Articles

Leafy seadragon, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia
 

To create a good portfolio of underwater images that stand out from the crowd, it helps to be in the water as often as possible, have good dive skills in a variety of environments, and regularly dive with other photographers who inspire and encourage you to improve. This certainly seems to be a winning formula for our Photographer of the Week, Rosie Leaney.

Rosie lives in Sydney, Australia, and divides her time between working as a hospital-based physiotherapist and working as a divemaster. She also helps her husband, fellow wildlife photographer Scott Portelli, run photography tours in Tonga and other locations, which have resulted in some amazing underwater encounters and photographic opportunities.

As you can see, Rosie is an accomplished diver and photographer and is happy in warm or cold water with any animal, big or small. Having spent plenty of time in Tonga, she unsurprisingly has some awesome humpback whale shots, but what I like most about her collection is that she has chosen to feature plenty of images taken at home in Sydney and from other dive sites Down Under. It’s always great to have a photographer showcasing the wildlife where they live, and Rosie has perfectly captured some of the continent’s most iconic marine life, including the endemic leafy seadragon and giant cuttlefish.

As well as taking pictures at her local dive sites, Rosie is also involved in their conservation and organizes a regular Dive Against Debris program through Dive Centre Manly, which has quickly gained momentum and become very popular within the community. Expect to see and hear much more from Rosie in the future, as she and Scott prepare to embark on a year-long journey in 2020, camping and diving at various locations around the Australian coastline.
 

A stitched panorama of divers cleaning up their local dive site, Sydney, Australia (click for full size)
 

Two Australian giant cuttlefish, Upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia
 

Frogfish, Lord Howe Island, Australia
 

Silver drummer in the shallows, Lord Howe Island, Australia
 

Spider crab aggregation, Victoria, Australia
 

Pygmy leatherjacket feeding on kelp, Sydney, Australia
 

Eastern blue groper, Sydney, Australia
 

Whale shark and freediver, Vava’u, Tonga
 

Curious humpback whale calf, Tonga
 

Humpback whale calf landing after a breach, Vava’u, Tonga
 

Blacktip shark and remora, Ha’apai, Tonga
 

Rosie Leaney in action
 

For more of Rosie’s beautiful captures, follow her on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find her guiding and teaching at Dive Center Manly.