Gary Bell is one of the worlds most distinguished underwater and wildlife photographers whose dedication and passion for photography has seen him recognized with a string of international awards. His images have been featured in the major nature magazines, like National Geographic, and in countless books, magazines, newspapers, advertisements, signage and other publications.

Behind this brilliant photographer, is a man with a deep respect for wildlife and the environment - a passion to explore new ecosystems and capture on film, the extraordinary beauty of the natural world. Gary has travelled throughout Australia and the Indo Pacific, enjoying the challenges of underwater photography (and its inherent dangers) and the contrasting beauty of the Australian outback. It is the diversity and vastness of the world and its beauty that attracts Gary to photography.

Where it all began?

In 1975, when Gary first started taking underwater images, there were few underwater photographers in Australia. His first photos were taken beneath the Portsea pier on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, and Gary felt compelled to share these underwater discoveries with his family and friends. People were fascinated by his images and Gary was soon getting requests to buy copies of his images.

Since then Gary has travelled the world working with David Doubilet, assisting Doubilet on more than seventeen National Geographic magazine field assignments. These assignments took him over the oceans of the world from the Cayman Islands, New Zealand, Aldabra Atoll, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Africa, and to the tropical and temperate seas of Australia. Gary was personally commissioned by the National Geographic Society (magazine and TV division) to photograph the Great White Sharks in the waters off South Australia and South Africa; and to photograph the marine life and habitats on the Great Barrier Reef. He has also worked with the CSIRO Division of Fisheries to record the new prawn netting techniques in the Gulf of Carpentaria and to photograph the marine pest species of southern Australia.

Gary has won several international awards, including the Australasia Underwater Photographer of the Year in 1990, 1991, and 1992 (He is the only person to have won this award in three consecutive years)

Gary’s passion for photography has seen him amass one of the largest collections of Great Barrier Reef photos in the world. In his own words, his fascination with the Reef is

“I just love the fact that you could dive the Great Barrier Reef for a life time and still not scratch the surface. The reef is enormous - it is our planets largest natural ecosystem, covering an area of 345,400 square kilometres and stretching a distance of 2300 kilometres. The natural beauty and diversity of this Australian icon is the attraction.”

Gary’s images also feature in a recently published coffee table book The Great Barrier Reef - A world Heritage National Park, written by marine scientist Dr Tony Ayling and published by Steve Parish Publishing.

The journey continues  

Gary continues to share his images with the world through his company, Oceanwide Images. Oceanwide Images has a comprehensive collection of stunning wildlife images and license these images to publishers, and commercial entities throughout the world. The company website, OceanwideImages.com has allowed it to license images internationally and also enables people from around the world to buy beautiful fine Art prints of any image on the website.

Just as in 1975 when Gary shared his first underwater photos with his family and friends, he continues to bring beautiful underwater and wildlife images to people from all around the world.

When asked to choose a favourite image from his huge collection, Gary’s answer is definitive - “My two children, Leah and Adam and my wonderful wife, Meri”.