Inspiring Underwater Photographer – Paolo Tagliabue
- tiani dun
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Underwater photographer Paolo Tagliabue has spent years documenting underwater wildlife. From the tiny macro subjects of Southeast Asia to the megafauna in Baja California, Paolo hopes to inspire a deeper appreciation for the ocean and the need to protect it.
We're excited to have Paolo joining us as the trip leader for our upcoming expedition to Baja California! This November, you guys will have the opportunity to experience this incredible destination alongside one of its most passionate ambassadors. We caught up with Paolo to chat about his journey into underwater photography, his favorite dive destinations, and the lessons he's learned from his years of experience.
Hi Paolo! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Growing up near the mountains in Italy, I never would have imagined that I would end up spending most of my life exploring the depths of the ocean. After completing my degree in sociology, I spent a year working on human rights projects in Peru, which ignited my passion for travel and experiencing new cultures. I spent several years managing socio-economic projects across Latin America until I discovered scuba diving off the coast of Panama. From that moment on, my fascination with marine life and exploring the ocean grew into a full-blown obsession.
After becoming a diving instructor, I travelled the world to dive in places like the Dominican Republic, Madeira, Jordan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and East Timor. However, it wasn't until I arrived in Baja California that I decided to make it my second home. The sea wildlife in this region is simply unbelievable. My goal now is to document the underwater world and make it accessible to everyone through direct experience or my photos and videos. By sharing my deep love for the ocean and our blue planet, I hope to inspire others to appreciate and protect the incredible beauty that lies beneath the surface.
What inspired you to first start photographing underwater?
My love for the ocean started long before I picked up a camera. Growing up watching National Geographic and documentaries about sharks and Jacques Cousteau, I was already captivated by what lived beneath the surface. But what actually pulled me into underwater photography was something much more immediate. When I started diving macro sites in Southeast Asia, I kept noticing that the tiny creatures I was looking at — nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, things most people walk right past — became something else entirely through a lens. The camera revealed details you simply can't absorb with your eyes in real time. The colors, the textures, the behavior. I was hooked instantly.
Photography became the way I could freeze those moments and share what I was seeing with people who'd never have the chance to be there. It still is.
Can you share one of your most memorable experiences while diving and photographing underwater?
It's hard to single out just one moment after so many years in the water, but if I had to choose, it would be witnessing a bait ball of sardines with Bryde's whales and humpbacks feeding all around it.
The scale of it was hard to process in real time. These massive animals were feeding on balls of fish just meters away from me. Easily one of the most adrenaline-filled moments I've had underwater, I almost forgot to take the photo!
What challenges do you face as an underwater photographer and how do you overcome them?
One challenge I always come back to is gear. There's a constant temptation to think that a new strobe or a different lens will take your photography to the next level. Sometimes it does, but more often the limitation is elsewhere. I've gotten better at resisting that and squeezing more out of what I already have. The harder challenge though is being in the right place at the right moment. Animal behavior doesn't wait — a hunting sequence, a real interaction, something that actually tells a story — those moments are gone in seconds. No amount of equipment solves that. It just comes down to time in the water and learning to anticipate.
How do you stay updated on the latest techniques and technologies in underwater photography?
Honestly it's a mix of things, but the most natural way for me is following photographers whose work I admire and paying attention to how they achieve certain results. When I see an image I like, I find myself researching the technique behind it — the lighting setup, the settings, the approach. That curiosity tends to lead me down a rabbit hole, and then a lot of trial and error in the water or on editing techniques until I get somewhere close to what I was going for.
Can you share any tips or advice for aspiring underwater photographers?
The most important thing is time in the water. No tutorial replaces it. The more you dive with a camera, the more natural it becomes, and the better your eye gets. Find people who share the same passion and are more experienced than you — that's probably the fastest way to learn. A lot of what I've picked up has come from being around the right people.
On gear, I'd say resist the urge to spend big early on. Start simple and learn the limitations of what you have before moving up. And probably the most underrated advice — don't stress about the results on any given day. Some dives you come back with nothing. That's just part of it. Learning to enjoy the process regardless of what you got is what keeps you going long term.
What are your favorite locations or dive sites and why?
My two favorite places are Baja California and Indonesia, and they couldn't be more different. Baja is all about big animals and action — the kind of encounters that get your heart rate up. Indonesia is a macro paradise, where you slow down completely and start noticing things most people would swim right past.
Having both in the same place would be a dream, but as they say, you can't have it all — and honestly, maybe that's a good thing.
Have you ever encountered any unexpected or dangerous situations while photographing underwater?
It wasn't exactly unexpected — more a moment of being a bit thoughtless. I was solo diving a deep coral patch full of macro life off Pulau Weh in Indonesia, around 27 meters. At some point my computer started beeping to tell me it was time to go up, and I just... ignored it. The shot I was after made me throw the dive plan I'd made before getting in the water completely out the window.
Everything turned out fine, but it wasn't a smart call to take that risk for a picture. What I took away from it is that no image is worth compromising your safety. The ocean will always offer another opportunity — you just have to be around to take it.
How do you think underwater photography can contribute to marine conservation efforts?
I do believe underwater photography can have a real impact on conservation. Showing people the beauty of what exists beneath the surface is one of the most powerful ways to make them care about protecting it. Most people will never dive, and images are often their only window into that world.
But it's more complicated than that. I've also seen how the desire to get the perfect shot — or to be recognized as a good photographer — can push people to prioritize the image above everything else. Touching corals, chasing behavior, disturbing animals that should be left alone. The same tool that can inspire people to protect the ocean can also cause damage to it.
So I think the contribution is real, but it comes with a responsibility that not everyone takes seriously.
Join us on our next Baja California expedition hosted by Paolo from November 21st - 29th! Check out some more of Paolo's work here!
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