The dry world we live in is a completely different place compared to the wet ocean world that exists beneath the rolling blue waves. Photographer Matty Smith says the most spectacular part of any dive is the moment he plunges beneath the surface.
Smith writes on Bored Panda, “For me one of the most wondrous parts of any dive is the moment that the water engulfs my mask as my head slips below the surface. I think it’s the suspense of the unknown of what lies beneath, the transitional part of moving from one element to the next that feels so magical and the thought of what alien creatures I might encounter.”
It was this sensation that gave Smith the idea to take half underwater pics. He writes, “It’s maybe the best way I can communicate to a non-diver what it’s all about, to marry a wet and unfamiliar world with a dry and more familiar one.”
Smith considers his half-underwater pics to be landscape photography. He spends a good deal of time scouting out new locations in his snorkel gear. He takes plenty of reference pictures along the way so that he is prepared to take the perfect pictures when he finds just the right locations.
Smiling Assassin: American Crocodile, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba
“A final image in my portfolio is often a well-researched and planned affair.”
A Silky Encounter 1 : Jardines de la Reina, Cuba
Ocean Rose: Bass Point, NSW Australia
Crimson Tide: Waratah Anemones, Port Kembla, NSW Australia
Physalia Physalis: Bushrangers Bay, NSW Australia
Your Move: American Crocodile, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba
Bluebottle Army: Bluebottle cnidarian, Bushrangers Bay, NSW Australia
A Silky Encounter 2: Jardines de la Reina, Cuba
A Shock of Blue: Bushrangers Bay, NSW Australia
Legal Immigrant: A Long Finned Eel, Botanical Gardens, Sydney
Photo Credits: mattysmithphoto.com
