Articles

As 2024 comes to a close, we here at DPG decided to look back at some of our favorite and most popular feature articles from the past 12 months. While cutting it down to a list of just 10 was a difficult task, we think we have compiled a great summary of the year as a whole. From big animals to blackwater critters, expensive optics to freediving for photography, check out some of the best articles of the year. Perhaps garner some inspiration for your own shooting in 2025 and make it your most productive year underwater yet!
 

1. Blackwater Cozumel

By Matthew Sullivan

While locations like Hawaii and Anilao built the blackwater diving community, Cozumel has claimed its spot among the best destinations in the world to find the pelagic realm’s weirdest and wackiest. Robert Stansfield and Blackwater Cozumel have turned the Mexican island into a blackwater mecca. Check out a stunning array of blackwater creatures, expertly photography by Robert, and find out how you can join him in the deep.
 

2. Capturing Critter Behavior at the Atlantis Dive Resorts

By Marty Snyderman

Capturing marine life behavior is among the most challenging pursuits for an underwater photographer. Often it is a matter of sheer luck that we happen to be in the right place at the right time. However, it is certainly possible to maximize your chances of capturing compelling behavior images. Marty Snyderman has spent decades shooting the waters around Dumaguete in the Philippines, a fantastic place for photographing any manner of amazing macro life. Knowing the natural history of your subjects, being intimately familiar with your camera gear, and time spent in the water will all contribute to coming home with award-worthy behavior images. 
 

3. Freediving to Maximize Your Photography Opportunities

By Andrew McLachlan

While many underwater photographers choose scuba as their means of accessing the underwater world, Andrew McLachlan often eschews the bubble-blowing equipment and opts for just a mask, snorkel, and fins. While of course freediving limits your depth, the lack of a time limit can often increase your photographic opportunities. Andrew extolls these virtues of freediving for underwater photography and showcases some wonderful images that make a compelling case as to why you might want to sometimes do the same. 
 

4. Full Frontal: Non-invasive Techniques to Get Your Subject to Look at the Camera

By Gabriel Jensen

Perhaps one of the more difficult images to shoot of marine life, especially smaller creatures, is a face-on perspective with eye contact. Generally, wildlife tends to look away from the camera at just the wrong moment. Gabe Jensen provides some tips and tricks on getting subjects to mantain eye contact while you snap their portrait, without stressing or bothering the animal. Go full frontal with this article and add some compelling portraits full of eye contact to your underwater image portfolio. 
 

5. My Favorite Gear: Nauticam EMWL

By Matthew Sullivan

Nauticam is well known for producing a range of high-end, revolutionary water-contact optics. Perhaps the most unique of those is the Extended Wide Macro Lens (EMWL). This sought-after optic converts a macro lens into a close-focus wide-angle machine with an FOV between 60° to 160° depending on which front optic you choose. Matthew Sullivan explains in detail why this lens has a special place in his gear pack and will be there for a long time to come. 
 

6. Photographing California’s Salmon Run

By Matthew Perez

Places like British Columbia or Alaska may come to mind first when picturing a salmon run, with thousands of fish en masse heading up streams or rivers towards spawning grounds. However, California deserves a serious look for those looking to photograph any number of salmon species. Chinook and coho, two charismatic species, are dominant but are not the only species available. California resident Matthew Perez is a relative newcomer to the underwater photography scene but that hasn't stopped him from chasing salmon all over California. Read on to learn what the salmon run experience is all about and a few tips on how best to maximize your photographic opportunities. 
 

7. Debunking the Myths Around TTL Strobe Exposure for Underwater Photography

By Jean Rydberg

Strobes are an essential component to the vast majority of underwater images. They allow us to bring forth the light, color, and details that water robs from a scene. And while many underwater shooters shoot their flashes manually to have the ultimate control over their lighting, for many a photographer, TTL might be the way to go. Ikelite President and CEO Jean Rydberg breaks down the myths surrounding TTL and why you may want to consider this method of shooting, when to use it, and how it could be beneficial to your underwater image-making pursuits.
 

8. Australian Octopus Paradise: Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula

By Sam Glenn-Smith

The Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia is an octopus hotspot. Local Aussie Sammy Glenn-Smith is an octopus fanatic and after reading his breakdown of the species it is possible to encounter in these chilly waters, you might be as well. From the world’s most venomous cephalopod, the diminutive blue-ringed octopus, to the second-largest octopus on Earth, the Maori octopus, the Mornington Peninsula is an octopus lover’s dream. Don a drysuit, grab your camera, and dive into this eight-armed paradise. 
 

9. Photographing Indonesian Leatherbacks

By Kat Zhou

The Kri Islands in the Indonesian archipelago are home to a population of the world’s largest turtle, the leatherback. These iconic marine turtles are drawn here by one of their favorite food sources—jellyfish. The abundance of prey and relatively high numbers of leatherbacks combine to make Kri perhaps the best place on the planet for photographing the giant reptiles underwater. Kat Zhou takes us on an adventure into this corner of Indonesia to meet the leatherback and provides her tips on coming home with successful images.
 

10. Underwater Photography with a Rebreather

By David Hicks

The vast majority of underwater photographers rely on classic scuba gear and dive an open circuit system. Pacific Northwest based diver Dave Hicks extolls the virtues of using a closed circuit rebreather (CCR) for underwater photography. Rebreathers allow longer bottom times, longer bottom times at deeper depths, and no bubbles, all of which can greatly enhance your ability to capture the shot. Dave might convince you that your next photography purpose may not be camera related at all but perhaps a CCR instead.