#matty smith

White Seahorse

By Matty Smith, Sydney, Australia

“Two Great White Sharks cruising over seagrass beds”

“The conditions were perfect on this day at South Neptune Island. We had a dozen sharks swimming under the MV Rodney Fox with a visibility of 30m+. The weather was calm and sunny, and the ocean was mirror-like. Using a slow shutter, full power strobes, and a panning technique, I was able to freeze the movement of the closest shark whilst portraying the gentle movement and atmosphere of the scene in the seagrass.”

by Matty Smith (Australia)

Moments before this frame, three male giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) were trying to court a female. A fight ensued between two males and they inked the water as they grappled and rolled out of frame. The female bolted and this male was left in the aftermath, still displaying his vivid courting colours. Whyalla, South Australia.

Photograph: Matty Smith

Like all corals, spiral whips (Cirrhipathes sp.) are a colony of individual coral polyps, but in this case they build a unique coiled form. The gap noticeable in the polyps is where a coral goby has made a clearing to lay its eggs, also revealing the coral’s black skeleton. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia.

Photograph: Matty Smith

An abstract portrait of a small bay squid.

Great White Shark, South Neptune Islands, South Australia

Great white split - Great White Shark

© Matty Smith