin, Janico Kelk, Ellen Woods, and Dan Mele. They are constantly pushing the envelope in terms of how to make unique images in both known and “new” environments, and constantly inspire me to keep refining my work, and to explore new ways to see and capture both common and unexplored subjects. Having this tight-knit group of like-minded individuals has proven invaluable to me and I’m incredibly grateful for it.
 

Like something from a horror movie, millions of red polychaete worms emerge from the Pleistocene mud of La Jolla Canyon, San Diego. These worms will wave their heads back and forth to orient themselves to the egg, then use specialized head muscles to pierce the egg sheath and devour the developing squid larva inside
 

DPG: You have worked on some interesting projects for National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and The New York Times. What has your experience been with regards to working on those types of projects and have they opened other doors?

It has been the privilege of a lifetime to share stories with the outlets I’ve grown up reading. Working freelance means building stories, but more importantly relationships with editors. I’ve been very fortunate to have editors who geek out with me about the stories I’m telling, and give me the trust to share them with their audiences. Since stepping into the editorial world, so much has changed for me and my photography has changed along with me.

When I go into the field, I think about individual images as pieces of a story. I try to use elements inside images to help educate readers on the issues that face our ecosystems. A lot of this process is rejection, but each rejection helps you build trust and relationships with editors that will eventually get you to a “yes.” I have a “100 rejections” challenge going with some friends, where whomever gets to 100 rejections first wins a fancy dinner! Flipping these routine rejections from something to fear to something to gain has helped me find courage when putting up ideas to outlets.
 

At the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Center, Caitlin Allen Akselrud holds a vial of squid paralarva. With the help of California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, NOAA is able to understand how population dynamics of squid shift over time
 

DPG: What is advice you’d give to up-and-coming shooters who want to improve their photography skills and get involved in photojournalism?

Find a local story in your own backyard, and cover it from all angles. For Shane Gross, it was lemon sharks. For me, it was aggregating anemones. Borrowing words from David Doubilet, “we aren't wildlife photographers, we are journalists,” and the story we are covering is one of the most important ever told, the unfolding sixth mass extinction. Every time we make an image of our local patch, we help to capture the history of the species and ecosystems that live all around us, and how these creatures respond to changing environments. As storytellers, it is up to us not to leave it there. In addition to our practice of underwater imagery, bring your work topside. There are scientists and conservationists working in every corner of the globe to make changes for wildlife. It is up to us as storytellers to help them get the recognition and attention that will help them expand their work, and protect the species we love.
 

A California moray eel pauses at the surface, seemingly greeting its reflection. Younger morays will use tide pools as a veritable buffet, tearing through intertidal residents until they’re ready to move into deeper waters. This eel was voracious and would dismember any crustaceans that dared to come within its grasp, bringing them back into its den and stirring up the water with every movement of its muscular body. When the eel took a moment to rest near the surface, Jules made an image reflecting the shrinking terrain of this predator. Jules’ time with this eel helped him imagine the opportunity and the anxiety of life in the intertidal, organisms always racing against the clock of the tides
 

A massive part of Jules’ work revolves around the people who have made it their mission to protect and save the planet’s marine ecosystems and creatures. Here, marine biologist Dr. Dimitri Deheyn examines aggregating anemones in the Scripps Institute of Oceanography’s experimental aquarium in San Diego
 

To find out more about Jules Jacobs’ work, check out his website, www.julesjacobsphoto.com, or follow him on Instagram.