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UPY 2026 Up & Coming - Highly Commended
'Drawn to Light'
Leticia Carbajal
This school of squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea) was photographed during a recreational dive on the Mesoamerican Reef System of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Cephalopods (cuttlefish, squid, and octopuses) are among the most intelligent invertebrates on Earth, with nervous systems highly devoted to vision. Their advanced visual abilities allow them to navigate complex environments, detect prey, recognise objects and perceive aspects of light beyond human perception.
Encountering them at the end of the dive is always a joy. I approached slowly using my strobes to gently attract their attention. Gradually, they moved closer, their curiosity intensifying with each frame. As the encounter unfolded, their behaviour became increasingly animated, creating the dynamic frenzy visible in their movements and expressions. This made me wonder who was observing whom. For moment, the boundaries between observer and observed dissolved. This ambiguity is what makes encounters with cephalopods so mesmerising.
Judge's comment: We all loved this image from the beginning when we first saw it. It's just such a nice formation of squid but also very well composed and edited. Despite a bit of lacking quality the sheer atmosphere of the image brought it to the Top 8!
Tobias Friedrich
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