Featured Photographer: Nur Tucker

Former investment banker turned award-winning photographer Nur Tucker has traded London’s trading floors for the tranquillity of the ocean.

Her underwater photography fuses fine-art vision with technical mastery, revealing the beauty, mystery, and emotion of marine life.

From the volcanic slopes of Lembeh to the kelp forests of Shetland, Nur captures the rhythm of the underwater world through light, movement, and imagination.

She pushes creative boundaries with double exposures, light painting beneath the surface, and fine-art conceptual work in pools with models, transforming underwater photography into expressive art.

Her work has earned international recognition, including awards from the United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition, Ocean Geographic Master Photographer of the Year, and Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year (2020) in the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.

Her images have been published in Ocean Geographic, DIVE Magazine, Plongez, the Royal Photographic Society Journal, and Black & White Photography Magazine.

A passionate advocate for ocean conservation, Nur uses her art to raise awareness of plastic pollution and the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems.

As Chair of the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP), she continues to inspire others to explore and care for the ocean she so lovingly portrays.

Website: www.nurtucker.com Instagram @nurtuckerphotography

Ghost Pipe Fish, Lembeh, Indonesia. Shot with Nikon D500; 1/320s, f/7.1, ISO50.

Ghost pipefish love cluttered reefs, which makes separating them from their busy backgrounds a real challenge. I managed to slip between the reef and the fish and shoot against the open water, creating a clean black backdrop that reveals its delicate shape.

Sea Lion Pup in Cavern, Los Islotes.

While diving in Los Islotes, I found a cavern that was completely black inside and kept an eye out for the dominant bull. When I turned toward the light at the entrance, a curious pup hovered in the glow, watching me.

Shot with: Nikon D500, Subal ND 500, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, Inon Z240 Strobes; f/8, 1/160s, ISO640

A pair of lemon gobies in a beer bottle, Anilao, Philippines

This cooperative little pair had turned a discarded beer bottle into a luxury suite. I used a narrow red Inon torch for extra drama and added a +5 diopter to my 105mm lens to bring their expressive faces close.

Shot with: Nikon D500; f/3.2 1/80s, ISO100

Death by Plastic – A model shot with an anti-plastic and anti-fishing net theme in Turkey

Plastic pollution is one of the ocean’s quiet killers. I created this image as part of my anti-plastic work, highlighting the damage caused by single-use plastics and ghost nets. It won Ocean Geographic’s Master of the Competition Award and the Creative Vision Award.

Shot with: Nikon D500; f/14, 1/200s, ISO100

Pelicans scrambling for food in Mag Bay, Mexico

In Magdalena Bay we baited pelicans with discarded fish. Because they avoid divers in the water, I used the camera-dipping method from the boat. Holding a heavy housing over the side for extended periods was back-breaking, but worth it for this perspective.

Shot with: Nikon D500; f/13 1/250s, ISO200

Snell’s Window, Cenote Car Wash , Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

This serene scene hides a real challenge. The entrance to the cenote was shallow with a layer of fine silt. I hovered carefully, trying not to touch the bottom with my tank while capturing the perfect Snell’s Window.

Shot with: Sony ILCE-1; f/9, 1/100s, ISO800

St John’s Cave, Red Sea

One of my early images, taken with a Nikon D200 (I like to joke that it ran on steam). Shot with natural light at the cave entrance.

Shot with: Nikon D200; f/8, 1/30s, ISO280

Sea Lion pup in La Paz, Los Islotes, Mexico

Los Islotes is one of my favourite playgrounds. These pups are pure joy: inquisitive, athletic and utterly chaotic. One morning the sunbeams created dramatic shafts of light around a spinning pup, and for fun I flipped the final image upside down.

Shot with: Nikon D500, Subal ND 500 housing, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, Inon Z240 Strobes; f/9, 1/250s, ISO800

Water Lilies, Cenote Nicte Ha, Mexico

Nicte Ha is known for its lilies floating above the cave entrance. My buddy Wendy bravely modelled for me despite the chilly water. The entire scene felt dreamlike and suspended in time.

Shot with: Sony ILCE-1; f/10, 1/250s, ISO600

Grey Seal, Farne Islands, UK

The shallow site at the Farnes was glowing with golden kelp, but the grey seals were shy and elusive. It felt like playing underwater hide-and-seek. This one finally peeked out from the maze of kelp.

