UPY 2025

UPY  British Waters Wide Angle - Highly Commended
'An inquisitive nursehound in the morning sunshine'
Martin Stevens

At sunrise on a summer morning I went to photograph jellyfish, and soon after a 1.5 m nursehound swam up and lay down right beside me, like a big pet dog. It looked up as if to say "why not take photos of me instead?" and thoughtfully positioned itself between the kelp with the sun rays behind. I had several great encounters with the local nursehounds last summer, often with adults swimming up close, and I’d even begun to wonder if some had started to recognise the weird ungainly human who kept appearing trying to hold his breath. We’re lucky to have a good number of these sharks locally. Unfortunately, they are undergoing significant population declines in many regions and are IUCN listed as 'vulnerable'. They’re full of character and need our care so that encounters like these are not for a few lucky ones like me.

Judge's comment: Very nice framing and such a nice portrait of a common species, but photographed perfectly. The sunburst in the background is an amazing add-on to the kelp forest which is at the sides. If there would have been a diver or another small, additional element in the background, the image could have even placed higher.
Tobias Friedrich