UPY 2025

UPY  Portrait - Runner Up
'Amazon river dolphin silhouette'
Hussain Aga Khan

I spent two weeks in Manaus – where about 10 operators feed the river dolphins, which are a draw to tourists. We visited a pontoon with 4 resident botos and a beach that draws about 7 in daily. Botos look very unusual compared to other dolphins, with incredibly long rostra – with vestigial hairs on them, tiny eyes and thick bodies. The idea here was to try to get an unexpected view of a surprising animal most people have never heard about. I also wanted to make it apparent that they live beneath the forest canopy in Coca-Cola-coloured water. Seeing these dolphins every day for 2 weeks made taking photographs of them incrementally easier as we became familiar with their shape, movement and behaviour and even, to a certain extent, individual characters.

Judge's comment: Eyecatching symmetry is combined with minimalistic graphic elements and a restricted colour palette to create a powerful composition that clearly communicates the unusual anatomy and habitat of the river dolphin. All this and in beautiful light too.

Alex Mustard