Winners Gallery
Finalist Exploration Photographer of the Year
Matty Smith Australia
A Southern Bobtail Squid puts on a performance. “When I came across this Southern Bobtail Squid it seemed to take interest in its reflection in my camera lens port and began to dance with this curious and colourful display,” says photographer Matty Smith. “‘I’ve only witnessed this behaviour a couple of times in several years of diving at this spot, but on this occasion I managed to capture it before the animal vanished into the night.”
BEHIND THE LENS
Matty Smith United Kingdom (UK)
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Taken at night
- Captured while scuba diving
- High tide
- Shot at a depth of just 3m
Matty Smith is an internationally-acclaimed award-winning photographer. He is based in Australia, having emigrated from the UK in 2007. "I have the worlds biggest playground at my feet, the Pacific Ocean," he says. "And I have truly fallen in love with it."
MORE IMAGES BY Matty Smith
Conservation (Hope)Photographer of the Year
2024 Sydney, Australia
Reconnect. Immerse yourself. Be inspired.
Enjoy the vibrancy, beauty and impact of each year's finalist photography, celebrated in our Ocean Photographer of the Year coffee table book collection.
