Renee Capozzola
Role: Underwater photographer, competition judge
First appearance: 2014 (Ocean Art Competition)
Nationality: American
Affiliation: Marelux ambassador
Website: beneaththesurfaceimaging.com
Biography
Renee Capozzola is an American underwater photographer based in Hawaii who rose from novice competitor to one of the most decorated underwater photographers in the world over a roughly eight-year span documented in the Wetpixel archive. She first appeared in competition results in 2014 as a novice dSLR entrant, and by 2021 had won the Underwater Photographer of the Year overall title — the first woman to do so in UPY’s history. ([1]) Her work frequently features sharks, sea turtles, and marine life photographed in natural light, often incorporating dramatic surface lighting and split-level compositions.
Beyond her competition wins, Capozzola has served as a judge for several major international underwater photography contests, including the DPG/Wetpixel Masters and DEEP Indonesia. She is a brand ambassador for Marelux underwater housings. ([2])
Competition Record
Major Wins
- Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021 — Wide Angle Category Winner and Overall Winner: Won both the Wide Angle category and the overall UPY title with her image “Shark Skylight,” depicting sharks, birds, and the sunset from French Polynesia. She was the first female overall winner in UPY history. ([3])
- United Nations World Oceans Day 2021 Photo Competition — “The Ocean: Life & Livelihoods” Category Winner: Won the category in the UN competition curated by Ellen Cuylaerts and hosted by DivePhotoGuide. ([4])
- Beneath the Sea 2017 — David Doubilet Award: Won the prestigious David Doubilet Award for excellence in underwater photography with her image “Sharky Sunset.” ([5])
- Ocean Art 2022 — Wide Angle 1st Place: Won first place in the Wide Angle category. Also received Honorable Mention in Black & White. ([6])
Placings and Commendations
- Ocean Art 2014 — Novice dSLR 4th Place and Honorable Mention: Her earliest competition appearance in the Wetpixel archive, placing 4th and receiving an HM in the Novice dSLR category. ([7])
- Scuba Diving Magazine 2016 Through Your Lens — Featured Submission: One of her shark images was featured as a lead image among 16 shark photographs selected for Shark Week coverage. ([8])
- Ocean Art 2016 — Portrait 2nd Place: Placed second in the Portrait category. ([9])
- UPY 2018 — Commended (Wide Angle), Highly Commended (Behaviour): Received Commended in the Wide Angle category and Highly Commended in the Behaviour category. ([10])
- Ocean Photographer of the Year 2022 — Conservation-HOPE 3rd Place: Placed third with an image of three green sea turtles gathering under the sun in Maui, Hawaii. ([11])
Judging
- DEEP Indonesia 2020: Served on the judging panel alongside Andrew Marriot, Ellen Cuylaerts, Kat Jonker, Mike Bartick, and Tobias Friedrich. ([12])
- Sharing Our Air 2020 (Dive into the Pink): Judged alongside Mike Bartick and Tobias Friedrich. The contest raised over $20,000 for COVID-19 lung function research by Duke Dive Medicine and DAN. ([13])
- DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2022: Served on the judging panel alongside Erin Quigley, Marty Snyderman, Kurt Amsler, Tom St George, and William Tan. ([14])
Marelux Ambassador
Capozzola was named as one of the initial brand ambassadors for Marelux when the housing brand was introduced to the Wetpixel community in December 2021, alongside Scott Portelli, Keigo Kawamura, Aleksander Nordahl, and Vladimir Mladenovic. ([15])
Timeline
- 2014: Places 4th and receives Honorable Mention in Novice dSLR category at Ocean Art 2014. ([16])
- 2016-06: Shark image featured as lead photo in Scuba Diving magazine’s Shark Week coverage of Through Your Lens contest submissions. ([17])
- 2016: Places 2nd in Portrait category at Ocean Art 2016. ([18])
- 2017: Wins the David Doubilet Award at Beneath the Sea 2017 with “Sharky Sunset.” ([19])
- 2018-02: Commended in Wide Angle and Highly Commended in Behaviour at UPY 2018. ([20])
- 2020-03: Serves as judge for DEEP Indonesia 2020 international photo contest. ([21])
- 2020-05: Announced as judge for Sharing Our Air 2020 photo competition benefiting COVID-19 diver health research. ([22])
- 2020-07: Sharing Our Air contest results announced; contest raised over $20,000. ([23])
- 2021-02: Wins Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021 — Wide Angle and Overall with “Shark Skylight” (French Polynesia). First female overall winner in UPY history. ([24])
- 2021-06: Wins “The Ocean: Life & Livelihoods” category at United Nations World Oceans Day 2021 Photo Competition. ([25])
