Winners Gallery
3rd place Exploration Photographer of the Year
Matty Smith Australia
Squid portrait. “I had spent several winters exploring various inland waters and bays at night looking for squid to photograph,” says photographer Matty Smith. “I find their behaviour and colourings mesmerising. I wanted to produce images that really captured their personality. I found by lying on my back on the sand on the seabed and shooting from below almost anthropomorphises their faces and reveals a character rarely seen.”
BEHIND THE LENS
Matty Smith United Kingdom (UK)
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Glassy calm water
- Taken while scuba diving
- Pre-dawn shoot
- Walk-in shore dive
Matty Smith is an internationally acclaimed ocean and underwater photographer whose award-winning images reveal the beauty, mystery and fragility of the natural world. Originally from the UK and now based in Australia, he has spent decades documenting marine wildlife, from tropical reefs to the icy waters of Antarctica. His work has been featured by the BBC, National Geographic and leading international publications, and exhibited worldwide. A Nikon Australia and Aquatica ambassador, Matty is passionate about inspiring ocean conservation through powerful visual storytelling, while leading immersive photography expeditions that connect people with some of the planet's most extraordinary marine environments.
MORE IMAGES BY Matty Smith
WildlifePhotographer of the Year
2026 Falkland Islands
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.