From a lemon shark sharing a toothy grin at dusk, to a green-blue mahi-mahi ambushing sardines, the 2024 Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) Awards showcase the stunning beauty and diversity of our world’s oceans.

Photographers from around the world submitted roughly 6,500 photographs for 13 contest categories that celebrate both technical craft and creative eyes—including the esteemed “Underwater Photographer of the Year” title, which honors an overall winner. In total, 130 photographs were distinguished with awards or commendations.

The competition is based in the United Kingdom, which, according to UPY, has a rich history of underwater photography contests. In 1965, the Brighton Underwater Film Festival was organized in the country for the first time. Two years later, the British Society of Underwater Photographers was founded, inspiring decades of undersea image-making.

“But since these only cater for underwater images of wildlife, 50 years after the original Brighton Festival, we decided to bring a dedicated and international underwater photography contest back to Britain,” per the UPY website. In addition to photos of animals, the contest honors images featuring wrecks, divers and human impact on the environment. The inaugural UPY Awards took place in 2014 and 2015.

Here are 15 otherworldly images of some of this year’s award winners and runners-up. UPY published the full winning gallery online.

Whale Bones by Alex Dawson

Local hunters in eastern Greenland use nearly every last part of the minke whales they kill, before pushing the carcasses down the beach, allowing high tide to pull their bones back into the North Atlantic Ocean.

Swedish photographer Alex Dawson imaged a diver in the frigid waters off Tasiilaq, Greenland, holding her breath as she explores the skeleton. The diver’s wetsuit and torch give the image what contest judge Peter Rowlands describes in a statement as a “‘visiting alien’ feel.”

“My buddy Anna von Boetticher… she’s brave enough to jump in a wetsuit in this minus-two degree water,” Dawson says in a video, speaking about the diver in the image. “She’s the tough one, I promise you.”

Twilight Smile by Rodolphe Guignard

French photographer Rodolphe Guignard’s “face-to-face encounter” with a lemon shark off the island of Grand Bahama is a moody, terrifying moment in time, backdropped by the beauty of a sunset’s pastel swipes.

Guignard captured the image from the swim-step on a dive boat, partially submerging both his body and his camera to take a shot that included the view above and below the water’s surface.

“On this day the sea was rough, it was almost dark and the sharks were lively and very curious,” he says in a statement.

“The grin and the eye contact inject a sinister undercurrent to the picture,” says chair of the contest jury Alex Mustard in the statement.

March of the Tadpoles by Shane Gross

For several frigid hours snorkeling on Canada’s Vancouver Island, things “were not very exciting,” Canadian photographer Shane Gross says in a statement. But then, millions of western toad tadpoles began their migration from the lake’s depths to the lily pads and shallows above, to feed on the algae.

“My goal was to try and tell as much of the story as possible in one frame where we see, of course, the cute little animals, but also the lily pads and the forest-covered mountains in the background,” Gross adds in the statement.

Saving Goliath by Nuno Sá

On a warm April day, dozens of beachgoers near Lisbon, Portugal, were shocked to see a wounded sperm whale struggling to swim after it had been hit by a ship. The creature had become stuck on the sand, and they did their best to push its massive body back out to sea, to no avail. During their struggle—and the final hours of this whale’s life—Portuguese photographer Nuno Sá captured this scene, which played out near his home.

“This is a situation that tells a lot about how we are impacting the oceans,” Sá says in a video about the image. “Over 20,000 whales die of collisions with ships every year. If you think about the several species of whales that are known to last from 100 to 200 years, in their lifespan they’ve gone from an ocean of safety and silence to a chaos of noise and ocean pollution.”

For this photograph, Sá won the title of Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year, sponsored by the Save Our Seas Foundation.

An Abstract Portrait of a Potbelly Seahorse by Talia Greis

Red, green and purple hues pop in Sydney’s murky waters, as a potbelly seahorse swims amid coral in this scene captured by Australian photographer Talia Greis.

“I was drawn to this particular seahorse because it had especially distinguished markings around the eye, and the jaw-dropping color palette made a striking contrast with the surrounding coral,” Greis says in a statement. “To me, the seahorse’s striking red eye and posture conveys power and strength, arising from the smoky underbelly of the ocean.”

