Photography
I find it almost crazy that you can just push a button and stop time. Pausing life for a moment to investigate or replay just a single moment, or even a fraction of a moment. In the past couple years photography has gone from just pushing buttons to a full blown passion for me. I feel that it is such a powerful tool for conservation, especially when combined with today’s media platforms. You can capture jaw dropping encounters and bring the beauty and mystique of our oceans to humans that have never had the chance to even glance across the ocean. To me, that power is almost surreal. Not only can we bring a voice to those who can not speak for themselves, but it means we can inspire even those living the furthest from the ocean to fall in love with it, and all of its beautiful inhabitants too.
Jay is a full time professional photographer & cinematographer. He is available to hire for commercial photo or film shoots in Baja or any where around the world. To date he has worked on projects in over 30 countries across the globe for a variety of magazines, brands, and media outlets. For information on his current availability, rates, partnerships, or to pitch a project please send a message here.
Make sure to follow Jay Clue on Instagram for more pics! If you are interested in purchasing a print or licensing a photograph, please contact us for more info.
As the aurora dances across the sky of the Northwest Territories it seems to beckon you to follow.
This night is one of my all time favorite memories. Chasing the northern lights across the outskirts of Yellowknife with my good friends @stanmoniz and @lindsayvician watching as the sky just ignites in waves of green, yellow and purple. As it started to fire, we quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed this shot of Stan in awe as the Aurora danced across the sky.
Captured on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 G Master II lens mounted on the @sliktripods Pro CF-834 at f2.8, 10s, ISO 800. Massive thanks to @spectacularnwt for their help and support!
Ever wonder what it’s like to be booped by a 3m / 10ft tiger shark? Swipe to see 😉
Now tell me that’s not the cutest sniffer you’ve ever seen. I love diving with tigers. They’re super curious, incredibly beautiful, and demand your respect. Plus they have this energy like when a big silly dog doesn’t realize just how big it actually is.
Captured on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in a @nauticamhousings with @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 Lightning strobes at 16mm, f8, 1/320s, ISO 320.
Completely surrounded by a school of hammerheads in the Revillagigedo. Such a surreal experience and Definitely my favorite moment from last weeks Socorro trip with @diveninjas and @girlsthatscuba
Shot in 8k using natural light at 25 meters underwater on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using @nauticamhousings
Just getting back on land from guest hosting an awesome trip to Socorro & the Revillagigedo Archipelago for @diveninjas and @girlsthatscuba All I can say is WOW! We had so many unreal encounters this trip!
From spending over 30 minutes eye to eye with a curious, massive black manta ray while 6 other mantas circled around us; to seeing tiger sharks, playful dolphins, schools of hammerheads, massive tuna, and so much more! But the incredible energy of our guests made the trip so special. I swear the animals out there can feel it when our groups have great energy!
Heading back out tonight with the second trip and can’t wait to see what the ocean brings us! Will be back in a week with lots of proper highlights and stories to share! Miss ya ninjas! See ya in a week!
Captured at f9, 1/250s, ISO 640 at 16mm on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using the Sony FE 16-35mm G Master lens in a @nauticamhousings with @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 Lightning Strobes.
Pretty much everyone’s face this week when I told them I’m going to be offline in Socorro for 2 weeks 😅
Just finished packing and it’s time to go! I’m heading off to lead the @diveninjas & @girlsthatscuba Socorro New Years trips! Hope you all have an amazing week and I look forward to catching up with yas when I’m back! Try not to miss me touch 🥹
Shot at 1/250, F10, iso 200 at 35mm using my favorite camera, the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 with a 16-35mm f2.8 G Master lens in a @nauticamhousings and @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 strobes
Only 1 more week until I get to head back to one of my most favorite places on earth - the Revillagigedo Archipelago 🤯
Can’t think of a better way to kick off 2023! How are you celebrating the new year?
Shot at f8, 1/200, iso640 on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using the 16-35mm f4 lens in a @nauticamhousings with @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 Lightning strobes.
