UPY 2024

UPY  Marine Conservation - Commended
'The Cry for Help'
Nadya Kulagina

As a person who loves water and spends quite a bit of time in it, it hurts me to see how disrespectfully we treat it. In our everyday life, we tend to forget the role of water in our lives, how much we depend on it and where the life on earth came from. The idea of this shot was to bring people’s attention to the problem of plastic pollution. Action needs to be taken to raise people’s awareness of the problem. David Langlois, a professional model, agreed to pose for me for this shot. I think it is because of his love for the oceans that this image turned out so full of energy calling out to everyone that the fate of the oceans is in our hands, and that little steps pave the way to a healthier future. No plastic bags were left in the water after the photoshoot ;)

Judge's comment: We love that this category attracts such a range of imagery and photographers use their passion for ocean conservation to inspire a whole range of imagery about our relationship with the underwater world.
- Alex Mustard