Urban marine environments are easily overlooked or difficult to access but can support a surprising amount of marine species in some very unexpected places! Areas like Southampton Water are not locations where most people would expect to find marine life with its industrial history and often murky waters! Its definitely not your typical' Blue Planet' location! However, interesting marine life can be seen just metres away from bustling industrial ports, busy harbours or waterside offices. With this in mind I set out on a mission last year to capture images which showcase natural history against a backdrop of Southampton's rich maritime heritage.To capture the photos I used a kayak as swimming or diving in the busy waters of Southampton is not recommended!
Working in estuary environments such as the Solent area is definitely not ideal for underwater photography with poor visibility (due to lots of particles in the water) making it difficult to get often get sharp images. I had to wait for the best conditions possible and work with the conditions available. It took lots of planning to ensure the right conditions and many attempts.
Several images from this collection were recently featured on the cover and in Hampshire Life and were finalists in Underwater Photographer of the Year .
