Photo gallery

Thirty Years Beneath the Surface

From the cold Atlantic waters off Ireland to tropical reefs in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific — a visual record of the ocean world Rowan has spent a lifetime exploring. For more than 30 years, marine biologist Rowan Byrnes has travelled to over 22 countries across the globe, capturing the beauty, diversity and fragility of the natural world. This collection represents only a small selection of the thousands of images available, each reflecting a lifetime spent exploring some of the world's most remarkable environments from the air, on land and beneath the sea. My aim is to provide image buyers, publishers, conservation organisations, businesses and wildlife enthusiasts with high-quality, authentic photographs while inspiring a greater appreciation and understanding of our natural environment and the incredible species that inhabit it. My extensive photographic archive includes an extraordinary diversity of wildlife from around the world. Subjects range from marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees and dugongs, to iconic terrestrial wildlife including elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars and many other safari species. The underwater collection features exceptional images of sharks, rays, reef and pelagic fish, octopus, squid, corals, sea turtles, marine invertebrates, submarines, historic shipwrecks and the fascinating world of scuba diving. Many of these photographs have been taken in some of the world's most pristine and remote marine environments. The collection also includes reptiles, amphibians, birds and insects, including crocodiles, alligators, snakes, lizards, tortoises, eagles, hawks, owls, seabirds, songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies and many other species. Alongside the wildlife photography are dramatic landscapes that capture the scale, beauty and diversity of our planet. Throughout my career I have also documented many of the environmental challenges facing wildlife and natural ecosystems, including climate change, overfishing, shark finning, whaling, pollution, coastal development, agricultural run-off, ghost fishing gear, wildlife entanglement, disease outbreaks, habitat degradation and coral bleaching. These images aim not only to record these issues but also to encourage greater awareness of the need for conservation. Please take your time to browse this gallery and enjoy this small selection from my photographic archive. If you are looking for a particular species, habitat, location or environmental subject, there is a much larger collection available. Images can be licensed for editorial, commercial, educational and conservation use, with a range of flexible licensing options and fine art prints available on request.