UPY 2025

UPY  British Waters Compact - Winner
'Sunrise Mute Swan Feeding Underwater'
Ian Wade

I had been watching a couple of Mute Swans at my local lake. They seemed to be following people around looking for food.
I decided to attach a small weight to the back of my GoPro and threw it into the lake a short distance from me. The small weight would mean the GoPro always fell on its back, so I could shoot at an almost vertical angle. I have connected the GoPro to my Phone so I could remotely fire off images.
The GoPro hitting the water had attached the swan's interest and they swam over. I waited until one of the swans was in the correct position and with its head underwater and shot a high-speed burst of images enabling me to capture this picture.

Judge's comment: This was a unanimous choice from the judges. Although the face of the swan is in shade it's all of the other elements which were so strong. Snells window in particular, with the low light and the branches of the trees. Beautiful image. I'm also grateful for the detailed in-depth back story.
- Martin Edge