Articles

Gorgeous afternoon light bathes the shallow waters kelps and seagrasses along the coast, UK
 

Underwater photographers often have endlessly complicated rigs, replete with all manner of lights and lenses, and are loaded for bear on scuba with various accessories. Jethro Haynes, based out of West Cornwall in the UK, strips down his approach and brings a mask, snorkel fins, and a camera in a housing. Using natural light and holding his breath, he has reduced the subaquatic photographic experience to its basic elements—being underwater and taking photos. This, of course, comes with some challenges, particularly in the wildly changeable conditions of the Cornish Atlantic. But for Jethro, the payoff is worth it. When the elements align, it negates all the bad visibility and poor weather visits.

Jethro says that chasing natural light adds a fine art element to his photography. Direct and clear sunlight is desirable, but the diffusion of solar illumination through an overcast sky or misty sea can create a natural soft box effect that works beautifully to showcase the delicate and subtle details of jellyfish and other otherworldly lifeforms.

Different times of day and tide create myriad moods to work with. His favorite dive spots are based on quality and direction of light, scenery and potential animal encounters. Having been lucky enough to experience some lesser-seen local phenomena, including spider crab aggregations and salp and jellyfish blooms, he continues his year-round regular delves into nearby waters, never knowing quite what he may find.

He has now been capturing underwater scenes on and off for over two decades, starting with a Kodak disposable purchased on the way to the Red Sea, then for many years a Canon PowerShot G9 with housing, and now a Sony a7 Mark III with one lens and housing, a setup that aligns with his simplified approach. Working within these parameters, he feels that these minimized options push him to be more creative. He avoids looking for tips and ideas for photographs, much preferring trial, error and following his own personal aesthetic.

Jethro hopes his work will encourage people to marvel at and take care of our natural world as well as consider the lives and realities of the other beings with whom we all share this planet we call home.
 

A compass jelly and its one fish entourage, UK
 

Kelp forests are perhaps the most ethereal of all underwater ecosystems, UK
 

A portrait of a beautiful barrel jellyfish as it cruises the shallows, UK
 

Beautiful evening light illuminates a school of baitfish as they head for the safety of the kelp, UK
 

An aptly-named blue jellyfish strikes a pose in the sun rays, UK
 

A pair of common octopuses mating? Fighting? It is hard to tell with octopuses! UK
 

A spider crab transversing a kelp forest, UK
 

A common octopus putting on a display, making itself appear larger, UK
 

Ethereal beams of light illuminate the kelp bed below, UK
 

Close-up details of the textures of a large common octopus, UK
 

An unfortunate little mauve stinger has found itself ensnared by a bigger, badder individual, UK
 

Dense growth in the shallows provides shelter for countless marine organisms, UK
 

A Pagea confoederata salp chain floats through a Salpa fusiformis salp bloom, UK
 

A giant seasonal mass of spider crabs clambers all over each other as they molt and mate, UK
 

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