Katharine Kollman is an American photographer and freediver whose work explores the relationship between human presence and the natural world. Based in Hawai‘i and largely self-taught, she specializes in underwater film photography, using freediving as both a creative tool and a means of immersion in the environments she documents.

Shooting with mostly 35mm film and the Nikonos V camera, Kollman draws on her background as a freediver to inform her approach, allowing her to navigate these spaces with intention and ease. She embraces the inherent unpredictability of the ocean, working with the ever-changing light and currents to shape an image. Her work evokes a sense of otherworldliness, blurring the boundaries between reality and mythology and reminding us of our ancestral ties to the water.

Kollman’s work has been exhibited internationally, and is a part of the permanent collection at the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (KMoPA) in Japan. She was an attendee at the Chico Review in 2024, and is a current mentee in 2025-2026 Annual Fotofilmic Mentorship Program, where she is developing the ongoing project that investigates our evolving relationship with nature via freediving. Her images seek to evoke awe, curiosity, and a renewed sense of connection to the natural world, reframing the ocean not as a passive landscape but as a living, autonomous force.