The British competition Underwater Photographer of the Year has just revealed its winners for the year 2022! Spanish photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero wins the prestigious title of Photographer of the Year.An astonishing image of five whale sharks feeding together at night in the waters of the Maldives sees Rafael Fernandez Caballero of Spain named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022. It captures a unique oceanic event, taken under demanding photographic conditions. Fernandez’s photo stood out among the 4200 shots submitted by underwater photographers from 71 different countries! Some photos are also awarded in the « At the bottom of the garden » category, which was specially created during the epidemic for photographers who can no longer travel and dive close to home to capture new shots. Discover the complete list of winners for this 2022 edition.
Wide Angle
1st prize – Rafael Fernandez Caballero (Spain) and Photographer of the Year award
« In the ocean, magic can always happen. But when it happens right before your eyes, you can only think you are dreaming. That was the case on this night in the Maldives. At the beginning of the night, a whale shark came towards the light of our boat BlueForce One, we jumped into the water then another whale shark arrived. We were so happy when, a few hours later, unexpectedly, the magic happened and whale sharks started arriving in large numbers. I was with Gador Muntaner, a researcher studying sharks who couldn’t believe what was unfolding before our eyes. Together, we counted 11 whale sharks surrounding us. It was a unique moment that no one there thought possible!
Magic occurs every day in the ocean, but if we do not protect the oceans and sharks, these moments will soon belong to the past. »
Rafael Fernandez Caballero
Judge’s comments:
Alex Mustard
« It is said that Jacques Cousteau only saw three whale sharks in his entire life, so a photo of five together is something special. But this astonishing image only shows part of that gathering, though it required precise timing to find a moment where they would all fit into the frame with their heads visible. In the middle of the night, the largest migration of life takes place when billions of plankton rise from the depths. And here, they gathered in the golden lights of a boat offering a feast worthy of giants. The darkness was the opportunity, but also the photographic challenge for Rafael to successfully see and photograph such a grand scene in an ink-black sea. What a spectacle, a frame with more life than water! »
Peter Rowland
« This image took my breath away from the first viewing, and I never tire of returning to it. The scale, the light, and the sheer number of large subjects, it was quite clear from the start that it was by far our winning image. »
Tobias Friedrich
« The first time I saw this image during judging, I knew for certain it would be at least a category winner or even Photographer of the Year. Capturing five whale sharks in a single frame is already considered a chance for a photographer, but capturing them at night is simply incredible. The photographer did an amazing job not only capturing the five animals but managing to have them in a very nice formation and to bring them excellent light. Very well done and a truly deserved winner this year. »
2nd prize – Andy Schmid (Switzerland)
3rd prize – Hannah Le Leu (Australia)
Macro
1st prize – Javier Murcia (Spain) and 2nd prize in the « At the bottom of the garden » category
« This image is the result of many hours of work with the species living in seagrass meadows. Both species, the pipefish (Syngnathus abaster) and the green shrimp (Hippolyte sp.) live on the seagrass leaves. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this curious behavior; I’ve seen it on 4 or 5 occasions, but I had never been able to take a good photo (after many hours and days searching for the moment). Sometimes the shrimp would move, and other times the pipefish would quickly hide in my presence. The pipefish resembles a seagrass leaf, and for this reason, some shrimp confuse its body with moving leaves. Both are mimetic species. »
Alex Mustard’s comments:
« A concentrated and distilled natural history story through the photographer’s composition into a graphically powerful and minimalist photo. It’s a special moment, capturing the encounter of the seagrass shrimp and the seagrass pipefish, both perfectly in focus. »
2nd prize – David Alpert (United Kingdom)
3rd prize – Hannes Klostermann (Mexico)
Wreck
1st prize – Alex Dawson (Sweden)
« The wreck of Tyrifjord is one of my favorite wrecks at the diving station in Gulen, Norway. It lies at about 40 meters and is very sheltered from most winds. It’s one of the dives we always try to do during our wreck safari that we aim to do almost every year. We are a group of Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, and Dutch. The highlight of the wreck is always the huge spare wheel at the back. »Comments by Tobias Friedrich:
