Meet Jo – The Face & Founder of Puddle Pics

Joanne Slaughter (Jo) has been photographing children underwater for over 15 years and is one of Australia’s most experienced children’s underwater photographers.

Her love of the water began growing up on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, where she spent countless hours swimming in the ocean. Photography had always been a passion, but after becoming disillusioned with corporate life, Jo took a year off to travel through Central America. It was there she discovered scuba diving and combined her love of the ocean with photography, working as an underwater photographer for a Scuba Diving Shop.

After returning to Australia, Jo settled in Cairns, where she met renowned underwater photographer Stuart Ireland from Calypso Productions. Stuart introduced her to the art of professional underwater photography and shared that one of the latest trends overseas—particularly in England—was photographing babies underwater.

The conversation sparked an idea. If swimming was one of Australia’s most popular activities for children, why wasn’t anyone offering professional children’s underwater photography through swim schools?

That simple question inspired Jo to return to Sydney and begin photographing her own daughters underwater. The response was overwhelming, and with Sydney Olympic Park becoming her first swim school client, Puddle Pics was born.

Today, Jo has photographed more than 100,000 smiling faces, creating beautiful underwater portraits for babies, children and families across Australia. What sets her apart is not just her photography, but her genuine ability to connect with children, helping them feel relaxed, confident and excited in the water.

Driven by her passion for helping children build confidence, Jo also became a qualified learn-to-swim instructor. This unique combination of photography and swim teaching allows her to create a safe, fun and memorable experience that families treasure long after the session is over.

Because for Jo, it’s never just about the photos—it’s about creating an experience children and parents will remember for a lifetime.