Shot with: Nikon D500; f/9, 1/200s, ISO320

Portrait shot of Thorny Sea Horse, Dumaguete, Philippies. Double Exposure with Light Painting

My favourite seahorse. I worked hard for the perfect eye contact, and once I had it, I used light-painting to create a spiralling pattern around the animal. The final result was done in-camera as an image overlay. I titled it Hypno Campus. It was Highly Commended in UPY 2021 in Portraits.

Shot with: Nikon D500, Nikon 60mm macro lens, Inon Z240 strobes; f/11, 1/250s, ISO80

Thorny Seahorse, Dumaguete, Philippines

A slow-shutter experiment: 1/4 second at F22 with full flash. The glittering background was created using a scouring pad, also shot at 1/4 second, and combined as an in-camera overlay. The direct eye contact makes this one special to me. This image won me the ‘Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020’ by UPY.

Shot with: Nikon D500; f/22, 1/4, ISO100

Cenote Taak Bi Ha, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Shooting in cenotes is a delicate dance. You move slowly through total darkness, imagining how the formations will look once illuminated. After carefully placing off-camera video lights, I guided my model, Wendy, who could barely see me in the dark. Her patience made this image possible.

Shot with: Sony ILCE-1; f/7.1, 1/30s, ISO6400

Los Islotes: Mum’s Tender Kiss, La Paz, Mexico

While photographing pups in a Snell’s Window, I noticed this affectionate pair. I’m convinced it’s a mother and her pup sharing a soft moment.

Shot with: Nikon D7100; f/11, 1/200s, ISO400

A sea lion pup in a cavern in Los Islotes

I love this cavern at Los Islotes, though entering it is unnerving because the bright light outside blinds you at first. When you turn back toward the entrance, playful pups drift perfectly into the natural spotlight. This image won the United Nations Seascapes Category in 2021.

Shot with: Nikon D7100, f/7.1, 1/250s, ISO320

Lion’s mane jellyfish at Wedding Cake site in Raja Ampat

At the Wedding Cake dive site, the water was filled with lion’s mane and moon jellies. This one reminded me of a drifting creature from deep space.

Shot with: Nikon D500; f/10, 1/200s, ISO250

Split Image, Ras Kathy, Red Sea

We visited Ras Kathy specifically for split-level shots among its vivid hard corals. The site is only 60–80 cm deep, so we lay flat at the surface, careful not to touch anything. Lifting the heavy camera and strobes for 80 minutes left me needing an osteopath, but the colours were worth it.

Shot with: Nikon D7100; f/22, 1/250s, ISO800

Sun Rays at Cenote Taak Bi Ha, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The Yucatán cenotes offer light like nowhere else: shafts of illumination that feel theatrical and ancient. I return again and again for scenes like this.

Shot with: Sony ILCE-1; f/6.3, 1/30, ISO3200

Soft Corals – Shark & Yolanda, Red Sea

The Red Sea’s soft corals are among the most colourful on the planet. The challenge is lighting a wide scene evenly while keeping the delicacy of the colours intact.

Shot with: Nikon D7100, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, Inon Z240 strobes; f/8, 1/200, ISO200

St John’s Caves – Corals and Diver

I wanted the soft corals in the foreground to glow, letting the darker background create a strong sense of depth and three-dimensionality.

Shot with: Nikon D200;l f/8, 1/60s, ISO200

Bull sea lion, Los Islotes, Mexico

At Los Islotes, the water was thick with sardines. I was shooting a bait ball when a dominant bull sea lion erupted out of it, leaving me frozen in fear. I somehow pressed the shutter before turning and swimming away, as if I could out-swim a sea lion. A moment I’ll never forget.

Shot with: Nikon D500, f/10, 1/60s, ISO640

Guillemot: Laser Focus

After my dry-suit training, this was my first open-water dive in the new suit at St Abbs. I had misjudged my weights and couldn’t descend, so I stayed at the surface while the team dropped down. That mistake became an opportunity. The reflections of the guillemots on the surface were spectacular, and I ended up with stronger images than my buddies. Guillemots are extraordinary divers and hunt for sand eels with precision.

Shot with: Nikon D500, f/9, 1/250s, ISO320

You can find more from Nur’s fantastic portfolio on her website: www.nurtucker.com and Instagram @nurtuckerphotography. For more information about BSoUP, head to bsoup.org.uk

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