Winners Gallery
2nd place Ocean Portfolio Award
Renee Capozzola Hawaii
"A young green sea turtle comes in close for a portrait in Maui, Hawaii where sea turtles thrive thanks to their strong legal protections," says Capozzola. "This image was taken at Mala Pier in Lahaina, which collapsed in 1992 during Hurricane Iniki and now serves as an underwater reef, encrusted with corals and providing a habitat for animals to rest, feed, and hide. Numerous turtles also frequent the area to get cleaned. This turtle is getting cleaned by two black tangs in the water column close to the surface."
All of Renee's Collective Portfolio Award entry
Click on image to view details
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Clear day
- Sunset shoot
- Light swell
- Taken on scuba equipment
“This picture shows a grey reef shark coming in to investigate a school of “manini” or convict tangs, which have recently spawned in shallow water near the surface and just before sunset,” says Capozzola. “This image was shot in Fakarava, French Polynesia, which is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and an example of a balanced, healthy marine environment where the reefs and sharks are strongly protected. I converted this picture to black and white to emphasise the beautiful contrasts found among the shark, fish, water, and reflections.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Midday shoot
- Taken while snorkelling
- No swell
- Site accessed by boat
“I captured this half and half image of a woman in a handmade canoe passing over a shallow, healthy mangrove habitat containing numerous hard corals and fish near Kavieng, Papua New Guinea,” says Capozzola. “The mangroves are vital to our planet’s health as they store carbon, provide a nursery for juvenile fish, and protect shorelines from storms. Although this habitat is thriving and at the planet’s centre of marine biodiversity, it may be near the tipping point and is susceptible to the effects of climate change, which is a reminder of the urgent need to conserve our marine ecosystems and preserve them for the future.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Night dive
- Light winds
- Moderate swell
- Taken on scuba equipment
“This image shows a female paper nautilus with egg case riding a small jellyfish and was shot with a 60mm macro lens during a blackwater dive in Anilao, Philippines,” says Capozzola. “These unique cephalopods come up towards the surface at night to feed and aerate their eggs, and were mostly unknown to people except the local fishermen until blackwater diving became popular in the area.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Sunset shoot
- No swell
- Site accessed on kayak
- Taken while snorkelling
Blacktip reef sharks and sunset seen through Snell’s window in Moorea, French Polynesia. “This image was shot in a shallow lagoon and is an example of a healthy marine environment where sharks thrive thanks to their strong legal protections,” says Capozzola. “This image gives a glimpse of how the ocean can look when we give it a chance and protect it.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Late morning shoot
- Site accessed by boat
- Taken while snorkalling
- Clear day
“In this half and half image, the sun pierces through two small ice formations on the top of an iceberg in Antarctica,” says Capozzola. “I captured this image by snorkelling in the freezing water with a drysuit and using a very small aperture to get the sun’s rays through the ice. Although this area is very remote and the ice is beautiful, sea ice levels are currently being reported at their lowest. Due to the effects of climate change, the Antarctic is getting warmer, and the ice is decreasing, posing risk to the rest of our planet with rising sea levels.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Excellent visibility
- Light swell
- Shore dive
- Early morning shoot
A rare encounter with four green sea turtles serenely swimming together under the sun’s rays in a single frame. “I captured this image by staying still, waiting patiently to press the shutter, and not exhaling any bubbles into the shot,” says Capozzola. “This image was only possible due to the strong legal protections that allow green sea turtles to thrive in Hawaii. By successfully enacting and enforcing these protections, Hawaii shows the rest of the world what can be accomplished through excellent conservation practices.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Shore dive
- Shot for an article on spawning
- Taken while snorkelling
- Sunset
“This split image was shot on the remote atoll of Fakarava which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,” says Capozzola. “Due to strong protections, the marine ecosystem here is full of life, and you can view many sharks in their natural habitat. During this visit, I was extremely lucky to be there just after the full moon when a large school of tangs spawned for several days just before sunset in shallow water nearby, attracting even more sharks with the heightened activity. When this picture was taken, it was getting quite dark, but I captured the moment using my flash guns underwater and a higher shutter speed.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Captured using a snoot
- Shore dive
- Midday shoot
- Sunny conditions overhead
“A yellow thorny seahorse makes eye contact with a tiny shrimp, which is part of its diet,” says Capozzola. “This image was shot with a 60mm lens while using backlighting with a snoot in Dauin, Philippines where you can see many small creatures living in the muck. This seahorse was positioned by a small patch of algae and seemed to be examining the shrimp, waiting for an opportunity to capture the tiny animal, which is done by using its elongated snout as a pipette to suck in small crustaceans.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Light swell
- Good visibility
- Site accessed by boat
- Taken while snorkelling
“This half and half image was taken in Rangiroa, French Polynesia where the marine ecosystem is strongly protected and marine life thrives,” says Capozzola. “The school of red snapper sweeping over the healthy hard coral reef during a vibrant sunset offers the viewer a window to how bountiful our oceans can look when protected.”
BEHIND THE LENS
Renee Capozzola
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Early morning shoot
- Sunny conditions
- Coastal walk-in
- Taken on scuba
Renee Capozzola is a conservation-oriented underwater photographer who has received over fifty prestigious international awards for her work. Renee’s work has been featured by multiple news outlets such as CNN, USA Today, BBC News, People, the Today Show, and France 2. When she is not in the water, Renee enjoys speaking at various events, judging photo competitions, and educating others about the importance of preserving marine ecosystems.
MORE IMAGES BY Renee Capozzola
Fine ArtPhotographer of the Year
2024 Tahiti, French Polynesia
Human Connection Award: People & Planet Ocean
2023 French Polynesia
Conservation (Hope)Photographer of the Year
2023 Maui, Hawaii
Conservation (Hope)Photographer of the Year
2022 Philippines
Conservation (Hope)Photographer of the Year
2022 Hawaii
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.
