Articles

An adorable Diaphorodoris papillata, crawling over a small algae leaf, Croatia
 

From the time she could walk, DPG Photographer of the Week Chiara Scrigner had the sea as her constant companion. Growing up in northern Italy, she learned to swim early on and never went to the water’s edge without a mask and fins. After studying visual arts at school—often a precursor to a photography journey—she discovered scuba diving in 2016. Diving opened the door to a world that quickly became her greatest passion.

Chiara’s underwater photography adventures began as many do—with a simple compact camera. However, the slippery slope comes for us all and she moved on to a DSLR system as her ambitions grew. Fascinated especially by nudibranchs and macro photography, she uses her camera to reveal details that the human eye cannot perceive or that are often overlooked. At the same time, wide-angle photography intrigues Chiara for its creative possibilities, especially by finding unique perspectives and striking compositions.

Her passion for underwater image-making eventually led her into competition: Within the FIPSAS circuit, she became Italian Champion in the Compact Category in 2021 on the Island of Elba, and again in 2022 in Sicily, nearly sweeping the category. In 2024, she joined Fabio Iardino as an assistant at the CMAS Underwater Photography World Championships, where the team earned a gold and a silver medal. She also competes in international contests, achieving solid results. Chiara dives all year round in the Mediterranean, especially in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, convinced that the sea holds endless stories waiting to be told through images.
 

A small, brightly colored blenny poses for the camera, Italy
 

A photogenic freshwater crayfish beneath a beautiful sunball, Croatia
 

An in-camera double exposure of a gnarly stonefish face, Croatia
 

A head-on look at Spurilla neapolitana, aka the curly nudibranch, Italy
 

Can a jellyfish be cute? Neoturris pileata makes a compelling case for it, Italy
 

Antiopella cristata, perhaps the most iconic nudibranch in the Mediterranean Sea, Italy
 

A common octopus resting at the entrance to its den along a reef wall, Croatia
 

A stunning feather duster beneath the Mediterranean sun, Italy
 

A stunning little Eubranchus viriola crawling over a kelp frond, Italy
 

Close-up details of a beautiful coral polyp, Italy
 

A multicolored sea fan growing on a deep reef wall, Italy
 

An adorable cuttlefish “pre-hatchling” inside the egg, Italy
 

An undescribed Doto species laying its eggs on a hydroid, Italy
 

A beautifully-colored feather duster worm shows off its feeding parapernalia, Croatia
 

To see more of Chiara’s wonderful underwater work, please give her a follow on Instagram.