50 Stunning Underwater Photos
Of all the different types of photography showcased on Smashing Magazine, underwater photography is probably one of the most difficult to practice. It requires a very specialized equipment and the knowledge of some advanced techniques to get a perfect picture. You need to get the correct exposure, accurate focus, controlled movement of your subject and a pleasing color balance; you also have to deal with low light. Underwater photos offen suffer from loss of color and contrast when taken at a significant depth. Such photos are always adjusted with color balance to help offset the blueish tint of the water.
Because underwater photography is a specialized art, relatively few photographers attempt it. But it offers many exciting and rare photographic opportunities for fresh and truly different vivid images. Most often, photographers use a traditional film or digital camera covered in a watertight casing. Professionals prefer to use special underwater cameras.
Below, we present over 50 beautiful examples of underwater photos, created by artists and professional photographers. All works featured below have the artists and photographers’ names linked to their portfolios or websites. At the bottom of this post you’ll fine some links to Flickr groups where you can find more similar and exciting photos.
Also consider our previous showcases:
- 35 Beautiful Examples Of Rain Photography
- 45 Beautiful Motion Blur Photos
- Beautiful Black And White Photos
- (Really) Stunning Pictures and Photos
- Celebration Of Smoke Photography and Smoke Art
50 Stunning Underwater Photos
Kenvin Pinardy
Dancing underwater.
Gattaldo
Water just makes every situation more poetic and graceful.
Smodger
Colorful scene captured using macro photography technique.
Tina Owens
Blue crab holding an urchin on its head for protection.
Saul Kondrotas
Jellyfish
Last Click
1938 underwater photography
By Bruce Mozertom.
Further Resources
Links for further photographs and related resources.
- Life Aquatic
The Life Aquatic group welcomes pictures of, but not limited to, amphibians, annelids, abalone, anemones, aquariums, aquatic plants, birds, bryozoans, chambered nautilus, cnidaria, coral reefs, crustaceans, coelenterates, ctenophores, fish, freshwater fish, jellyfish, marine mammals, mollusks, octopi, reptiles, sea snakes, sea squirts, sea turtles, sharks, sponges, squid, starfish, tunicates, etc. - Aquatic Turtles
All species of aquatic turtles - Aquatic insects
Photography of benthic macroinvertebrates, including dragonflies, mosquitoes, mayflies, stoneflies, water striders, beetles, etc. - Digital Underwater Photography
Scuba and other underwater photos. - Underwater Indoneesia
Photos taken underwater in Indonesia, including Bali, Java, Moluccas, Papua (Irian Jaya), Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi (Celebes), and other dive spots in Indonesia. - Underwater Maldives
Photos taken underwater in the Maldives Islands. - Underwater Videos
Underwater, scuba, diving or snorkeling videos.
(al)
ahnShev
October 19th, 2008 4:07 pmPertamax :D
wow…great!!
Jonthan
October 19th, 2008 4:38 pmThese are amazing!
Tombo
October 19th, 2008 5:01 pmFYI, #12 (Exhale) isn’t actually an underwater photograph. On the flickr page the creator states that it was photoshopped.
edsonworks
October 19th, 2008 5:07 pmi wish i can survive in underwater world… brilliant shot!
Keris
October 19th, 2008 5:51 pmbeautiful, great :)
robotobi
October 19th, 2008 6:00 pmseriously. pictures are nice.. once in a while.
but i’d like to see some more webdev related content again..
Daniel
October 19th, 2008 6:35 pmHello, I am from Indaiatuba (São Paulo, Brazil) and love the Smashing Magazine.
These pictures are really fantastic.
bert
October 19th, 2008 7:00 pmstunning!
Dave
October 19th, 2008 8:35 pmThe girls in flowing fabric under water is completely played out…
Jenghis
October 19th, 2008 8:53 pmI like the turtle photo :)
simply makes me want to swim with it.
Nate
October 19th, 2008 9:43 pmIs it just me, or do the vast majority of these photos look 100% photoshopped? These aren’t even photos that have simply been “touched up”; the human models look much more like plastic than flesh. You could have found 50 photos that look realistic instead of this fake stuff. Even if most of these are real shots, they’ve all been photoshopped well beyond acceptable limits.
