UPY 2025

UPY  Black and White - Commended
'Follow my leader'
Martyn Guess

At dusk I slipped into the deep Atlantic waters between the islands of Faial and Pico in the Azores. It wasn’t long before the most beautiful member of the Shark family, a large female Blue shark came to look at me. The view of the Pico volcano above the water was amazing, but the scene below the water took my breath away. I had planned to get the rays from the setting sun into my shot to give some added impact. I angled myself to get the ball of the sun just out of the shot and slightly below the shark to get the best view. I was very lucky as the cortege of pilot fish looked in the same direction for a brief moment. I love the way the black and white conversion adds to the image's impact and brings out the skin textures of the shark.

Judge's comment: Black and white simplifies and concentrates all of the elements in this classic image of an iconic creature.
- Peter Rowlands