Daily Image - June - Matthew Shepherd
 
Matthew Shepherd
Long exposure over Julian Rocks Marine Reserve, Byron Bay. The mist turned to rain but it was worth it.
Long exposure over Julian Rocks Marine Reserve, Byron Bay. The mist turned to rain but it was worth it.
A wave was crashing over me in the surf at The Spit on the Gold Coast and I was able to capture this image. Shots like this inspire me to see the world in a more abstract way.
A wave was crashing over me in the surf at The Spit on the Gold Coast and I was able to capture this image. Shots like this inspire me to see the world in a more abstract way.
Split shot between dives in Bali. Everyone else was eating lunch but I couldn't drag myself out of the water.
Split shot between dives in Bali. Everyone else was eating lunch but I couldn't drag myself out of the water.
Rain out at sea with small waves crashing in the foreground, a few steps from my tent on the east coast of Tasmania.
Rain out at sea with small waves crashing in the foreground, a few steps from my tent on the east coast of Tasmania.
This one's a favourite of mine. I jumped in on a stormy afternoon in Byron had a killer time in these waves.
This one's a favourite of mine. I jumped in on a stormy afternoon in Byron had a killer time in these waves.
Part of a recent assignment I photographed for Grown timber sunglasses.
Part of a recent assignment I photographed for Grown timber sunglasses.
A typical Christmas day, Gold Coast style.
A typical Christmas day, Gold Coast style.
A bit of seemingly untouched paradise in Micronesia I was lucky enough to witness.
A bit of seemingly untouched paradise in Micronesia I was lucky enough to witness.
This Whitetip reef shark was just cruising past me in the crystal clear waters of the Coral Sea.
This Whitetip reef shark was just cruising past me in the crystal clear waters of the Coral Sea.
A gnarly old tree branch in the Belongil creek, Byron Bay.
A gnarly old tree branch in the Belongil creek, Byron Bay.
Afternoon skinny dip in Byron Bay.
Afternoon skinny dip in Byron Bay.
Known to surfers as The Point, this is one of south east Australia's best breaks at Burleigh Heads. I caught it just before sunrise.
Known to surfers as The Point, this is one of south east Australia's best breaks at Burleigh Heads. I caught it just before sunrise.
Close out in Byron Bay
Close out in Byron Bay
I was commissioned to shoot divers at a feed on at Osprey Reef, in the Coral Sea and this shark made my job super easy!
I was commissioned to shoot divers at a feed on at Osprey Reef, in the Coral Sea and this shark made my job super easy!
Home of the cold water surf comp in Tasmania, I grabbed this shot between an afternoon and an evening at the famous Marrawah Tavern.
Home of the cold water surf comp in Tasmania, I grabbed this shot between an afternoon and an evening at the famous Marrawah Tavern.
A side lit Skunk Clownfish in the Great Barrier Reef.
A side lit Skunk Clownfish in the Great Barrier Reef.
A small stingray and the break of a wave are the perfect combination to photograph from the ocean floor on a sunny day in Byron.
A small stingray and the break of a wave are the perfect combination to photograph from the ocean floor on a sunny day in Byron.
The aftermath of shore dump, gets pretty messy but still looks and feels epic.
The aftermath of shore dump, gets pretty messy but still looks and feels epic.
Between barrel shots I was looking for something to shoot while the surfers waited on waves on an island in Micronesia.
Between barrel shots I was looking for something to shoot while the surfers waited on waves on an island in Micronesia.
Another skinny dip but this time on the Gold Coast.
Another skinny dip but this time on the Gold Coast.
The clear vista from just below the surface proves that sometimes less is more. I could have stayed down here for hours.
The clear vista from just below the surface proves that sometimes less is more. I could have stayed down here for hours.
A flat day on Main Beach in Byron makes most surfers stay in bed, but I took advantage of the stillness for moments like this.
A flat day on Main Beach in Byron makes most surfers stay in bed, but I took advantage of the stillness for moments like this.
A lone surfer waiting for the right time to take the leap at Currumbin.
A lone surfer waiting for the right time to take the leap at Currumbin.
My mate just doing what he does every day without the crowds on a remote island in Micronesia.
My mate just doing what he does every day without the crowds on a remote island in Micronesia.
Gotta love a shore break.
Gotta love a shore break.
Sometimes you have to persevere to get that one shot that blows your mind. This one keeps me returning to the water.
Sometimes you have to persevere to get that one shot that blows your mind. This one keeps me returning to the water.
Playing with the light here, my aim was to disorientate the viewer. Makes me feel a bit intoxicated when I look at it!
Playing with the light here, my aim was to disorientate the viewer. Makes me feel a bit intoxicated when I look at it!
An unsaturated look at the world below the waves.
An unsaturated look at the world below the waves.
The process of a barrel.
The process of a barrel.
I am addicted to the shapes and contrasts formed from waves rolling over my head.
I am addicted to the shapes and contrasts formed from waves rolling over my head.
 
Matt Shepherd sees the world more clearly under water.  Indeed it is where he is most at home, amongst the tiniest of life forms to the largest rays and sharks.

Through photography he shares the art which already exists beneath the surface and brings it above sea level into tangible images that make the observer taste salt water.

For 3 years Matt has been diving with his camera, plunging into deeper realms and travelling further away to capture the most stunning scenery below. His backyard is the east coast of Australia and much of his work consists of this land and sea scape.  Yet looking through his images one can travel alongside Matt to Japan, Indonesia, and Micronesia.

During a live-aboard contract on the Great Barrier Reef, Matt got amongst dozens of sharks with his camera and serenely, almost playfully, captured a feed which would yield some of his most memorable experiences and images, exemplifying his skills shooting underwater and proving remarkable for a self-taught photographer.

Not all his images contain living subjects however.  An ability he has mastered is discovering and documenting the absolute simplistic beauty that occurs as light transfers through water and the power of currents on the sea bed, creating mesmerising and timeless photographs.



After taking shots which won him several awards, Matt was hooked on persevering for the next best image.  A carpenter by trade, his attention to detail is meticulous and it is this quality that sets him apart from other photographers.  This and the fact that he will relentlessly spend hours in a tumultuous ocean for one brilliant shot.

On Terra Firma Matt also produces images of the highest quality.  He has an adeptness for shooting landscape and underwater with equally professional technique and creativity, rendering his work distinguishable in the field. 

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Images are for sale on the Aquaseen Wesbite.

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