UPY 2025

UPY  Wide Angle - Winner
'Radiant Bond'
Alvaro Herrero (Mekan)

A mother humpback whale accompanies her calf to the surface for its first breath early in the morning. The youngster is releasing a few bubbles as it rises, perhaps this is because it is still learning to control its breathing, or it is simply experimenting with its own body.
Every year, during the southern winter, I travel to French Polynesia to photograph these majestic animals. My favourite time of day is the early morning, because the light is soft and angled, allowing me to find the perfect angle to clearly define the shape of these animals in blue. For me, this photo is one that shows a mother’s love for her calf, communicating both the fragility and beauty of our oceans, and revealing one of the amazing species with whom we share our home world.

Judge's comment: What a shot! We usually see a lot of humpback whale images during the judging of the UPY competitions, but this image made us stop immediately. It really shows the excellence of the photographer seeing the moment and also recognizing the right image afterwards while browsing through them on the computer. The light coming from the left upper corner as well as the perfect movement of the Humpback whale and calf, in addition to the excellent framing and composition make this a truly deserved overall winner for the UPY 2025 contest. I'm was very happy to give this image my final vote as it is an excellent example that a perfectly executed "classic” shot. Well done, Mekan! :-)

Tobias Friedrich

An heartwarming interaction between mum and baby, in a perfectly timed pose of both majestic animals that look so comfortable in their underwater home. The photo invites us to observe, while giving the whales their space, both in the frame and from the photographer. The spearing light is dramatic, while the shadow the calf is casting on its mother is subtle. Mekan won the title of Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year back in 2022 with the saddest of images of humpback, this uplifting family portrait is a perfect counterpoint.

Alex Mustard

The overall winning image represents us as a Competition, and our community as a hobby/sport/profession, to the world at large for a whole year and sometimes it is very difficult to decide between them but this year, for me, this delicate yet powerful study of a mother and calf’s bond says all that is great and good about our world. We face our challenges, true, but the increasing populations of whales worldwide shows what can be achieved.

Peter Rowlands