Articles

An adorable head-on perspective on Hydatina physis, Bali, Indonesia
 

Growing up in northern Minnesota—known as the land of 10,000 lakes—Jon Piepkorn was surrounded by water from a very young age. However, scuba diving didn’t become a hobby until he visited Fiji in 1998, when he completed his PADI Open Water Diver course. Over the next few years, during multiple trips to Fiji, he completed all the PADI courses up to Divemaster—never imagining he would eventually become a PADI professional.

In 2008, Jon made the life-changing decision to leave the corporate world and become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, relocating to Fiji full time. His first opportunity as a dive instructor and guide was in Taveuni. He spent nearly 15 years in Fiji, but it wasn’t until late 2017 that the underwater photography bug finally bit him. At that time, Fiji was known as “The Island of the Sharks,” and his mantra became: “If it isn’t a shark or a manta ray, I don’t want to take a picture of it.”

Unfortunately, with COVID on the horizon and after overcoming several personal challenges, Jon moved back “home” to Minnesota in late 2021 for a few months while planning his next move—this time to Indonesia. In late 2021, he relocated to Bali, eventually settling on the northeast coast in the Amed/Tulamben area. This is where his passion for macro photography truly flourished. After being gently persuaded that macro photography was, in fact, “super cool,” he quickly became hooked on this new photographic focus. Now retired and diving nearly every day, Jon has fallen in love with muck diving—not just in northeast Bali, but throughout Indonesia. His passion for macro photography grew exponentially.

With the freedom to dive daily, his portfolio of underwater macro shots—and the variety of critters captured—quickly expanded into the tens of thousands. Even after four years of diving Bali’s northeast coast, he still regularly discovers new subjects, which continues to amaze and inspire him.
 

An itty-bitty Aegires villosus crawling across a small algae clump, Bali, Indonesia
 

A diver poses with a giant frogfish, Bali, Indonesia
 

Big bull sharks swarm in a chum cloud above the reef, Beqa, Fiji
 

Chelidonura hirundinina in a yin-and-yang breeding pose, Bali, Indonesia
 

An isopod guarding a clutch of newly hatched babies, Bali, Indonesia
 

Everybody’s favortie Doto species, for good reason! Bali, Indonesia
 

A Eubranchus species that looks like blown glass, Bali, Indonesia
 

A stunning emperor shrimp hitchhiking on a slug, Bali, Indonesia
 

A jawfish incubating a clutch of developing eggs, Bali, Indonesia
 

A beautiful, semi-transparent Polycera species photographed with a white background, Bali, Indonesia
 

A small gathering of Sagaminopteron psychedelicum meet up to reproduce, Bali, Indonesia
 

A small pygmy squid warily eyes the photographer, Bali, Indonesia
 

A beautiful head-on look at Unidentia sandramillenae, Bali, Indonesia
 

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