The End of the Baitball by Rafael Fernandez Caballero

In a final effort to survive, when fish are threatened by predators, they might swim in a spherical formation known as a bait ball. This strategy conceals most of the fish inside the ball and exposes as few as possible.

The El Niño weather phenomenon of 2023 turned Pacific Ocean waters warmer than usual, prompting many more animals than normal to hunt sardines in Mexico’s Magdalena Bay. These sardines worked together to form bait balls, and during this particular hunt, Bryde’s whales were “the stars of the show,” says Spanish photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero in a statement.

“The photo shows the high-speed attack,” he adds in a separate statement, “with the whale engulfing hundreds of kilograms of sardines in one bite—simply unforgettable to see predation on such a scale.”

“Absolutely jaw dropping (pun intended),” adds contest judge Rowlands.

Aquatic Primate by Suliman Alatiqi

While in Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands, Kuwaiti photographer Suliman Alatiqi observed this male macaque foraging for crabs.

“The macaques have adapted very well to living around the sea and will venture into the water for various reasons including transportation, scavenging, cooling down and playing,” he says in a statement. “Highly efficient swimmers, they can dive for up to half a minute and can cover short distances faster than most humans.”

Dolphins Portrait by Tetsuji Akimoto

During a mere ten-minute swim with dolphins off Japan’s Toshima Island, Japanese photographer Tetsuji Akimoto experienced “one of [the] most interesting behaviors I have captured during my observation of dolphins for over ten years,” he says in a statement.

“This pair came close to me several times for trying to get my attention, clearly wanting to interact.”

Kiss Me by Andrea Michelutti

In the “compact” category, meant to highlight wide-angle or macro photos shot with a compact camera, Italian photographer Andrea Michelutti was commended for a number of images. But perhaps none is more intimate than this portrait of two scorpionfish that appear to have their lips pressed together.

“The elliptical light, passing through the bodies of the subjects, gave exactly the atmosphere I was looking for,” Michelutti says in a statement. “Their seemingly affectionate behavior gives the photo a unique feeling.”

Window of Opportunity by Lisa Stengel

American photographer Lisa Stengel spent a week in Mexico’s Magdalena Bay looking for bait balls of fish on the defensive. She found this spectacular school of sardines—in the throes of a mahi mahi attack—by listening for commotion. Stengel noticed the sardines made a specific noise each time the mahi mahi went in to strike.

“If you listen, there’s an enormous amount of sound in the ocean,” she explains in a statement. “The action was too fast to see, so I honed in on the sound of the attacks with my camera to capture this special moment.”

Double pygmy by Byron Conroy

Icelandic photographer Byron Conroy captured these two vibrant pygmy seahorses in Nudi Retreat, Lembeh, Indonesia. Using special gear and camera techniques, he illuminated the pair of animals and blurred the blue environment around them.

“Commonly photographed subjects have to be captured in a new way to catch the judges’ eye, and this is a perfect example,” contest judge Rowlands says in a statement. “Excellent use of lighting and movement to create a standout image with a dream-like quality.”

River Dolphin Surfaces in Amazon’s Mystic Depths by Olivier Clement

In the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil, a Boto, or pink river dolphin, “emerges like a fleeting note in the dark, composing a visual symphony amidst the flooded forest,” says Canadian photographer Olivier Clement in a statement. No strobes nor bait were used to take this photograph, to cause as little a disturbance as possible.

“This dolphin seems to be dreaming of another world,” says contest judge Mustard in the statement.

Divebomb by Kat Zhou

During one of six photography trips to the United Kingdom in the last year, American photographer Kat Zhou spent a week in Shetland, home to the country’s seventh-largest colony of northern gannets. In this photograph, they purposefully dive in search of food.

“Gannets are one of my favorite seabirds, and it was a really incredible experience to get to be in the water with them,” Zhou says in a video about the image. “It’s kind of like this chaotic adrenaline rush when they’re diving all around, and you never really know where to point your camera.”

Star Attraction by Jenny Stock

During a dive at dusk in Loch Leven, Scotland, photographer Jenny Stock of the U.K. was surprised to happen upon a “living carpet of thousands of brittle stars,” she says in a statement. As she moved around the area snapping photographs, she found this purple sea urchin, well-placed among the other creatures.