« Excellent image composed of a really challenging subject. With poor visibility and lighting conditions, wrecks at these depths are not easy to photograph. Alex did a great job with minimalist lighting, but also intense and dramatic on the steering wheel, perhaps one of the most recognizable parts of a ship, which draws the viewer directly in. I knew instantly when I first saw the image that it would go far in the competition. »
2nd prize – Catherine Holmes (United Kingdom)
3rd place – Karlo Macas (Croatia)
Animal Behavior
1st prize – Pekka Tuuri (Finland) and 1st prize in the « At the bottom of the garden » category
« All you need is love! This love pond is in my garden, a 20-minute drive from my home. It has largely rewarded me over the past ten years. It is full of love in late April. Common frogs arrive first, then toads, and finally newts. I spent four days and four nights there in 2021. I wore a drysuit, lots of underwear, and a heated vest to survive in the five-degree water. I floated and stayed among the frogs, and very quickly they accepted me and my camera as part of the landscape. They climbed on my camera, croaked in my ears, and nestled between my face and the camera’s back plate. The active spawning period lasts about two days and two nights. What an experience with many photo sessions! »
Comments by Tobias Friedrich:
« This image really made me laugh the first time I saw it. What an iconic moment and an excellent reaction from the remarkable Pekka Tuuri. He is truly one of the underwater photographers who always came up with different ideas and exceptional images from spots right beside him in Finland. Excellent composition and light, very well done. »
2nd prize – Javier Murcia (Spain)
3rd prize – Damir Zurub (Croatia)
Portrait
1st prize – Thomas Heckmann (Germany)
« Our idea was to create a completely black silhouette in the foreground while simultaneously establishing eye contact with the viewer. To highlight the hair, three powerful strobes were needed hidden in the background. These background strobes were triggered by long cables and an additional RSU. For the face, I used a video/light strobe combination (Subtronic Fusion) with a Retra LSD snoot for the front. »
Comments by Peter Rowland:
« This very unusual image using strong colors and contrasts had a winning appeal that persisted each time. »
2nd prize – Matthew Smith (Australia) and British Photographer of the Year
3rd prize – Daniele Comin (Italy)
Black and White
1st prize – Kerrie Burow (Australia)
« This photo was taken one year after the start of the coronavirus pandemic; my 7-year-old niece, Sarah, looks in wonder at the dome of my camera while snorkeling underwater. The scene depicts the therapeutic power of water that so many of us experienced during the pandemic. The underwater world offered peace, comfort, and hope—to the anxious, the depressed, and the grieving. It gave us a chance to feel joy and adventure again, as well as to free ourselves from the heavy burden of the pandemic—even if just for a moment during an exhalation. The portrait was created using discreet photojournalism techniques. I minimized my presence, gave no instructions to Sarah, and instead let the scene unfold naturally. »
Comments by Peter Rowland:
« Both haunting and compelling, this very striking portrait uses the simplicity of black and white to good effect. Color would have been so distracting. »
2nd prize – Borut Furlan (Slovenia)
3rd prize – James Rokop (United States)
Compact Camera
1st prize – Enrico Somogyi (Germany)
« Once a year, at the end of March, it’s mating time for toads. It only lasts a few days, and it’s only at this time that they can be approached closely. Normally, they are very shy. I was trying to take a split shot with this toad when it started crawling on my small dome. I took a few pictures of this action, and this was my favorite. »
Comments by Peter Rowland:« The compact category is without subject, which makes it difficult to photograph and even harder to judge, but this well-lit and unambiguous image created an appeal that was unanimously chosen by the judges. »
2nd prize – James Rokop (United States)
3rd prize – Enrico Somogyi (Germany)
Up & Coming Photographers
1st prize – Francisco Abadal (Spain)
« I first met Jeniya over lunch at Zest, one of my favorite restaurants in Koh Tao. We talked at length and got along well. A few days later, we recorded a video together. I knew I wanted to shoot more with her; she moved quite poetically underwater. After a few months, we met again at the end of Sairee beach. She wore a beautiful long white dress and we simply planned to shoot split shots with the sunset. I would use the strobes to light the underwater scene, and the sun would do the rest. It was quite difficult since I had neither fins nor suit, so I easily sank. Plus, it was hard to focus properly on the subject. What I love about this photograph is the imperfection of the backscatter, recreating the space and making it perfect for me. »
