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A small jellyfish glides over the mosaics in the ancient sunken town of Baiae, Naples, Italy
 

If you hail from the Italian Peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, it’s safe to say that chances are higher you grew up by the sea and have a deep affinity for the ocean. Of course, not every Italian raised that way starts diving with a camera, but it sure explains why there seem to be so many talented underwater shooters from the Bel Paese—like our Photographer of the Week Pietro Cremone.

Born in Castellammare di Stabia, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, the young Pietro was, as the story goes, thoroughly smitten by the sea, exploring the tide pools with mask and fins, and later trying to spear fish with limited success. Growing up, it wasn’t long before “pulling the trigger” took on a different meaning as he began shooting fish not with a speargun but a camera—first a small waterproof Minolta, then a modestly housed Nikon FG. As Pietro puts it, “Hard times—going on a single breath and with manual focus!”

Fast-forward to today and Pietro has turned his passion into a business as owner of Rome-based Fotosub-Shop. You won’t find any vintage 35mm film cameras here, but there’s a good chance you’ll bump into one of those skilled Italian underwater photographers purchasing their next big rig.

Fortunately for us, Pietro doesn’t just sell cool housings, wet lenses, strobes and the like; he’s kept on shooting all these years and become an accomplished photographer in his own right, with his formidable images appearing in exhibitions and placing in competitions around the world. And while you’ll find plenty of locations all over the globe featured in his pictures, it’s the ones from his own Mediterranean backyard that steal the show.
 

Sunset split shot under one of Ustica’s watchtowers, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
 

Beautiful water lilies at Car Wash Cenote, Yucatán, Mexico
 

A sea lion does a flyby, Los Islotes, Mexico
 

A bull shark cruises by at Cabo Pulmo, Mexico
 

Southern stingrays at Grand Cayman’s Stingray City
 

A jetty reefscape in Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

Slow-shutter clownfish, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

An Armina magna nudibranch, Anilao, Philippines
 

A leaf fish enjoys some backlighting, Anilao, Philippines
 

Nightdiving with Parrotfish in the Maldives
 

A classic reefscape in Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

Clownfish and their host anemone, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia
 

Pietro Cremone
 

See more of Pietro’s lovely work on his website, www.cremone.it, or keep track of him on Flickr.