True beauty is found in real photographs that capture the eye and the imagination. Not in photos that look like they popped out of a hollywood film. *rolls eyes*
blaise capri
June 9th, 2010 8:47 pmok, seriously there must be something wrong with u. everyone knows some of these pics were photoshopped! it’s gonna be a real hard time tryin’ to get all that negative energy outta ya, u must not have many friends. cuz thats real sad. people are tryin to enjoy somethin and ur ruining it
Albiona
October 19th, 2008 9:52 pmStunning as always. I would like to make a suggestion: could you please implement a j/k navigation (like reader and boston dot com, and of course, emacs) so it is handier to jump to the next picture or topic?
Andris
October 19th, 2008 10:35 pmI like the ones of Dustin Humphrey and the tiger of Eldad Hagar. The others are also nice, but those are the nicest.
Gerd Wippich
October 19th, 2008 10:46 pmSo beautiful! Dustin Humphrey is very special.
Joefrey Mahusay
October 19th, 2008 10:48 pmGreat scenes! I love all of these!
yoxx
October 19th, 2008 10:51 pmone word…”awesome!”
speedcu
October 19th, 2008 11:54 pmWOW!!
tinkerbell
March 10th, 2011 11:07 ami would say you are prity speachless
pipomu
October 20th, 2008 12:05 amwow… Really nice pictures
Dele
October 20th, 2008 12:10 amsimply stunning!! I love this genre :)
Ole
October 20th, 2008 12:51 amHey great pictures but i really do miss some ive seen long time ago. That was a book and they pictures of people diving with elephants….they should really be in here…unfortunatly i cant find the page anymore…maybee someone can post the adresse!?
Thanks
David Mathi Raj
October 20th, 2008 2:33 amHey,
Wonderful !
All the photographs are Wonderful, except those with female presence !!
basibanget
October 20th, 2008 4:11 amhere’s a good one
Mayur
October 20th, 2008 4:58 amwow :D Beautiful artistic pictures
SM Rocks ….
Jehzeel Laurente
October 20th, 2008 5:02 amall i can say is… “WOOOOOOOOW”!
MSOnWired
October 20th, 2008 5:06 amThe color is amazing in these pictures. I love the composition and anger in the last National Geographic photo.
onwired.com
tom
October 20th, 2008 5:10 am@nate – who cares if they’ve been photoshopped? Are you one of those people who whinges about people using digital slrs as well, that they’re not proper photographers?
surely true beauty is found in photographs that capture the eye and the imagination. so what if artists choose to use photoshop to create stunning visual effects?
some of these are amazing…
mikey
October 20th, 2008 6:00 am@ tom – i think nate’s point is that the title is “stunning underwater photographs” not “digital artwork inspired by stunning underwater photographs”.
that said, there’s a lot of good work up there. however I agree that we’re seeing TOO many “stunning photos” and hardly enough other stuff, like dev or animation or anything else for that matter.
danny garcía
October 20th, 2008 6:31 amoh! nice pic`s
DaveW
October 20th, 2008 7:16 amFabulous set! I *really* need to go diving again…
Miriam
October 20th, 2008 8:48 amAbsolut beautiful.
Dora
October 20th, 2008 9:17 amWow these are awesome!!! :-)
ZeroD
October 20th, 2008 9:51 amas always amazing showcase
hylas
October 20th, 2008 10:00 amShelly Corbett
This is the best underwater photographer I’ve ever seen.
hylas
kimble
October 20th, 2008 2:56 pmthis is some amazing and very creative photography. i love the vibrant colours and creative contexts.
amazing
Kerrie Brooking
October 20th, 2008 4:17 pmPhotoshopped some may be, but how can we forget the wonderful imagination of the photographer! Just love the shot by Gattaldo, (sea nymph and lover??), visionary at its best!!!
Kelly
October 20th, 2008 6:12 pmThese are all beautiful, but I also agree with the other person who said that the underwater photos of women in flowing fabrics are getting over-done.
For those macro photos – if ANY of you have ever attempted to take photos underwater while diving, you’ll have a sincere appreciation for these shots. It is NOT easy taking underwater photos. Not only are your subjects moving around, but the environment itself is moving YOU around as well: swells, currents, etc. all make taking photos underwater a pretty challenging undertaking. So it’s a treat when you get some of these wonderful closeups and crystal-clear shots (photoshopped, though some may be).
