UPY 2025

UPY 2018 British Waters Wide Angle - Runner Up
'Shark Speed'
Nicholas More

Each summer, I make a pilgrimage to Cornwall for a chance to interact and photograph Blue Sharks, as they seasonally visit UK waters. Ten miles out into the Atlantic, from Penzance, the sharks are attracted to the boat using 'chum'. Once around the boat they are bold and love to interact with snorkelers. On this particular day we had overcast conditions which allowed for slow-shutter speed 'panning' shots to capture the beauty, grace and speed of these charismatic predators, resulting in a dynamic portrait of these stunning animals in their open ocean environment.

Judge's comment: Slow motion underwater photography does not get any better than this. The author has chosen the perfect settings, in particular the ISO of 125, the aperture of f22 and most of all setting a perfect shutter speed of 1/8. It doesn't stop there! Motion blur is all about the speed of blur called 'panning'. The author needs to 'pan' at the right speed. Practice makes perfect, as you can see! Martin Edge