Alex Mustard’s comments:
« In this category, we are always looking for exciting new talents bringing fresh visions to underwater photography. This image is a fabulous example— a simple subject elevated to artistic vision by the photographer and model’s imagination, ideas, and talent. »
2nd prize – Yazid El Shaari (Oman)
3rd prize – Francisco Abadal (Spain)
Wide Angle – British Waters
1st prize – Henley Spiers (United Kingdom)
« A gannet swims in an artistic hail of bubbles created by diving seabirds. 40,000 gannets visit the nearby cliffs each year to lay and care for a single egg, fishing for food nearby. Striking the icy water faster than an Olympic diver, these incredible birds have developed air sacs in their heads and chests to survive these repeated impacts. Underwater, the sound was thunderous as sleek white torpedoes pierced the surface. I wanted to create a new image of these beautiful seabirds and decided to try capturing their movement through slow exposure. The speed of the gannets led to countless failures, but in this image, we have strong eye contact with the gannet, even if the scene is artistically softened. Huge thanks to Richard Shucksmith, without whom this encounter with the gannets would not have been possible. »
Alex Mustard’s comments:« That eye and that moment. A powerful image. Gannets have won this category before, but we’ve never had a portrait like this that reveals both the personality of this predator and the energy of the action. »
2nd prize – Paul Colley (United Kingdom)
3rd prize – Henley Spiers (United Kingdom)
Macro – British Waters
1st prize – Dan Bolt (United Kingdom)
« 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of my first trip to the splendid Loch Carron, and throughout all this time it has never failed to deliver stunning underwater images with its diverse marine inhabitants. My buddies know I am not very good at finding Yarrel’s blennies, and this was no exception on this dive. We were diving a reef area I had never explored before, and after an excited shout and the waving of a torch in my direction, I saw that my friend had found not one but two beautiful little blennies nestled in a crack in the rock. Having my long macro lens was an advantage as I could move far enough away from the reef to light their shelter so we could all see their little heads looking somewhat puzzled. Best buddies for sure ! »
Comments by Peter Rowland:
« Well framed and beautifully lit, it’s a classic. »
2nd prize – Dan Bolt (United Kingdom)
3rd prize – Paul Pettitt (United Kingdom)
Living Together – British Waters
1st prize – Lewis Michael Jefferies (United Kingdom)
« During the summer months, jellyfish frequent the British Isles in larger numbers, believed to be attracted by the warmer waters. Summer 2021 was no exception, and there were many of these Compass jellyfish in Falmouth Bay. It was a perfect summer evening, clear and calm with hardly a whisper of wind. We took the paddleboard and camera and headed to the beach searching for jellyfish. I vaguely had a sunset like this in mind, and fortunately, all the elements aligned to create something quite memorable. I hope my image can inspire others to explore and appreciate the wonders that lie in our backyard, in British waters. »
Tobias Friedrich’s comments:
« This image truly reflects the spirit of this category. It is also perfectly executed at the right moment when the lens beam is just behind the SUP paddler. Very well done, and from the beginning, I saw this image as the winner of this category. »
2nd prize – Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)
3rd prize – Alison Pettitt (United Kingdom)
Compact Camera – British Waters
1st prize – Martin Stevens (United Kingdom)
« Living between shallow and deep waters and reaching impressive sizes, spiny starfish are abundant in Cornwall. I often took pictures of them underwater, but at low tide, they can be found in exposed rock pools. Last year, we had very low spring tides, and I wanted to attempt some half-half shots. I attached a fisheye lens and was lucky with the lighting conditions. After some time, I came across a large starfish in a ravine flanked by kelp. The water was clear and calm, and since starfish are not the fastest creatures, I was able to compose photos with the ravine and kelp behind and a reflection of the starfish through the water above. At the same time, the seaweed is more vibrant in spring, adding a touch of red to the scene. »
Comments by Tobias Friedrich:
« Excellent example of what can be done in your garden with the least effort. Very beautiful composition and good shot. Although I would have liked it to be slightly more cropped to straighten the horizon.. »
2nd prize – James Lynott (United Kingdom)
3rd prize – Tony Reed (United Kingdom)