Shunan
October 20th, 2008 7:40 pmevery pic was…wow!!!
alex
October 20th, 2008 7:44 pmgorgeous.
Phani
October 20th, 2008 9:45 pmwow really stunning photos
LULZ
October 21st, 2008 12:40 amThe chick with the tits was hottttt
DaveH
October 21st, 2008 8:31 amWhat??? No Alberich mathews?
selvi
October 22nd, 2008 8:02 amreally xlent wat a picture
Vinay Prajapati
October 22nd, 2008 9:11 amnature is really beautiful, thanks for great share!
Salma Zahid
October 24th, 2008 1:24 amman.. those are some srunning pictures
Flavio Mendes
October 24th, 2008 9:55 amBeautiful :o)
Christian Herbert Kulza
October 24th, 2008 1:12 pmMagníficas. Lindas cores. Dá para imaginar o que há mais abaixo que isso? Fantastic.
Pamela
October 26th, 2008 7:57 pmAll of the comments and opinions on this collection are true of most collections. Some photog’s are purists, some like to enhance, some go wild! The point is the talent and vision that the photographer has and uses to create these beautiful, beautiful photographs.
ishizawa
October 26th, 2008 10:52 pmAmazing image!! I like the color contrast!
john
October 27th, 2008 5:48 amNice but very KIRI !!
payam
October 28th, 2008 9:13 pmbeautiful, great :)
mohammad
October 30th, 2008 8:11 pmok….varey good
かとうせいじ
November 2nd, 2008 2:25 amとてもすばらしいです！！
It’s very beautiful.
Kerrie Brooking
November 4th, 2008 4:19 pmThe shot by Gattaldo is called ‘The Kiss’ and can be viewed at:
http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Underwater/54798
Jason Heller
November 16th, 2008 6:46 pmThe unknown shot is by legend David Doubilet
Mika E Calles
November 18th, 2008 4:25 pmSuch a pleasure to see. Thank you for your creativity…
Dan
November 21st, 2008 8:43 amSome of these are very good. However, i don’t believe the 2 shots of the orange jellyfish in a tank with a blue background taken at aquariums from the dry side of the glass belong in this set. Every amateur with a semi-decent camera that has been to an aquarium with a jellyfish display has nearly identical pics… hardly “stunning”.
yashwanth
November 21st, 2008 9:58 amawesome ,,,,
vry beautful pics,,,,,thks 4 them,,
Rajan
November 29th, 2008 10:45 amIts really beautiful….Great Pictures,Thanks.
olivier
December 5th, 2008 9:11 amsuper cool. suer beautiful. a big thank you!
Gary
January 1st, 2009 1:46 pmWow! Some striking photographs, and many with gorgeous color contrasts.
Dolores Speer
January 10th, 2009 10:39 pmThank you for the terrific pictures!
shenjia
January 20th, 2009 4:41 amI like it
Tarma Castro
January 24th, 2009 3:40 amRealmente magnífico e o Homem destrói aos poucos esse mundo maravilhoso e submerso.
Enk.
March 4th, 2009 8:51 amAwesome Awesome Photography, Cool Post !! Love’em all..
But I’d say some pictures are cool but too odd (naked) ones.
it said 60 not 50
March 20th, 2009 7:05 pmit said 60! Not fucking 50! Whats the deal with that!
Jade
March 22nd, 2009 7:12 amomg those pics r amazing keep up the good work
ps. (my favorite pic was the last 1)
savannah
March 23rd, 2009 4:23 amoutstanding- my dream is to be an underwater photographer and these pictures inspire me so much!
PS-
the unkown picture about 25 shots down
was taken by David Doubilet.
he is Insanely brilliant!
mukeh
March 25th, 2009 4:20 amvery nice
Adeolu (Dsignprintz)
April 10th, 2009 8:44 amThese photographys are amazing and extraordinary. It inspires creative minds. keep it up.
Qaisar
April 15th, 2009 4:22 amJabbardast
no match
huesoh
April 26th, 2009 1:04 pm,,,la poesia de la primera foto de Gattaldo
me ha impresionado , sin menospreciar las demas fotos, fue esa la toma que realmente me cautivo,,,simply,,,beautiful.
tsikoman
May 2nd, 2009 2:47 ami loved all of them!!