Am I the only one that feels Great Hammerheads seem like mythical creatures you’d find in a fairy tale?
I think I could spend weeks just photographing them. They’re such majestic and powerful creatures, yet have this kawaii cuteness to them. Seems funny to say about an apex predator that grows upwards of 5 meters (15ft) long. 😅
Shot at f8, 1/250s, ISO 125 on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 with Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM lens in a @nauticamhousings
Scored my new fav tiger shark photo this week!. What do you think?
I love trying to find new dynamic angles and perspectives when photographing wildlife. Trying to break away from always having to focus on the eyes and face and experiment with different ideas. With this shot, Joker (the aptly named tiger shark), came just over my head so I quickly turned and dropped low to capture her swimming off from below.
Captured at 1/400s, f8, iso 320 using natural light on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in a @nauticamhousings with some awesome dive gear from @scubadotcom
Little sneak peek from yesterday 🤫 Who knows what species of shark this is? Give you a hint, they’re my favorite shark.
Shot at f11, 1/320s, ISO 320 on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using the Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM lens in a @nauticamhousings with 2 @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 Lightning strobes.
Which do you like better? Moody sunset, or bright Caribbean waters? One of the things I love about being a photographer is you start to find beauty in the most unexpected places. The other day we were snorkeling at Honeymoon Harbor. Normally I’d spend a good chunk of time playing in the sea grass beds looking for sharks and rays but this time I decided to check out the pier. There was a massive school of small silversides hiding below it, and with sun getting low in the sky it was casting these awesome light rays underneath it. So I thought hmm, let’s try a little underwater landscape photography 🤔 Super happy with how it came out.
Shot at f10, 1/250s, iso320 using natural light at on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in a @nauticamhousings . Made possible with awesome dive gear from my friends at @scubadotcom
Big shout out to my brother @stanmoniz for always trying to get me into trying out landscape photography. Think I may have finally found my love for it!
All set and ready to head back to Bimini with @diveninjas for another epic week with these beautiful finned ladies and the awesome ninjas at @biminisharklab Last year we ticked off 7 shark species in just one week! Including the cutest little baby lemons I’ve ever seen. Plus we learned so much from the ninjas at Shark Lab! Can’t wait to see what this week brings. 🦈 🦈
Little sneak peek from the last days as we wrap up this year’s Above & Below Photography Workshop in La Paz. It’s been such an incredible week with really awesome humans. This photo was shot just before a massive school of sardines rushed over us and blocked out the sun. I’ve always loved diving with big schools of fish. Watching them move through the water in unison as one is just hypnotizing. Small fish, like sardines, are especially beautiful as they look almost like shards of liquid metal melting into different shapes.
Can’t wait for next year’s La Paz workshop. Tickets go on sale tomorrow!
Shot at 1/320, f18, iso 640 on the @sonyalpha a1 using their 16-35mm f2.8 GM lens in @nauticamhousings with 2 @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 Lightning strobes.
Getting ready to teach an underwater model photography workshop this afternoon at Above & Below: La Paz! This shot of @anaposada25 is from last years session. Can’t wait to see what we create today! Want to learn some tips for planning & shooting underwater modeling? Check out the latest article on my blog with tips and a little behind the scenes look at how we did the Halloween photoshoot in Cabo.
Shot using natural light on the @sonyalpha a7R IV in a @nauticamhousings
Coming in hot! Amped to be back in La Paz this weekend to host this years Above & Below: La Paz Photography Workshop with the legend, @stanmoniz It’s been a mental busy past few weeks but finally back online and have lots of awesome news and cool projects in the works to share with you. Plus want to send a big shout out to everyone that came to see me speak at the different DEMA talks & workshops! Thanks for all the love and support ninjas! You rock.