- 2021-11: Cited as reigning UPY champion in the call for entries for UPY 2022. Alex Mustard notes she was UPY’s first female overall winner. ([26])
- 2021-12: Named as Marelux brand ambassador alongside Scott Portelli, Keigo Kawamura, Aleksander Nordahl, and Vladimir Mladenovic. ([27])
- 2022-10: Places 3rd in Conservation-HOPE category at Ocean Photographer of the Year 2022 with image of green sea turtles in Maui, Hawaii. ([28])
- 2022-12: Announced as judge for DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2022 contest. ([29])
- 2023-01: Wins Wide Angle 1st Place at Ocean Art 2022; also receives Honorable Mention in Black & White. ([30])
- 2023-01: DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2022 results announced with Capozzola on the judging panel. ([31])
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Nov 3, 2021: Call For Entries Underwater Photographer Of The Year 2021 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 21, 2021: Vladimir Mladenovic Introduces Marelux ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 8, 2021: Results Upy 2021 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 8, 2021: Results United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2017: Call For Entries Beneath The Sea 2018 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 17, 2023: Results Ocean Art 2022 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 7, 2015: 2014 Ocean Art Competition Winners Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 29, 2016: Scuba Diving Shares 16 Shark Image Submissions For Shark Week ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 11, 2017: 2016 Ocean Art Winners Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 15, 2018: Results Of Upy 2018 Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 4, 2022: Results Ocean Photographer Of The Year 2022 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 7, 2020: Final Call Deep Indonesia 2020 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 5, 2020: Results Share Our Air 2020 Contest ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 23, 2023: Results Dpg Wetpixel Masters 2022 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 21, 2021: Vladimir Mladenovic Introduces Marelux ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 7, 2015: 2014 Ocean Art Competition Winners Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 29, 2016: Scuba Diving Shares 16 Shark Image Submissions For Shark Week ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 11, 2017: 2016 Ocean Art Winners Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 14, 2017: Call For Entries Beneath The Sea 2018 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 15, 2018: Results Of Upy 2018 Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 7, 2020: Final Call Deep Indonesia 2020 ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 5, 2020: Dive Into The Pink Announces Sharing Our Air Photo Contest ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 5, 2020: Results Share Our Air 2020 Contest ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 8, 2021: Results Upy 2021 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 8, 2021: Results United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 3, 2021: Call For Entries Underwater Photographer Of The Year 2021 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 21, 2021: Vladimir Mladenovic Introduces Marelux ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 4, 2022: Results Ocean Photographer Of The Year 2022 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 29, 2022: Final Few Days For Masters Entries ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 17, 2023: Results Ocean Art 2022 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 23, 2023: Results Dpg Wetpixel Masters 2022 ↩
- 2014 Ocean Art Competition Winners Announced (article) ↩
- Scuba Diving shares 16 shark image submissions for shark week (article) ↩
- 2016 Ocean Art Winners Announced (article) ↩
- Call for Entries: Beneath the Sea 2018 (article) ↩
- Results of UPY 2018 announced (article) ↩
- Final Call: Deep Indonesia 2020 (article) ↩
- Dive into the Pink Announces Sharing Our Air Photo Contest (article) ↩
- Results: Share Our Air 2020 Contest (article) ↩
- Results: UPY 2021 (article) ↩
- Results: United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition (article) ↩
- Call for Entries: UPY 2022 (article) ↩
- Vladimir Mladenovic Introduces Marelux (article) ↩
- Results: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2022 (article) ↩
- Final Few Days for Masters Entries (article) ↩
- Results: Ocean Art 2022 (article) ↩
- Results: DPG/Wetpixel Masters 2022 (article) ↩