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UPY 2026 Black & White - Highly Commended
'Drifting'
Billy Rolls
Seeing just one eagle ray is enough to make anyone’s day, but ten together is an experience never to forget. On this day, my colleague Charlotte and I were freediving at a favourite cleaning station, taking photo IDs of a reef manta ray for the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme database. I had never previously seen an eagle ray at this site, despite visiting it daily, so you can imagine my surprise when this group drifted into view. I completely forgot about the manta and followed its smaller, spottier relatives, watching their formation shift slowly like kites on the breeze. I love how the simple black and white focuses the eye on each individual’s pattern, highlighting the natural variation and uniqueness of every ray. I was especially pleased to see the group part and leave space around the most ornate individual, which is what made this my favourite image.
Judge's comment: Such a good decision to reduce this to just black and white with very little in between. Graphically simple, well envisaged and composed, it encompasses everything about why black and white still works so well in a colour environment. And impressively photographed with a compact camera.
Peter Rowlands
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