Oceanographic Magazine (OM): You won third place in the 2021 overall Ocean Photographer of the Year category. Tell us a bit more about the background of the winning shot.

Matty Smith (MS): The winning shot is a photograph of a newly hatched hawksbill turtle. This little creature was about a minute or two old and was 3.5cm long. I was invited by Dietmar and Ange at Lissenung Island in Papua New Guinea to come and photograph the hatchlings for their charity merchandise. Dietmar and Ange are the owners of the dive resort on the island and spend all their spare time rescuing turtle nests from the reaches of poachers. Another problem they are facing on the island are thinning beaches due to climate change which means turtles have smaller and smaller areas to nest. This leads to the turtles nesting too closely to vegetation, so the eggs often get attacked by plant roots seeking nutrition. Dietmar, Ange and their team assess and often relocate turtle nests, so they have a better chance at surviving.

The biggest challenge with this shot was lighting. It’s a very small and quite fast-moving subject. I wanted to capture the ambient sunset light in the background as well as light the top and underside of the turtle with strobes. I think the secret to using strobes is using them subtly so the shot looks natural as though they were never used at all. Before the shoot, I spent a lot of time experimenting with different lighting configurations until I got something I liked. What I needed to bring across was connection to the subject, something I always strive for. The turtle looking straight into the lens creates that connection needed for the shot to truly work.

OM: Any advice for people wanting to enter the Ocean Photographer of the Year competition this year?

MS: Originality is key with high-end competitions such as the Ocean Photographer of the Year. If you have something that has been shot in a manner not often seen before, then you stand a good chance. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a rare or remote subject; it just needs to look new or exciting. Also, a strong conservation message will help in this age of climate change we find ourselves in.