Maya Almeida Araujo
Maya Almeida Araujo is an aquatic photographer and filmmaker internationally known for her theatrical capturing of marine life and models interacting with pools of water. Her most recent showings include features at Or Bleu Festival at La Roche Posay, France and Red Dot Miami. Maya has been published by the New York Times in the Save Our Seas special edition, Creative Underwater Photography Feature, EDA Quarterly Magazine, Emirates, Marketeer, The Ocean as you have never seen it, and Executive Digest - Underwater Photographer rubric : Maya Almeida. Her awards and grants include A-N Artists Bursary 2021 Award, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Grant, Graphis Photography Annual Platinum Award, and shortlisted twice for UK Professional Photographer of the Year.
An award winning photographer, Maya does not allow any boundaries to prevent her from capturing her subjects in true form. From custom rigs constructed for filming in the deep ocean to multi-screen editing at extreme levels of resolution and frame rate, she uses the latest technological innovations in photography and filmmaking to capture the greatest detail and nuance in her subject matter. Ranging from models spinning their hair in the water to capturing some of the greatest ocean beasts to depictions of models in pools, Maya’s intense realism and theatrical lighting portrays isolated incidents within her compositions.Â
Some of Maya’s most dramatic works are her depictions of marine life, particularly of giant manta rays, sharks, and whales. She captures these creatures in a state of comfort as if she were not present. The artist seems to take great care as to not disturb the natural environment of the aquatic creatures showing a deep level of respect for the ocean. Her high contrast, high detail style of photography comes off as a theatrical presentation creating a thrilling and dramatic effect. Her subjects sparkle in the penetrating light of the water, particularly her models with folds of pronounced fabric.Â
Sonic (pictured above) depicts a woman with wet hair swaying her head back and forth, whipping her hair into a frenzy across her face. With a minimalistic water-inspired background and ambient music, the focus remains solely on her shimmering blonder hair in the limited scoped light. The woman in the video bobs and sways her head as if dancing to the music with just her upper body, displaying a sense of jubilee and dark ambient mood.
Maya Almeida Araujo remains a powerful photographer and video artist who brings depth and a level of realism rarely seen in film. Her theatrical presentations and consuming darkness with strategically focused penetrating light creates a breathtaking depiction of her subject matter. Her giant manta rays seem to glide towards us and her models appear to dance in pools, the capturing of motion appears continuous within the compositions. Deeply inspired and nuanced, Maya Almeida Araujo breaks the barriers of photography through extreme levels of light, equipment, encompassing darkness, and the precision of capturing sustained motion.
