Featured Customers | Giorgio Bonmassar Underwater Photography & Neurot

My name is Giorgio Bonmassar. I am a PADI Assistant Diving Instructor (AD) based in Lexington, MA, and a Professor at Harvard Medical School, working in the Radiology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital. My passion for underwater (UW) photography stems from its unique fusion of advanced diving skills, marine conservation, exploration, outreach, and engineering—fields deeply connected to my background in medical imaging and neurotechnology. However, at its core, underwater photography is an art form, an essential aspect of my creative process as a scientist.

tomato clownfish image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with a Nikon D850 camera inside an Ikelite Underwater Housing

Tomato clownfish, 1/125 • f/13 • ISO 400, 105mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

I have been diving for nearly 30 years, with over 500 logged dives across some of the world's most breathtaking locations, including: Australia, Palau, Italy, Mexico, United States, British Virgin Islands, Indonesia, Honduras, French Polynesia, and Philippines.

I have been a passionate photographer for 40 years, with 25 years dedicated to underwater photography. In 2024, I was honored to receive the Massachusetts General Hospital photo contest award for an image taken in Cebu, Philippines. Previously, my focus was primarily on underwater videography using compact cameras, capturing footage in: Tahiti, Philippines, and Indonesia (you can view those videos below).

ternate chromis image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with a Nikon D850 camera inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Ternate chromis, 1/160 • f/10 • ISO 2000, 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Diver silhouette image by Girogio Bonmassar taken with a Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite Underwater Housing

Diver's silhouette, 1/125 • f/8 • ISO 65 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Underwater photography is more than just a technical challenge—it is an artistic pursuit that demands patience, advanced diving skills, and creativity. It also requires peak physical fitness, enabling me to navigate strong currents and reduce the risk of decompression sickness by maintaining a healthy weight. I am always eager to explore new techniques, venture into remote destinations, and capture unique perspectives that showcase the beauty—and fragility—of the underwater world, which faces increasing threats from global warming and pollution.

Lunar tailed big eye fish image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with a Nikon D850 camera inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Lunar tailed big eye or Google eye, 1/125 • f/8 • ISO 11400 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Two-stripe damselfish image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Two-stripe damselfish, 1/125 • f/6 • ISO 1250 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Photography Gear

For my underwater photography, I use a Nikon D850 housed in an Ikelite 200DL setup. My current go-to lenses and configurations include:

Macro Photography: Nikon 105mm macro with an Ikelite Close-Up Macro Wet Lens on a DL Macro Flat Port
Wide-Angle & Close Focus: Nikon 35mm and Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye with a full 8" dome port

Red gorgonian image taken by Giorgio Bonmassar with a Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Red gorgonian, 1/125 • f/14 • ISO 640 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Harlequin sweetlips fish image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Harlequin sweetlips, 1/125 • f/14 • ISO 2800 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

nemo fishes image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Nemo fishes, 1/125 • f/14 • ISO 400 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

School of trevally fish image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

School of trevally in black and white, 1/125 • f/14 • ISO 500 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Spherical coral image taken by Giorgio Bonmassar with a Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Spherical coral, 1/125 • f/18 • ISO 140 • 105mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Green seahorse image by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Green seahorse, 1/125 • f/7.1 • ISO 400 • 105mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Butterflyfish image taken by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Lined butterflyfish, 1/125 • f/8 • ISO 160 • 35mm © Giorgio Bonmassar

Black tip shark image taken by Giorgio Bonmassar taken with Nikon D850 inside an Ikelite underwater housing

Videography

Liveabord aboard the Aggressor in August 2023. All movies/shots were taken around the island of Cebu in the Philippines. © Giorgio Bonmassar

Giorgio Bonmassar, Ph.D. is a Professor at Harvard Medical School and works in the Radiology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital. He's also a PADI Assistant Diving Instructor and has used his decades of diving to travel the world and shoot underwater photo and video. His passion for underwater photography is founded on ocean conservation and outreach, engineering, and exploration. All of these pillars stack up to a creative outlet that helps him connect with his creative process as a scientist. It's also informed his research, most notably in A New Phased-Array Magnetic Resonance Imaging Receive-Only Coil for HBO2 Studies which focuses on decompression sickness.