UPY 2026 Black & White - Highly Commended

UPY 2026 Black & White - Highly Commended
'Storm Beneath the Surface'
Nur Tucker

I had dreamed of photographing northern gannets underwater for years. My first trip to Shetland was cancelled at the last minute by bad weather, and when I finally returned I was only allowed to snorkel. The sea was wild, my dry suit bulky, and the current so strong that skipper Phil strapped a heavy line across me to stop me drifting into the open ocean. Jolted by the swell and peering down through choppy water, I never knew where these birds, hitting the surface at nearly 100 mph, would appear. Everything happened in a heartbeat. Rather than the usual close-ups we often see of gannets, I wanted to capture the entire scene: the chaos, the bubbles, the frantic flashes of movement. This wider perspective conveys the raw energy beneath the surface and the sense of mayhem that unfolds when dozens of gannets turn the ocean into a storm of wings and water.

Judge's comment: Action frozen in time. For just a millisecond, the melee of gannets and bubbles forms a perfect composition with an arrowhead of bubbles and spearing bodies all pointing to the bird that got the prize.

Alex Mustard