About

Underwater photographer

I split my time between Bordeaux and Le Croisic, on the stretch of French Atlantic coast where I made my first dives in 1990. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to explore many oceans to create the images on this site, and I’ve been shooting underwater for more than thirty years.

Diving to shoot better

I’m a certified FFESSM Level 4 diver, the international equivalent of a Divemaster, and I hold the French CAH Class I Mention B commercial diving certification. I adapt the way I dive to each subject: freediving, open circuit, a Mares Horizon semi-closed rebreather when only nitrox is available on site, or a Shark Rebreathers closed-circuit rebreather on normoxic trimix down to 230 feet (70 m). Rebreathers make no bubbles and no noise, which lets me get much closer to marine life and come back with better images. I blend my own gases with a portable electric compressor and a booster pump.

Camera gear

I’ve been shooting Nikon since 1995, starting out with a Nikonos V back in the film days. Today I work with a Nikon D850 in a Seacam housing, paired with Nikonos RS 13mm and 20-35mm lenses modified by Seacam. Designed more than thirty years ago exclusively for diving, they’re still the best underwater lenses ever made, with jaw-dropping resolution.

Prints

The prints sold in my shop are printed by me, made to order only, on a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 on Canson Infinity paper.

Thanks

Many thanks to René Heuzey for introducing me to so many destinations and marine animals, and to Christophe Naslain and Christophe Brachet for getting me started in underwater portraiture.

Portrait: © Marc Buttex

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