Articles

A humpback calf rests under the watchful eye of mom, Niue, Tonga
 

Similar to the chicken and the egg, it is often an interesting question to hear which came first—diving or photography? New DPG Photographer of the Week Bryan Blauvelt began diving at the age of 12, in 1991, and while he took a photography course in high school, it wasn’t until 20 years later that Bryan became passionate about creating compelling and captivating underwater images. A career as a web developer, a wife, and two sons all came in between the diving and the serious photography! Bryan is based near Houston, Texas and works as a seasonal scuba instructor and trip leader for Texas Scuba.

Both for the operator and himself, Bryan travels all over the world in search of beautiful scenery and creature encounters, from the smallest crinoid shrimp in the Philippines to the biggest humpback whales in Tonga. In his feature here, you will see those, and other images from locations like Misool in Indonesia, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

Bryan is now fortunate enough to do 150-plus dives per year, and his camera comes along for every one of them. Recently, he garnered some competition success as his image “Lion’s Lair,” featured here, was recently awarded third place in the 2024 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition’s “Up & Coming” category. Bryan’s weapons of choice for image-making are a Sony Alpha 1 in Nauticam housing, with Retra and Backscatter lighting tools. He is also an ambassador for Ultralight Solutions.
 

A classic Raja wide-angle scene with healthy reefs and lots of fish life, Misool, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

A beautiful crinoid shrimp on its host crinoid, Anilao, Philippines
 

A giant barrel sponge on a colorful wall, Cozumel, Mexico
 

A lionfish surrounded by beautiful soft corals and a bounty of prey, Misool, Raja Ampat, Indonesia. This image was recently awarded in the 2024 Underwater Photographer of the Year Competition
 

A diver swims over the intentionally sunk Kittiwake wreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
 

The world's most charismatic little cuttlefish, the flamboyant, Anilao, Philippines
 

A big bull shark plies the waters off Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
 

Everybody's favorite, a false clown anemonefish, Anilao, Philippines
 

A diver explores sun-dappled caverns, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
 

A curious humpback whale calf comes up to inspect the camera, Niue, Tonga
 

An aptly named whip coral goby perched on its namesake coral, Anilao, Philippines
 

A bustling reef scene near Misool, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

A clean portrait of a beautiful ghost pipefish, Anilao, Philippines
 

A humpback whale mother and calf cruise just below the surface near Niue, Tonga
 

To view more of Bryan’s beautiful underwater imagery, please give him a follow on Instagram and visit his website, www.bryanblauvelt.com.