Shot on the @sonyalpha a7R IV using a @sigmaphoto 15mm FE lens in a @nauticamhousings at f11, 1/200, ISO 160
On a chilly Florida morning we slipped into the water and were greeted by this curious manatee. There’s something so special about sharing the water with these beautiful creatures. But it’s so bittersweet when you start to learn about the numerous issues they are facing. Last year 1,101 deaths were recorded, smashing the previous record of 830 set in 2013. Of these over 100 deaths were caused just from being injured by boats and other watercraft.
Sadly, 2022 hasn’t been much better with over 560 deaths recorded in the first 5 months of the year. There’s roughly only 6000 florida manatees left on our planet. And that is just heart breaking. These incredible creatures need all of our help. November is Manatee awareness month. Visit @savethemanateeclub to learn more about them and how you can get involved to help protect these special creatures.
Shot on the @sonyalpha a7R IV using a @sigmaphoto 15mm FE lens in a @nauticamhousings Love the insane detail you can get with the Sony a7R IV, swipe to see a 70% crop and see what I mean!
Imagine looking up and seeing this above you. Then a moment later a school of hammerheads pass above you. This is Cocos Island, Costa Rica, and this beautiful shark is a scout, swimming ahead of the school to make scoping the area for potential threats. Cocos quickly became one of my top 3 dive destinations in the world — even better than the infamous Galapagos. Can’t wait to get back out there next august leading another awesome trip for @diveninjas with incredible shark scientist & all around amazing human @marta.kambra want to join us and learn all about this magical island and the sharks that call it home? Shoot me a message or check the link in my bio.
Daydreaming of the Aurora dancing across the beautiful lakes of Yellowknife.
Seeing the Aurora borealis ignite the skies over Yellowknife recently was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Before going I was told the beauty of this natural spectacle brings many to tears, and now I can see why. Want to experience it with your own eyes? Hit the link in my bio for a new Travel Guide on viewing & photographing the northern lights in Yellowknife, Canadá.
This is 1 of 240 frames of a soon to be released timelapse shot at f2.8, 8 secs, & ISO 800 on the @sonyalpha a7S III using their 16-35mm f2.8 GM lens mounted on a @sliktripods Carbon Fiber PRO CF-635 tripod with their 535AC ball head keeping it locked & steady.
Can’t get enough of those dancing light rays…
One of my favorite things about freediving miles off shore is watching the sun’s rays dance through the water below you. If you look closely you’ll see that this beautiful female silky shark is riddled with mating scars. Amazingly sharks like her will heal quite fast and hopefully she will bring new pups into the world to patrol our oceans.
Captured on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in Los Cabos with @padiaware while filming for their incredible #adopttheblue platform. Massive thanks to @diveninjas and @bajasharkexperience for their logistics & support.
Watching the morning sun rays dance off a tornado of the infamous jacks in Cabo Pulmo National Park is magical. Definitely 1 of my Top 5 Baja Dives!
It’s been almost 2 years since I last saw the jacks in Pulmo. But these past few days in the community were a quick reminder of how beautiful and special this national park truly is. This weekend also kicked off a new personal project telling some of the incredible yet lesser known stories of Baja, with my buddy @kenzokiren . Stay tuned for for more info ninjas!
Shot at f10, 1/250, ISO 320 on the @sonyalpha a1 using a @sigmaphoto 15mm FE lens & Mc-11 adapter in a @nauticamhousings with @seaandseaimaging
YS-D3 Lightning strobes thanks to the awesome ninjas at @backscattervideophoto
Getting ready for that weekend traffic in Baja! Who’s diving this weekend?
I’m excited to be heading out to Cabo Pulmo National Park for the weekend to hopefully get some shots of the massive schools of jacks! Cabo Pulmo is an incredible example of how marine protected areas can do amazing things for ecosystems. The park seen an increase in biomass of over 460% in its first decade of protection! Autumn is also my favorite time for scuba diving in Baja because the water gets so warm & blue. Last year I sadly missed the autumn season due to being super busy with projects outside of Baja, so I’m double excited to be able to sneak in some baja dives this autumn!
Captured on the @sonyalpha a7R IV with a @sigmaphoto 15mm FE lens in a @nauticamhousings