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Core SWX has recently introduced its groundbreaking NANOX batteries, specifically designed to address the dynamic requirements of hybrid shooters in the film and photography sectors. These innovative power solutions combine lightweight construction with a rugged design, ensuring reliability under various shooting conditions. With options including 98Wh and 150Wh capacities and compatibility with both V- and Gold Mounts, the NANOX batteries are poised to transform power management in content creation.
The NANOX batteries stand out with their ‘NexCore’ compound shell, a state-of-the-art polymer blend engineered for exceptional impact, vibration, and extreme weather resistance. This robust construction does not come at the expense of portability, as the batteries maintain a compact and lightweight form factor, making them ideal for on-the-go shooting scenarios. Each battery is equipped with versatile auxiliary ports, including USB-A, a 100W USB-C PD, and a 12V P-Tap, catering to a broad spectrum of devices and accessories. An LED display for accurate power management and an EmLED Display for enhanced durability further underscore the thoughtful design behind these batteries.
Core SWX has integrated RFID technology into the NANOX batteries, enabling seamless communication with selected cameras and smartphones. This feature, coupled with the forthcoming Voltbridge iD app, promises to offer users an unprecedented level of control and monitoring over their power usage. The inclusion of these technologies highlights Core SWX’s commitment to innovation and its focus on meeting the evolving needs of modern content creators, who require reliable and efficient power management solutions.
Targeting outdoor, news, and travel cinematographers, as well as independent creators, the NANOX batteries are designed to support a wide array of projects and workflows. Their versatility and durability make them an invaluable tool for professionals who demand power efficiency and portability in their equipment. Available for preorder at $285 for the 98Wh version and $395 for the 150Wh variant, in both V-Mount and Gold Mount options, these batteries are set to become an essential component of any content creator’s toolkit.
As the film and photography industries continue to evolve, the demand for innovative and adaptable power solutions grows. Core SWX’s introduction of the NANOX batteries represents a significant leap forward in meeting these demands, offering hybrid shooters a potent combination of performance, durability, and versatility. With their rugged design and advanced features, these batteries are poised to become a staple in the equipment arsenals of content creators worldwide, reshaping power management in the process.
In the world of photography, where moments are frozen in time, entrepreneur Jackie McGriff has discovered a profound connection between photography and self-love. As the owner of Jackie Photography, her journey began with an indirect inheritance from her grandmother, who unknowingly passed on a passion that would become McGriff’s sanctuary during challenging times.
McGriff vividly recalls her grandmother’s love for taking pictures of her and her sister with her polaroid camera. McGriff also remembers visiting her grandmother’s photo room, where pictures adorned a clothesline, a precursor to her own immersion in the world of photography. In the midst of battling low self-esteem due to childhood bullying and coping with the death of her grandmother, McGriff found solace and empowerment through the lens of her camera, a journey she now extends to others.
Embarking on her photographic journey, McGriff initially confronted her self-esteem issues by taking daily selfies — a step beyond her comfort zone. She paired this with a daily affirmation in front of the mirror, slowly building confidence. “The first time I did it I felt so dumb, but I did it. The more I said it, the more comfortable I became with it,” McGriff revealed.
Her exploration deepened when she joined a local church’s free photography class. Encouraged to invest in a quality camera, McGriff began capturing the beauty of Rochester, proving that in a city that some may feel is not aesthetically pleasing, there are untold stories waiting to be seen. McGriff’s mentor, Mona Isler, often refers to her camera as “God’s eye,” recognizing McGriff’s unique ability to perceive beauty where others might not.
As McGriff honed her craft, her client base expanded, revealing a common thread — many struggled with self-esteem issues similar to her own. One poignant memory remains etched in McGriff’s heart: a client who believed a photograph of herself would break the camera. It fueled McGriff’s mission to use photography as a tool for self-empowerment.
However, McGriff’s journey as a Black woman business owner in a male-dominated industry hasn’t been without challenges. Frequently, her knowledge and skills are underestimated, and she often encounters assumptions of being a novice. McGriff has also noticed a deficit in representation of Black photographers, causing a feeling of loneliness in her profession. McGriff addressed this by joining the international group, Black Women, Fems and Non-binary people in Photography, discovering a network that countered her initial sense of isolation.
