UPY 2026 Portrait - Highly Cmmended

UPY 2026 Portrait - Highly Cmmended
'Giant Stride'
Suliman Alatiqi

Komodo dragons primarily inhabit savanna grasslands which are ideal for their hunting style and tropical forests which provide shelter and shade. Coastal shorelines and mangrove forests, however, are also an important part of their environment and lifestyle. Komodo dragons are good swimmers and use their tail for propulsion (similar to crocodiles), though always while keeping their head above the water. While they are adept at swimming in the deep, when possible, they prefer traversing in shallow waters where they can more comfortably walk across the seabed. It took two extended field trips over two different years to study their water interactions and to develop the safety protocols with the support of local rangers that enabled me to capture this behavior.

Judge's comment: A terrifyingly good image of certain death just inches away. Images such as this take my breath away. Artistry, bravery and cool under pressure, some images say I wish I was there, others say I’m glad Suliman Alatiqi was.

Peter Rowlands