Articles

Mangrove trees stand sentinel over a healthy seagrass bed, Cuba
 

If you are familiar with the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, you may already know the name Jake Stout. Jake’s stunning snapping turtle image was awarded in the 2025 edition, and it is worth visiting the competition page to see it!

A natural history photojournalist specializing in underwater imagery, Jake is a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and developed his love of nature spending summers in New Hampshire as a kid. Getting scuba certified in 2017, Jake never looked back. Since 2021, Jake has been the director of the Boston Sea Rovers Film Festival, the world’s longest-running underwater centered Film Festival, where he brings together leaders in underwater cinematography and photography.

For his undergraduate degree, Jake split classes between Harvard Extension School, Northeastern University, and Lesley University, studying photography at each institution. Currently at Lesley University, he is combining his background in photojournalism and underwater work with contemporary themes and understandings to develop a distinct body of work. Having worked across diverse environments—the cold temperate waters of New England, subarctic ecosystems in Iceland, the Brazilian Amazon, and the warm waters of the Red Sea—Jake is well trained to work in any environment. Jake has worked on multiple photojournalism projects as an assistant as well as on his own photo stories, and he has developed a knack for crafting complex stories to best represent species and locations deserving of attention. Jake utilizes his imagery in the hopes of raising awareness for his subjects, gaining respect for them, and ultimately protecting them.
 

Lily pads, in various stages of decomposition, munched on by aquatic insects, New Hampshire, USA
 

A field of healthy seagrass, bathed by sunlight in the shallows, California, USA
 

A silky shark appears through a cloud of bubbles, Cuba
 

A slow shutter renders this remora on a reef shark in an artistic aesthetic, Cuba
 

Silky sharks gather near the surface at sunset, Cuba
 

A marine iguana feeds on algae while a green turtle heads up for a breath, Galápagos, Ecuador
 

Up close and personal with the business end of a parrotfish, Egypt
 

A male largemouth bass keeps a watchful eye on a huge cloud of his fry, New Hampshire, USA
 

Basket stars spawn en masse at night, Egypt
 

A group of bat stars feed on a deceased Mola mola, California, USA
 

Surgeonfish spawn at dusk, creating a massive cloud of sperm and eggs, Egypt
 

A gnarly-looking wolffish comes up to inspect the photographer, Iceland
 

A small snail crawls across a piece of sugar kelp, Massachusetts, USA
 

To see more of Jake’s award-winning work, please give him a follow on Instagram and check out his website.