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Kate Vylet

@katevylet

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🌊🌱 Conservation photographer & ex-marine scientist
📷 @ilcp_photographers Emerging League
⚓ Monterey Bay, CA
🐾📸 Pet Portraits: @underdogpawtraits

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'Cormorant in Kelp' by Kate Vylet (@katevylet) is one of the stunning limited-edition prints available now through Prints for the Planet.

Caught in the sun's blinding light, a Brandt's cormorant dives through the kelp forest in search of a fishy lunch in Monterey Bay, California, US. The rich biodiversity of the kelp forest supports life both below and above the surface.

🖼️ Limited to 50 editions�
🌿 Printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Fine Art Paper (@hahnemuehle_imaging)�
🔗 Purchase now: printsfortheplanet.com

Taking place from 6–27 November 2025, Prints for the Planet brings together a curated collection of fine art nature and wildlife photographs from some of the world’s leading conservation photographers. 100% of proceeds support the protection of the wild and the future of visual conservation storytelling.

#PrintsforthePlanet #ilcp_photographers #conservationphotography by @katevylet

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a year ago

🚨 Special Project Reveal! 🚨

For the past year I've been working on a semi-secret project, and the time has finally come to unveil it in all its *slightly off-topic* glory. I'm excited to announce that I'm launching...

Underdog Photo Studio, a pet portrait photography studio!

No this is not a joke, though my bank account wishes it was.

Does it mean I'm quitting underwater photography? No! After I left marine science last year, I struggled to find the balance of stability and flexibility needed to keep the conservation photography dream alive. Not cut out for doing photo tours and courses, I decided to take a different tack and combine my love of photography and animals to launch a pet portrait studio. Whether I've completely lost my mind remains to be seen.

I know you all are signed up for fish pics so don't worry - this is the first and last time I'll bring it up here, and I'll delete this later so it doesn't contaminate your saltwater experience. But if you'd like to be on the receiving end of as many fluffy pixels as you can handle, you can follow this detour at @underdogpawtraits

I'm expecting the studio to continue keeping me high and dry as I get it off the ground, but the goal is to return to the depths with renewed stability, flexibility, and - most of all - hope for conservation work. Thanks for following along through the dry spell! by @katevylet

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a year ago

I'm honored that my photo "Growing Gold" has placed as a finalist in this year's @bigpicturecomp.

Swimming through the glow of a sunlit kelp forest is nothing short of ethereal, like floating inside a painting. Submerged in emerald brine, baby kelps grow up in the dappled shade of their elders, buoyed by hopeful strings of golden pearls. The magic is in its extraordinary ordinary, this frame a simple reflection of its daily dance in the sun. Every day in the kelp forest is special, and it never gets old.

Congrats to all the other winners and finalists - it's nice to see so many familiar names among the amazing images. This competition is also special in showcasing the overlooked and underappreciated, from insects to fungi. It's always an honor to participate with some algal love. taken in Monterey Bay by @katevylet

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a year ago

🌊 Dive into the world beneath the waves! Join Underwater Photography 101 with Kate Vylet—live on Zoom, May 18th at 10AM PT / 1PM EST.

Kate is a conservation photographer and videographer based in Monterey Bay, California, specializing in underwater photography and the stunning kelp forest ecosystem in her backyard. With a background in science, she uses the power of imagery to communicate research and inspire real-world conservation efforts.

Come learn how to capture the magic of the ocean, tell visual stories that matter, and explore the underwater world through a creative, conservation-focused lens.

🐠 For teen girls & women ages 13–30
✨ Spots are limited—sign up now via the link in our bio under “2025 Free Workshops” by @katevylet

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a year ago

The anemone of my anemone is also my anemone. 🪷⚡

Sunburst anemones (Anthopleura sola) may look like soft, delicate flowers, but they have a spicy surprise up their sleeves.

You may notice the anemones here are spaced apart on the wall - that's no coincidence. Lone wolves, sunburst anemones are fiercely territorial and will defend their turf from encroaching fellows. When a nonfamilial anemone gets too close for comfort, the sunburst will deploy special tentacles called acrorhagi to zap the interloper into backing off. These unique stingers are only wielded for territory battles, and cause tissue death in the offending anemone.

If you ever thought you were antisocial, at least you're not stinging everyone that gets near you. Presumably anyway. taken in Monterey Bay by @katevylet

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2 years ago

I'm honored to have my cormorant photo awarded Highly Commended in this year's Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.

