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A crab riding a jellyfish, Trieste, Italy
 

Hailing from Trieste, a coastal city in northeastern corner of Italy, our newest Photographer of the Week, Claudio Zori, offers us a fine introduction to the subjects and scenes of the Mediterranean. Passionate about the underwater world since he was young, Claudio obtained his open water certification in 1990 and soon had the opportunity to try underwater photography during a trip to the Maldives. After encouraging results, it wasn’t long before Claudio was inseparable from his Nikonos V, and later a housed Nikon SLR.

Claudio began entering the competition scene and obtained various domestic underwater photography titles, both individually and as a participant on Italian photographic teams. Since 2002, he has obtained various wins, placements and mentions in national as well as international underwater photo contests. While his backyard is the Mediterranean Sea and he has had the opportunity to shoot underwater all over the world, the place that he holds dearest is the Canadian Pacific. Personally, I think that is completely understandable—the Pacific Northwest is a special region.

Claudio is still a dedicated Nikon shooter and currently uses the venerable D500. His lenses of choice are the ever-popular Tokina 10–17mm and the 60mm macro. A big fan of snoots, Claudio uses them frequently and—as you can see below—with spectacular effect.
 

Juvenile wolf eel, British Columbia, Canada
 

The spectacularly weird face of an abalone, Trieste, Italy
 

A hatchling loggerhead turtle crusing along the surface, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

A crayfish trying to intimidate the camera, Cornino Lake, Italy
 

A diver admiring an interesting coral formation, Porto Cesareo, Italy
 

Felimare picta nudibranch from Rijeka, Croatia
 

Moon jellyfish pulsating just below the surface, British Columbia, Canada
 

A beautiful opalescent nudibranch hanging out with a snail buddy on kelp, British Columbia, Canada
 

Fish-eating and plumose anemones share a boulder, British Columbia, Canada
 

A Mediterranean bobtail squid, Trieste, Italy
 

Two male wrasses go mouth to mouth in a territorial dispute, Rijeka, Croatia
 

A weaver buried in the sand waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey, Rijeka, Croatia
 

Two European toads busy making more toads, Trieste, Italy
 

Claudio with his workhorse
 

To see more of Claudio’s award-winning work, head over to his Facebook page.