The photographer writes that this man o’war somehow wrapped itself around his camera and stung him on the nose. Ow! ©Matty Smith
7/27/15: Matty Smith is really committed to his craft. He is a nature photographer specializing in ocean and wildlife photography, and he has spent much of his career following around and photographing one of the most deadly species in the sea – the Portuguese man o’ war.
His website divides his photos into three categories, based upon the camera’s position in relation to the water: “Over,” “Over/Under”, and “Under.” His Over/Under photos are the ones for which he is best known. He has developed a special technique involving a waterproof camera housing and an 18″ wide dome of his own design which is especially effective at capturing his favorite beautiful-but-dangerous creatures as they are generally found, half in and half out of the water. The photos are really memorable, especially when you consider the peril he puts himself in to get close enough to take them.
“What I really like about an over/under picture is that it gives an underwater image a sense of place. It marries the underwater world with our own familiar world, it links the unknown with the known.” – Matty Smith
His stunning photographs have won him many awards, including BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Australian Geographic’s Nature Photographer of the Year, Ocean Geographic 2014 Pictures of the Year (1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Prize Winner), and many others. As much as I enjoyed exploring his website, I strongly recommend you check out his Instagram, since it not only includes fantastic photographs, but most are accompanied by some information about the creatures shown, where he found them, and anecdotes about what he had to do to capture the photographs.
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My OBT 
July 17, 2022 at 7:16 am
These photos are all stunning!
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July 17, 2022 at 3:14 pm
I am positively obsessed!
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July 17, 2022 at 9:47 am
I don’t give out a ‘ten-star’ comment very often so they remain special. Today’s post earns ten stars instead of just five. Great stuff. Hal
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July 17, 2022 at 3:15 pm
I can’t imagine how he even thought of the idea, much less how he figured out how to execute it. So cool!
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July 17, 2022 at 10:35 am
This is why I once would have loved to learn how to DIVE.
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July 17, 2022 at 3:15 pm
I feel the same! I’m so much more comfortable in water than I am on land, but I never felt secure enough to try diving. Been snorkeling a lot, and I just love it.
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July 20, 2022 at 8:09 am
I love underwater photography, but being able to see two different aspects of something at the same time is particularly engaging. Thanks!
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July 20, 2022 at 5:52 pm
So interesting! Like spying on another world.
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