“A dominant star next to this graphic invertebrate created a beautifully balanced pair,” she adds, “perfectly surrounded by an entanglement of the background brittle stars.”

Grey Whale Connection by Rafael Fernandez Caballero

Spanish photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero, who also won the behavior category for his image of a whale attacking a bait ball, took home the portrait award for this photograph of the human-like eye of a grey whale.

When one of these massive mammals curiously swam up to his boat in Magdalena Bay in Mexico, he took over 1,000 photographs of it, he describes in a video. Only this single image, however, captured what he thought was a perfectly human look.

“These special moments highlight the beauty and intelligence of the whales, creating enduring memories for both observers and, surely, the curious whales themselves,” he says in a statement.

Scientists have photographed more than 100 never-before-seen species that were discovered during a deep-sea expedition.

The discoveries come from an international group of scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition who explored underwater mountain ranges, also known as seamounts, in the southeast Pacific, off the coast of Chile this year.

Among the newly identified species of sea life discovered were deep-sea corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, and squat lobsters.

Scientists used an underwater robot capable of reaching depths of 14,763 feet (4,500 meters). Using the underwater robot, the scientists were able to map a total of 20,377 square miles (52,777 square kilometers) of the seafloor.

This not only resulted in the discovery of over 100 new species, but also four new seamounts — each with its own distinct ecosystem.

‘Mind-Blowing’ Discoveries

The Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition was led in January and February by Dr Javier Sellanes of Chile’s Universidad Catolica del Norte.

“We far exceeded our hopes on this expedition,” Sellanes says in a statement.

“You always expect to find new species in these remote and poorly explored areas, but the amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, is mind-blowing.

“These thriving and healthy ecosystems indicate that the Nazca-Desventuradas and Juan Fernandez Marine Parks effectively protect delicate marine habitats.”

The researchers took samples of the never-before-seen underwater creatures and will now begin studying each one to determine whether they are a newfound species. The process of formally naming and identifying these new alien-like creatures can take several years.

“Full species identification can take many years, and Dr Sellanes and his team have an incredible number of samples from this amazingly beautiful and little-known biodiversity hotspot,” explains Dr Jyotika Virmani, Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director.

However, all of these strange sea creatures were photographed by the Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition’s underwater robot.

In one image, a bright red fish known as a Chaunax is captured on camera at a depth of 4,553 feet (1,388 meters). A beady-eyed squat lobster was also photographed on coral at a depth of 2,194 feet (669 meters), while other fascinating photos show a rarely-seen whiplash squid at 3,625 feet (1,105 meters).

Image credits: All images by Schmidt Ocean Institute

A photographer, McNamara dedicated his time to the Brunswick Community Garden in Jersey City. 

“He was an amazing photographer, a great organizer of so many events that brought us all together, a father, a husband, and much more,” Beth Achenbach, a Jersey City artist said on Facebook. 

“I’m glad to have known him.”

He is survived by his wife Alison and his daughter, Scarlett. The fundraiser will go toward Scarlett’s future education and supporting Alison during this time. As of Friday, Feb. 23, almost $7,000 has been raised.

A memorial will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. at Michalski Funeral Home in Jersey City. To view the fundraiser, click here.

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When planning a wedding, area photographers recommend finding someone who can capture the special moments, people and feelings of the big day.

Carrie Dinger Robbins of Captured by Carrie Photography, has been capturing weddings on film for 14 years.

“Weddings are probably my most enjoyable aspect of my business,” Robbins said. “It’s really a passion of mine. They’re a lot of hard work, but I just don’t seem to tire of it even after almost a decade and a half of shooting them. It’s always a happy day.”

She typically shoots 10 weddings a year and between five and eight engagement sessions. While many are close to her home near Mansfield, she’s ventured as far away as Orlando, Fla. to shoot one.

“Usually I see it being very busy in the fall. September, October are usually the busiest for me,” Robbins said. “Typically it’s usually every Saturday in September.”

If timing allows, Robbins can shoot two weddings a day and usually spends six hours at each wedding, although the bride and groom can book more or less time for their special day. It all starts with pre-planning.

Couple booking Walck Portraits of Coudersport get two photographers, husband and wife Tim and Megan Walck.

The couple opened Walck Photography in 2009. While the couple has shot upwards of 25-30 weddings in a year, now with a growing family, they have reduced the number to a handful.

