Nowadays it is almost taken for granted to be able to take pictures underwater. There are disposable cameras, protectors, GoPro and even smartphones that can be submerged to take the perfect shot. But back in 1983, when Wayne Levin took his first underwater photos, it wasn’t so easy.

Born in 1945, Wayne Levin is a household name in the world of photography, and what set him apart from others were his shots under the surface of the sea.

The first camera he received was at the age of 12 and it is fair to say that he has never been separated from it since, not even when he decided to join the Navy and spend two years on the USS Hornet, or when he visited Japan, Korea, Mexico and other extraordinary places, producing a large number of photographs that were then displayed in his first exhibitions in Honolulu. It was here that many years later, in 1983, he bought his first Nikonos IV, a 35mm camera launched by Nikon twenty years earlier and designed specifically for underwater photography.

The style of his shots brought him international acclaim: they are images showing huge schools of fish or surfers most often shot from the bottom up, an angle that creates strongly lit areas and others completely in shadow. 
This play of chiaroscuro is emphasised by the choice of black and white, which deludes the viewer into wondering whether what they are looking at is really the sea.

We have selected just a few of his shots, but to find out more visit his website.