Articles

A seahare traverses a kelp forest, Cornwall, UK
 

We return to the United Kingdom this week for our DPG Photographer of the Week. Shannon Moran is an award-winning underwater photographer and visual storyteller based in Falmouth, Cornwall. Her underwater photography journey started at Falmouth University, where she studied Marine & Natural History Photography before graduating in 2020. In the years since, Shannon became a scuba diving instructor and continued to capture the vibrant and often unseen beauty of marine life in British waters and beyond, before more recently joining the team at Fourth Element.

Shannon is driven by a strong passion for ocean conservation and a meticulous eye for detail. Her work has been recognized in competitions such as Underwater Photographer of the Year and the British Wildlife Photography Awards. Her images have also appeared in outlets like SCUBA, NatureTTL, and Underwater Photograhy magazine. Shannon currently shoots with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II with 8mm fisheye, 30mm macro and 60mm macro lenses. She still rocks a pair of trusty Inon Z-240 strobes and a few extra accessories like Nightsea fluorescence filters.

Seven years since beginning her underwater photography journey, Shannon says she remains just as enthusiastic about diving beneath the waves to capture new images, and she spends most of her time exploring the temperate waters of Cornwall. Shannon is a real advocate for exploring what is on your doorstep—while still indulging in the occasional trip to some warmer water destinations!
 

A freediver shares space with a bottlenose dolphin, Red Sea, Egypt
 

A bluefin trevally hunts a school of baitfish in the shallows, Red Sea, Egypt
 

A close-up look at the mouth of a Dahlia anemone, Cornwall, UK
 

Coral polyps fluorescing during a shallow night dive, Red Sea, Egypt
 

A small ghost goby perched atop a brain coral, Red Sea, Egypt
 

A green turtle cruises along a shallow reef in the Red Sea, Egypt
 

Squirrelfish and soldierfish hang out together beneath an overhang, Red Sea, Egypt
 

A scorpionfish warily eyeballs the camera, Cornwall, UK
 

The world’s cutest nudibranch, Shawn the sheep! Red Sea, Egypt
 

A small-spotted catshark rests among the kelp, Cornwall, UK
 

A sea fan growing on the wall at famous Elphinstone Reef, Red Sea, Egypt
 

A spider crab trundles through a seagrass meadow, Cornwall, UK
 

An unfortunately-named edible crab, caught in discarded fishing gear, Cornwall, UK
 

Golden kelp beneath the setting sun, Cornwall, UK
 

To see more of Shannon’s underwater work, please give her a follow on Instagram and check out her website, www.shannonmoranphoto.com.