When taking wedding photos, the Walcks’ goal is to capture the story not only of the wedding day, but also the couple’s relationship and feelings for one another.

Tim Walck developed a booklet after courses with the Professional Photographers of America. It outlines the wedding day timeline, suggestions, things to think about and even some advice on married life.

They also schedule a consultation with the bridal couple to discuss the process, answer questions and review pricing. They also want to make sure that it’s a good fit for both photographers and the engaged couple. That’s one reason they suggest engagement photos to familiarize the couple with the process of taking photos and the end product.

“When we talk with the bride and groom before on goals, we usually start with the end in mind,” said Tim Walck.

Most couples will book the photographer six to 12 months in advance. Every bride and groom receives a questionnaire that tells Robbins the number of guests, size of the wedding party, the venue and any special shots the couple wants to have. She also provides guidance to help the couple’s day run smoothly.

“I kind of guide them on scheduling throughout the day. If they have 250 guests and a 10-bridesmaid/10 groomsmen party, they need to allow enough time to grab wedding party photos,” she said. “The bigger the wedding is, you have to think about how long that will take people to go through the line and get food. You definitely plan on every aspect of the day based on the number of people involved.”

There’s no set number of photos provided by Robbins; each wedding is unique and her goal is to capture the images that reflect that. She takes photos of details like the invitation, shoes or boots, clothing and jewelry, floral arrangements, candid and posed photos of family and out-of-town guests, along with images at and of the venue. A couple booking her for six hours will receive between 800-1,200 images.

Walck Portraits offers an assortment of print packages, with many couples ordering albums or a large framed image for the wall.

“If they are planning to buy a large piece for a mantle or couch or collage up stairs, we know we want to get specific pictures,” he said. “If we’re doing a wedding album, we have to have a very specific storytelling set of images that make it through a wedding album.”

The Walcks work in tandem to offer a wide range of images for the couple.

“During the ceremony, we’ll do two different vantage points. She’s usually up close with a wide angle and I’m back with a telephoto lens,” Tim Walck said. “We’ll do something similar at the reception. We like to do table shots where we get all the guests at the wedding as much as possible. We try to get a bit of everything, trying to capture the day as well as possible.”

During the posed family photos, Megan will round up and arrange groups while Tim works the camera and lights.

“We try to work quickly and efficiently so we can get to reception as soon as possible,” he said.

Timing is also crucial for the Walcks, who stress the importance of planning with the wedding couple.

“People having unrealistic timelines. I always try to work with them on a timeline that is realistic and add padding and cushioning,” he said. “Hair and make-up always takes longer than they think it will. Every time. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a wedding where we’re not in a time crunch.”

Finding and preserving the special moments is their job, said the photographers.

“The last question I always ask them is what are three to five things that are most important to you when thinking about your wedding day,” Robbins said.

She provides both color and black and white images.

“I want my images to last forever. I don’t do a lot of trendy editing. I like my images to be clear, colorful, bold,” she said. “I don’t want people to look back on their photos 30 years from now and think they’re outdated. I want them to still be bright, clear, colorful, and not a lot of distraction to it.

The Walcks like to schedule an “epic shot” at the end of the day. They’ll bring in studio lights, extra flashes, gels or liquid smokes to create a dramatic image that could be used as an album cover or wall art.

Robbins advises couples to plan ahead, take advice and tips from others, and, if the wedding and reception are outdoors, hope for the best but plan for the worst.

“I’d say just do a lot of planning and a lot of research and enjoy the planning process and the wedding day as much as you can.,” she said.

Most importantly, relax and enjoy the big day, he said.

“I always tell the bride don’t sweat it because they’re not going to start without you,” said Tim Walck. “I always tell them to try to find peace and quiet time away from the crowd on their own so the bride and groom can enjoy time on their own on the wedding day. When we plan an epic photo, that is one of the reasons why we do it. On their wedding day, the bride and groom get pulled in a hundred different directions. Sometimes it’s really nice to get outside or in a different room where we set up this amazing image we’re going to take and have some time as a couple.”

That, he added, is pretty good advice for marriage as well.

For more information, contact Captured by Carrie Photography at 570-463-1985 or Walck Portraits at www.walckportraits.com, 814-655-1070 or on Facebook.