DONGGUAN, China, Sept. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DIVEVOLK, a leader in underwater smartphone technology, is thrilled to announce that its Brand Ambassador, photographer Wu Zhengjie (also known as “Wai Jie”), has won the top honor, “Best Photography of the Year,” at the prestigious vivo VISION+ Grand Ceremony. Wu’s breathtaking underwater photograph, titled “Spaceship,” was captured during a challenging blackwater dive using a vivo X200 Pro smartphone secured in a DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max full touchscreen housing.
Wu Zhengjie’s “Spaceship” is announced as Best of the Year at the vivo VISION+ Grand Ceremony.
The award is a significant achievement, with Wu’s image distinguishing itself among a field of entries from highly respected, veteran photographers. At 30 years old, the same age as the vivo brand, Wu Zhengjie’s victory is a powerful testament to his years of dedication and unique artistic vision, making this young photographer’s profile more bright, granting this young photographer another accolade in their portfolio
The Artist and His Vision
A self-taught photographer, Wu Zhengjie’s passion for imaging was sparked 12 years ago by a spectacular sunrise on the coast of Wenzhou. This ignited a journey to capture the “unseen” wonders of the natural world—the stars, volcanoes, lightning, and the deep sea. His work is characterized by a deep reverence for nature, often choosing to kneel while shooting as a sign of respect.
In 2017, he became a certified diver to explore the 71% of our planet that lies beneath the waves, expanding his world of photography. In March 2022, his search for a more reliable and versatile underwater housing for professional smartphone photography led him to DIVEVOLK.
“Before DIVEVOLK, I used button-operated housings,” explains Wu Zhengjie. “But they greatly limited the phone’s photographic performance and I couldn’t achieve the creative shots I needed. DIVEVOLK’s patented full touchscreen structure allows me to operate my phone underwater just like on land, unlocking all its functions, including the professional modes I rely on. To this day, every time I shoot a sample for a smartphone brand, I use a DIVEVOLK full touchscreen housing.”
Capturing “Spaceship”: A Blackwater Challenge
The award-winning photo was the result of a new challenge Wu undertook in February 2025: blackwater photography in Anilao, Philippines. This highly difficult genre involves diving in the open ocean at night to photograph the transparent, often microscopic planktonic creatures that migrate from the deep.
“It’s the most difficult subject I’ve ever shot,” says Wu. “You’re in a pitch-black sea, searching for floating, transparent life. It’s an incredibly quiet environment, with only the sound of your own breathing and the tiny creatures that occasionally appear in your focus light.”
A selection of the otherworldly blackwater creatures captured by Wu with his vivo phone and DIVEVOLK housing.
The DIVEVOLK housing was essential for this high-contrast, low-light environment. The full touchscreen control allowed Wu to “precisely tap-to-focus” on the tiny, moving subjects and, crucially, to “manually adjust the exposure value (EV).” This combination enabled him to perfectly expose the delicate, transparent creature while rendering the background a deep, dramatic black.
The “Best of the Year” winning photo, “Spaceship,” features a Salp that resembles an ecological drifting station. Its transparent body contains passengers and alien-like organisms, navigating silently through the dark sea. The deep-sea plankton in the background look like distant stars, inspiring the name.
The Award-Winning Photo: “Spaceship” by Wu Zhengjie.
