London-based artist, Maya Almeida is originally from Portugal where she grew up by the sea. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Imperial College and is a trained Rescue Diver and free diver. As a visual artist, she is mostly self-taught. She holds a masters from The Photography Institute and trained at Central Saint Martins. Water drew Maya to photography and early work consisted only of wildlife images in water. 

She has spent almost two decades photographing motion and form – in and out of water. Her inspiration comes from the creative energy of the natural world and her images are the result of a genuine sense of wonder with a craft where creative possibilities are boundless. Her underwater photography has been described as intimate, ethereal and mystical… 

 She has also been the laureate of several photography awards, including Platinum & Silver awards for underwater portraits – Graphis Photography Annual 2016, Bronze award for ‘Fine Art’ and ‘People’ categories at the OneEyeland competition in 2015.