UPY 2025

UPY 2016 Behaviour - Runner Up
'WHAT FEEDS BENEATH'
ALEJANDRO PRIETO

I entered the cold November the water to photograph a pair of humpback whales which passed away very quickly, swimming back to the boat I saw a small moving object in front of me; it was a Hawaiian petrel submerging its head to feed on the tiny crustaceans. Under normal circumstances as you get close it will fly away, but surprisingly instead of this it just kept feeding in-front of me. By approaching very slowly I was able to get close from beneath, thankfully it stayed there for a few moments allowing me to capture this behaviour. The Hawaiian petrel is a species classified as endangered by the IUCN.

Judge's comment: Martin Edge: It's common for sea birds to join in with the bait balls and on this occasion a beautiful portrait was created by the author. The bright tones within Snells window give an etherial look to this Petrel submerging to feed. The dark tones outside Snell frame the composition and keeps the eye of the viewer within the frame. The result is a beautiful image.