GREAT SOUTHERN REEF FEATURE CREATORS
5 underwater photographers to watch in 2021.
This year we have showcased the astonishing imagery of feature photographers from across the Great Southern Reef region. Each of these individuals have a unique style but share a common passion of showcasing the unique biodiversity and Australia’s kelp forest ecosystems down south.
For this article we asked each of our feature creators about the motivation behind what they do, favourite dive sites and future goals for their photography in 2021 and beyond.
Make sure to give each of these creators a follow on Instagram and keep an eye on the Great Southern Reef social pages for more features on artists, photographers and videographers inspired by our southern seas.
Based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Matt Testoni is incredibly passionate about taking underwater photos and wants to share all the amazing sights that he gets to see with people who don't know what lies beneath the waves.
What is the motivation behind your photography?
“I really want to draw awareness to what lives in our Great Southern Reef and that it is an extremely beautiful place to visit. I think one one my favourite things about the Great Southern Reef is how it still feels like an unexplored secret. So often when you show people in real life or with imagery what lies below that are gobsmacked that it could exist outside of the Great Barrier Reef.”
What is your favourite part of the Great Southern Reef and why?
"My favourite place on the Great Southern Reef would have to be the deep walls that exist down past 20 metres all throughout the reef. They are so often covered with such a huge diversity and number of corals and sponges that it makes tropical dive sites look like a sparsely populated sand dune. "
Looking ahead, what do you want to achieve with your imagery?
"One of the best ways to protect an area is for that area to have a tourism value. As long as the tourism is done in an eco friendly way it can create a thriving economy that fends off the likes of big oil and larger commercial fishing operations. The more people that know of its beauty the more we can protect the amazing Great Southern Reef."
See more of Matt’s photography on Instagram
Matt is also the host of the Seacreatures Podcast where he interviews ocean-loving guests as they share stories and facts about the incredible wildlife beneath the waves.
Jai Wessling
Jai is from Esperance in Western Australia and has been an ocean lover his whole life. He spends a huge portion of his spare time in the water either bodyboarding or taking photos of waves and the southern coast in general! He’s been taking photos of waves specifically for about 6 years now and it’s his favourite thing to photograph.
What is the motivation behind your photography?
“My motivation comes from the reactions I get from my work as well as capturing unique perspectives of our beautiful coast! My inspiration came from Clark Little, I saw his shorebreak photography when I stared high school and I’ve loved ocean photography ever since.”
What is your favourite part of the Great Southern Reef and why?
“My favourite thing about the Great Southern Reef is how epic some of the breaks are. Depending on the conditions you can score some insane waves on the reef. The colours of the reef and the clear water is just something else.”
Looking ahead, what do you want to achieve with your imagery?
“I’d like my photography to show people how beautiful the reefs and the ocean is around our southwest region and to help protect it from being destroyed by pollution. We are very lucky to have such a great coast!”
Chelsea is from Adelaide, South Australia and first picked up a camera not long after learning to dive about ten years ago.
What is the motivation behind your photography?
“It was mostly just to show friends who didn’t dive, just what there was to be seen down there, as I was amazed by it all. I couldn’t find the words to describe the magic of what I was experiencing. Who knew it would become such a passion.
“I started to take what I did more seriously about three years ago when I realised it was something I had been missing. I had lost touch with diving and nature. I hadn’t dived in a while and felt like something was missing and at the lowest point I instinctively grabbed my camera and booked myself for a boat dive and have never looked back.”
My motivation these days for capturing images is to share this amazing part of the world with everyone before we possibly lose it. Hopefully by sharing its beauty though means we won’t! People protect what they love."
What is your favourite part of the Great Southern Reef and why?
"I loved everything I have experienced of our Great Southern Reef and I have hardly gotten started! But I guess my most favourite is our Jetty sites that give myself and so many others accessibility to this special part of the world. Each Jetty is so varied and unique."
Looking ahead, what do you want to achieve with your imagery?
"Looking ahead with what I do, I want to draw awareness to how special and unique and vibrant our Great Southern Reef system is. I hope that my images make other people come and experience it and fall in love with what we have here. If I can impact people this way through my photography then I will feel as though I have achieved something!"
Rick, who featured in our latest video on the red handfish, is a research fellow at IMAS, University of Tasmania and co-founder of Reef Life Survey. He has been taking underwater photos for almost 15 years.
Back in 2006 Rick was taking part in the 'Lap of Tassie' project, surveying reefs around Tasmania. He used his first underwater camera for fish ID shots which sparked his passion for underwater photography.
What is the motivation behind your photography?
“I think my camera back then was amongst the first batch of compact digital cameras with underwater housings. It was so easy learning manual photohgraphy being able to review the photos and change settings immediately - it gave me a lot of respect for those who learned to shoot underwater with film.”
“Since then I've been through a few cameras and enjoyed a little wide angle photography for fun (and photos for reports, and websites etc) as well as targeting species profile shots for the Reef Species of the World pages on the Reef Life Survey website.
What is your favourite part of the Great Southern Reef and why?
“I think some of the deeper reefs on Tasmania's east coast have some of the best diving in the world for sheer beauty and colour, but I also love finding the cryptic fish surprises in a few special sites in SA, Port Phillip and Tassie. Rottnest is also amazing.”
Looking ahead, what do you want to achieve with your imagery?
“There is always a hope that more and more people will appreciate the unique values of our temperate reef systems. But I also want my photos to draw attention to the Reef Life Survey data that are collected alongside - and hope both contribute to an objective and accurate narrative of changes in marine biodiversity through time and space, more broadly.”
Last but not least, introducing Sydney based photographer @louisenott_underwater.
What is the motivation behind your photography?
“Passion for photography has always been in my family, and growing up I always had a camera in hand. I studied biology and marine science at university and this is where my love for the natural environment, in particular the ocean really developed.”
“Photography has allowed me to document the beauty to share with others, and it has been over the past two years that I have really started to focus on my underwater photography. When taking images, my aim is to create a unique image to share my interaction or experience, in the hopes of inspiring people to learn more about our incredible, yet fragile marine ecosystems.”
What is your favourite part of the Great Southern Reef and why?
“The Great Southern Reef is so diverse, and there is so much I am yet to explore, but my favourite part so far would be the reefs around Sydney.”
“It's amazing to see the diversity of species living around Australia's most populous city, especially within the Harbour! Every dive is unique and there is always something incredible to spot, such as weedy sea dragons swaying in the kelp, red indian fish sitting in the sponge gardens, pyjama squid hiding in the seagrass, and we can't forget the seahorses hanging on the shark nets! I love that the diving is so accessible, and I often try to squeeze in a sunrise dive before work, or a night dive in Sydney Harbour after work!”
Looking ahead, what do you want to achieve with your imagery?
“Through my images, I hope to showcase the incredible marine ecosystems and that surround Australia's coastlines. I often take for granted the incredible marine life, scenery, and interactions that I am able to see whilst diving, and I hope that my images both inspire people to jump in the ocean and to take steps to protect it.”
Are you a photographer, videographer or artist inspired by the GSR?
Click here to be featured in 2021
People
Impactful people with a close connection to the Great Southern Reef.
Places
Feature locations along the Great Southern Reef.
Marine Life
The weird and wonderful creatures found along the Great Southern Reef.