I took this shot on my current camera rig's maiden voyage, a dive I mostly spent giddily mashing the unfamiliar buttons of a new system. This resulting photo was pure luck of the right place at the right time, but it was still a special moment for me for the opportunity to observe and capture one of my most beloved birds in its element - a feathered torpedo in footed flight through the golden forest.

Also stoked to see so many familiar and well-deserving names awarded this year too - congrats to all the winners!

#upy #upy2025 taken in Monterey Bay by @katevylet

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2 years ago

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science!

These days I spend less time doing science and more time photographing other women doing science. I'm always inspired by all the badass women out there science-ing, whether setting up restoration experiments in the kelp forest, raising the next generation of endangered sea stars in the lab, or trudging through mud for the love of seagrass.

Keep rocking it ladies, and I look forward to documenting more of the amazing work you all are doing out there.

1: Scientist Dr. Emily Donham holds a red urchin collected from the kelp forest for her climate change research experiment.

2: Scientist @hannahlyford collects a clump of eelgrass from a seagrass meadow for a restoration effort.

3: A scientific diving technician holds up her slate and serving spoon - tools of choice for a kelp forest restoration experiment.

4: An intern at the @sunflowerstarlab cleans the baby sea stars' aquariums with a pipette.

5: A volunteer for the @reefcheckfoundation conducts a kelp forest monitoring survey by counting a giant kelp's stipes.

@ilcp_photographers taken in Monterey Bay by @katevylet

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2 years ago

In the cold depths of the northern Pacific Ocean lies a kingdom swaying to the rhythm of the tides. Beneath its waves you find another world – where towering kelp forests stretch skyward, glinting gold in the watery sun. Seals and otters play ‘hide and seek’ in the dense canopy, and fish dart between the fronds like birds among trees. This underwater habitat creates a home for fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals in their thousands.

However, this highly productive ecosystem is not without its vulnerabilities. In temperate oceans across the globe, this vibrant realm – once a thriving underwater wilderness – is disappearing due to warming waters, over-harvesting by fisheries, and overgrazing by local predators.

Now scientists, indigenous groups, and local communities are racing against time to revive these underwater forests.

In collaboration with Oceanographic Magazine (@oceanographic_mag), we’ve teamed up with iLCP Emerging Leaguer Kate Vylet (@katevylet) to share a new story, ‘Rainforests of the sea’, exploring the global restoration efforts helping to mitigate the decline of kelp forests.

Tap the link in our bio to dive into the full story published via Oceanographic Magazine 🔗
📷: Kate Vylet/iLCP

#Corals #CoralReefs #ilcp #Oceans #ClimateCrisis by @katevylet

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2 years ago

Beneath its waves you find another world – where towering kelp forests stretch skyward, glinting gold in the watery sun 🌿🌊

Dive into the depths of our kelp forests, to understand how a home and food source for thousands of animals is disappearing at an alarming rate.

🔗 Click the link in our bio to read the full story
📸: @katevylet

#kelp #kelpforest #underwaterforest #otter #marinelife #marinebiology #climatechange by @katevylet

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2 years ago

🌟 From Ambassador to Partner Photographer 🌟

Meet Kate Vylet, a shining example of what’s possible with mentorship, community, and perseverance. When Kate joined Girls Who Click, she was searching for purpose in her photography. With the support of her mentor and the GWC community, she found her path in conservation storytelling—a focus that led to published work in Audubon and BBC Wildlife, major photo awards, and a spot in the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Now, Kate comes full circle as a GWC Partner Photographer, ready to inspire and guide the next generation of young photographers. 📸

Your support makes stories like Kate’s possible. Together, we’re breaking barriers and empowering women to tell stories that matter. Thank you for being part of this journey! 💙

Donate now via the link in our bio under “🎁 DONATE” to help more young women like Kate turn their passion into purpose and continue telling powerful stories through photography! by @katevylet

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2 years ago

A tube-dwelling anemone (Pachycerianthus fimbriatus) emerges from its lair to haunt the water, its ghostly tendrils trailing in the eerie darkness of abysmal visibility.

When you don't have a jack-o'-lantern to light, an anemone will do 🎃

Happy Halloween everyone! taken in Monterey Bay by @katevylet

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2 years ago

A sneaky sea slug for #SeaSlugDay.

Branched dendronotus (Dendronotus venustus) are among the most inconspicuous nudibranchs in the kelp forest, resembling an unremarkable tuft of algae. Their diminutive size - in this case less than an inch long - makes them even harder to spot.

Just a piddly patch of pond scum, nothing to see here. taken in Monterey Bay by @katevylet

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2 years ago