UPY 2025

UPY 2019 Wrecks - Winner
'Big Guns'
René B. Andersen

My inspiration for this picture is Leigh Bishop’s black and white image of the HMS Audacious turret.
The HMS Audacious, which is laying on 64 meters in Malin Head, Ireland, was a dreadnought battleship which struck a mine in 1914. After she capsized, the shells magazine exploded and she sank.
I used a tripod and 3 Big Blue video lights to illuminate the turret with the majestic 13.5” guns and myself as the model. There was a small current so it wasn't easy to lay still during this long exposure shot. It took some time before achieving this shot and at 64 meters, the clock is ticking fast. That is the challenge with deep wreck photography. When I used the tripod with me as a model, there was a risk that something would go wrong as I am far from the camera so I had to cross my fingers every single shot.

Judge's comment: So simple yet so powerful; the additional lighting of the turret and the main diver perfectly positioned. This was a very strong category this year with a deserved winner and it's refreshing to read the acknowledgement to Leigh Bishop's pioneering work.
Peter Rowlands