UPY 2025

UPY  Up & Coming - Commended
'An Alligator Rests Below Tall Reeds in a Spring'
Joseph Ricketts

While preparing for a night dive in a beautiful spring run in Florida, my friend and I saw an alligator dip below the surface in front of our canoe. We weren't sure where it went until we looked down and realized it was resting directly beneath us. The sun had just started to set and since my camera was already in its housing, I held it in the water off the side of the canoe and took this image. Although shooting from above a subject isn't usually my favourite position, I like how the reeds lead the eye of the viewer straight to the partially concealed alligator. The fish darting in between the reeds were an added bonus, of course.

Judge's comment: It would have been a travesty if this image hadn’t made the winners enclosure because it is highly original, well observed and shot ‘on the hoof’ without fear of failure - all of the attributes needed for any Up and Coming underwater photographer.

Peter Rowlands