Paul Lenharr II is a career Fire Department Lieutenant, dive shop owner, scuba instructor, and underwater photographer whose passion for the underwater world has grown over more than two decades of diving.
Paul earned his first scuba certification in 2004, and by 2007 he had begun combining diving with another passion—photography. What started as an interest in documenting the underwater world quickly became a serious pursuit, with macro photography emerging as his favorite discipline.
"You Lookin' At Me?" // A peacock mantis shrimp stares down the camera, showing off some of the most extraordinary eyes—and attitude—in the ocean. © Paul Lenharr II
For Paul, much of the appeal of macro photography is the challenge. Some of the ocean’s most fascinating subjects are also among its smallest and most difficult to photograph. Finding them is only the beginning. Understanding their behavior, approaching without disturbing them, and having the patience to wait for a fleeting moment are all part of creating an image that reveals details most divers would otherwise never see.
"Hidden in Plain Sight" // A tiny pygmy seahorse disappears almost perfectly among the polyps of its coral home. © Paul Lenharr II
His experience diving a closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) has taken that pursuit even further. The quiet, bubble-free environment of CCR diving allows him to spend extended periods observing marine life with minimal disturbance—an enormous advantage when working with shy or behavior-sensitive macro subjects. It has allowed him to slow down, get closer, and wait for natural behaviors to unfold rather than simply capturing a photograph and moving on.
"A Father's Work is Never Done" // A Yellowhead Jawfish carefully aerates a mouthful of developing eggs—an incredible behavior that lasts only a fraction of a second. © Paul Lenharr II
That combination of diving experience, patience, technical skill, and a fascination with the smallest details of the underwater world continues to shape Paul's photography. Whether photographing a tiny nudibranch, a cautious jawfish, or a behavior that lasts only a fraction of a second, the goal remains the same: to capture moments that give people a closer look at a world they might otherwise never have the opportunity to see.
"Tiny World, Big Eyes" // A tiny reef blenny peers across the coral, its oversized eye standing out against a warm, almost golden underwater landscape. © Paul Lenharr II
"Double Trouble" // Two mandarinfish emerge from the reef, showing off the electric blues, greens, and oranges that make them one of the ocean’s most unmistakable subjects. © Paul Lenharr II
"Caught Red-Clawed" // A tiny hermit crab cautiously emerges from its hiding place, sporting brilliant yellow claws tipped in red. © Paul Lenharr II
"Life in the Bubble" // A translucent bubble coral shrimp rests among the soft folds of its coral host, nearly disappearing into its surroundings. © Paul Lenharr II
"Eye to Eye" // A tiny pipefish peers into the lens, its oversized eyes stealing the show in this intimate macro portrait. © Paul Lenharr II
"Small but Cuttle" // A juvenile cuttlefish peers directly into the lens, already displaying the remarkable camouflage and alien-like features of its adult form.
Paul's Gear
- Canon R5 II
- Canon 100mm F/2.8 L Macro Lens
- Canon 10-20mm F/4 L Lens
- Canon 7-14mm F/2.8-3.5 L Fisheye Lens
- 200DL Underwater Housing for Canon EOS R5 II
- DS232 TTL Underwater Strobe with Video Light
Additional Viewing
Macro Minded: Creating Meaningful Underwater Macro Photo and Video
3 Lightroom Edits to Make Macro Subjects POP [VIDEO]
Best Macro Lens for Canon Mirrorless Shooters: RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM
Canon R5 II Re-Assigning MODE Function for Use in 200DL Underwater Housing [VIDEO]
Super Macro Underwater Photography Techniques
Paul Lenharr II is a career Fire Department Lieutenant, dive shop owner, scuba instructor, closed-circuit rebreather diver, and, above all, a person interested in taking a closer look at the world's smallest details. Paul has been diving for over 20 years and shortly after introduced photography into his diving. Now he uses the benefits of CCR to capture underwater photos that help people get a closer look at some of the smallest marine creatures on the planet. You can learn more about Paul on his website www.lenharr.com, or follow him on Facebook.