Yudi
May 27th, 2009 8:32 pmwow….FANTASTIC.
Great photos.
naval
June 1st, 2009 6:00 amwow ,excellent
منتديات ماى بكتشرز
June 14th, 2009 10:03 pmGood pic
jenni
July 5th, 2009 10:03 pmoh my god!!!!these pictures are simply stunning and extraordinary!!!color contrasts are excellent!!!great work!!!thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures…..
Kashif M Qasim
July 24th, 2009 4:52 amWOW! What wonderful creatures, God is Great.
stacey
August 12th, 2009 10:35 pmFYI the one by “Ian” is not an underwater photo. it is simply a photo of a chrysanthemum
a flower which does not live under or in water.
CreativePics
September 8th, 2009 10:53 amCool. I also have posted some of underwater creature in my blog,
http://www.creativepics.org/15-beautiful-never-seen-underwater-creature-photos/
houry
December 30th, 2009 10:38 amvery touching and amazing colors
john
January 8th, 2010 7:55 pmgod is almighty & great.
Jason Heller
January 23rd, 2010 6:00 pmAgain, great selections!
The toip pro and amateur underwater photyographers are pretty much all in these galleries:
http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photo-galleries/
Enjoy!
windy
March 10th, 2010 1:00 pmThese we’re amazing. I love anything to do with an ocean and this was the most amazing…..Thanks for sharing.
simi
March 25th, 2010 5:30 amhmm…ol pix r gud!! bt last(1938 underwater photography) z awsomeeee :D
faith
June 11th, 2010 6:34 amthis is awsome I have been wanting to be an oceanographer pretty cool
Mei
July 27th, 2010 2:59 amoh my gosh..
these are amazing photos…
I love it
AMIT
August 20th, 2010 5:29 amTHESE WERE AMAZING.SIMPLY STUNNING!!!!!! .THE MOST OUTSTANDING UNDER WATER PHOTOGRAPHY I EVER SEEN.WAITING FOR NEXT!!!!!!!
Remio
September 19th, 2010 9:29 amThese photos are amazing but how would a human be able to breath underwater for so long and in the darkness?
Stefan
November 17th, 2010 7:48 amthank you for this amazing underwater photos. May you have a look on my underwater photos: http://www.stefanleitner.com/fotos/die-besten-unterwasserfotos/
or
http://www.stefanleitner.com/unterwasser-fotos/
Stef
Kourtney
December 31st, 2010 5:27 amAmazing.
Cheryl Pilkington
January 23rd, 2011 10:02 amTake me with you.
tinkerbell
March 10th, 2011 11:06 amthese pictures are prity cool for losers
Ramona Bach
March 30th, 2011 8:28 amThank you for sharing :)
Just started to take underwater pics, but just in a pool…
Cant wait to take pics in the ocean..
I love the world down under!!
Tessa
April 15th, 2011 2:41 pmThat is so HOT
Tal Mor
May 11th, 2011 1:05 pmBeautiful collection of underwater photos, I wish you would have the EXIF info or list of underwater gear that was used. It would be great to learn from this.
Here are some photos taken with a Nikon P7000 and Underwater Housing in the Bahamas: http://www.flickr.com/photos/underwater_cameras/
and our photography store: housingcamera.com
We just had a customer that asked some questions about Fashion photography and using these pictures I was able to give him some examples of what he intends to do . I wanted to recommend him some lights, thats why I wished I could see the different gear these shots were taken with.
Anyway , great post , thanks.
Tal
Lillan
July 8th, 2011 5:05 amThe photograph you claim is from sugarock99 is actually taken by Elena Kalis, so are several of the photographs on sugarock99′s webpage. You might want to change that and give the rightful photographer the credit…
emily
July 29th, 2011 10:45 amthese pictures are really awesome and absolutely great hats off
Allie
September 28th, 2011 7:42 pmAmazing photos.. sooo beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
katie kelly
October 5th, 2011 11:16 ami think there should be more pics and LESS COMMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!
sunny
October 21st, 2011 12:46 amabsolutely stunning!!