Articles

A pair (look closely) of Coleman’s shrimps sheltering on their venomous fire urchin home, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

Lauren Wang is a relatively recent newcomer to the underwater photography game, but you wouldn't know that based on her feature here! Based in Connecticut, USA, Lauren got her advanced open water certification in the Cayman Islands in 2016. At the time, she was using a Nikon Coolpix and a GoPro for her underwater image and video making. As many an underwater photographer can relate to, the temptation to dive into video at some point along the line is a strong one, and Lauren took a big step up and got a Panasonic Lumix GH5, a top-notch camera for video.

Lauren went on her first photo workshop in 2022 with Alex Mustard. She says: “I had no idea what I was doing and I remember at the beginning of the workshop I did a macro dive and just pretended to take pictures as I didn’t have any idea what to do with my strobes!” However, by the end of the week, she was inspired by Alex and was fully hooked on photography! Workshops are fantastic places to catch camera envy and Lauren was no exception: Shortly after the trip, she upgraded to a Nikon D850, which she still uses.

While her portfolio here features many images from tropical destinations like the Lembeh Strait or the Red Sea, Lauren does do some diving in her local (and much colder) New England waters. Wide-angle images are Lauren’s preferred pictures to shoot but she has also become a skilled macro shooter. Lauren hopes her images will inspire friends and family to be aware of their everyday lives and how they might impact marine life.
 

Fortunately, there are still places where lobster thrive, Maine, USA
 

A nighttime whale shark, Maldives
 

This very hairy hairy frogfish looks good in purple, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

The Baja sardine run’s largest predator, the Bryde’s whale, Baja California, Mexico
 

The Chrisoula K wreck, which sunk in the 1980s after striking the reef on which it now lies, Egypt
 

A small combtooth blenny perched among the coral rubble, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A small school of batfish hang out near a beautiful reef in the Red Sea, Egypt
 

It is disco time for this coconut octopus, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A soft coral goby that has picked a beautiful perch on which to sit, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

Sometimes frogfish like this painted get camouflage wrong, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A classic Raja Ampat reef scene with huge corals and thousands of fish, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

Mahi-mahi rip through a baitball, Baja California, Mexico
 

Slow shutter snooted seahorse, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A coconut octopus sheltering in its clam shells, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

To see more of Lauren’s beautiful work, please give her a follow on Instagram.