McGriff encourages other Black photographers to network actively, collaborate with fellow Black-owned businesses and proudly promote their work. Through this approach, she and other Black Women Photographers (BWP) in the community launched a local meetup in Rochester. The meetup fosters a sense of community for local photographers and opportunities to network and learn from each other.
While accolades abound, Jackie values the internal healing that photography has brought her. “You are worthy of getting your photos taken,” she insists, echoing the personal affirmation that kick started her journey. Through her lens, Jackie continues to inspire others to embrace their worth, one photograph at a time.
To discover more about Jackie Photography, visit www.jackiephotographs.com.
New York Public Library to Display Theatre Photography of Friedman-Abeles Studio
The exhibit will feature images from Purlie, Camelot, West Side Story, and more.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center will celebrate the theatre photography of the Friedman-Abeles
Studio in an upcoming exhibit offering a unique presentation of lenticular
prints. Entitled Reanimating Theater: The Photography of Friedman–Abeles, the exhibit will open March 15 and continue through September 25.
From 1954–1970, the Friedman-Abeles
Studio—featuring the work of Leo Friedman and Joseph Abeles—photographed the majority of the shows on Broadway, including color images that the Library received as slides. The
cost of reproducing these images in the pre-digital era meant that few have ever been seen before.
Rather
than selecting a single shot from these shows, the Library has used the technology of lenticular printing to
simulate animations of several of the shots, giving a
sense of the movement of the original production.
This
exhibition, curated by Doug Reside, will showcase selections of some of the studio’s most iconic images from the original Broadway productions of Purlie, Camelot, West Side Story, and Bye Bye Birdie.
Click here for more information.
From time immemorial, artists from all mediums have long been drawn to self-portraiture. Michaelangelo made an appearance in his famous fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and Hitchcock couldn’t resist cameos in most of his films. So what lies at the heart of artists’ enduring desire to create images of themselves?
Photographer Giulia Bersani has been taking self-portraits since her earliest experiments with a camera. Initially, this was for pragmatic reasons – she was the only consistently available model. Gradually, she also realised this practice created an opportunity to explore her own identity and psyche. She began to think of these pictures as “precious documents” for their ability to offer insight into her interiority, as well as her physicality. The Milan-born photographer tells Dazed, “I think self-portraits have an extra value since the presence and essence of the artist is double.”
Dating back to 2011, her ongoing series of self-portraits express the photographer’s fervent curiosity about her experiences, her identity, and the world around her. Often staggeringly beautiful, sometimes melancholic, Bersani’s pictures feel confessional and incredibly intimate. She describes them as the “rawest and realest” of all her work. Many of the portraits are nudes, which amplifies the intense sense of how vulnerable Bersani dares make herself. Nothing is hidden – be it pleasure, heartache, insecurity, fear, loss, passion. Sometimes the presence of the camera is explicit and she meets our gaze. Other times, we feel much more like voyeurs spectating on an unaware Bersani as she eats dinner or rides in the back of a car.
Below, we chat with Giulia Bersani about what obsesses her as a photographer, why she turns the camera on herself, and the experience of making such intimate work public.
What period do the pictures span? And what led you to turn the camera on yourself?
Giulia Bersani: I started to take self-portraits as soon as I started taking photos – in 2011, I was 18 years old – and I shot the last one yesterday. The first reason I turned the camera on myself was very simple; I wanted to photographically exploit my free time and I was often the only available model. Over time, I started to notice the value of those pictures as a precious document and the value of this process that gave me some space to work on myself in the research of who I am.
Are these self-portraits staged or spontaneous? Could you please tell us a bit about the process?
Giulia Bersani: They are very diverse, but most of them were taken in a spontaneous and real context. During my quotidian life, I keep observing myself and when I feel like there is something interesting in the moment I’m living – aesthetically or emotionally – I search for my camera, put it on a chair or a stack of books, or hang it on the wall with scotch tape, and I take a self-portrait of the scene as it was.
“The perfect photograph to me is very personal and connected to precious memories” – Giulia Bersani
As a photographer, what would you say are the recurring themes in your work? What obsesses you?
Giulia Bersani: Intimacy between people obsesses me… love, sex, motherhood etcetera. But also intimacy with myself – which you can find in those self-portraits – and intimacy between me and the people I photograph.
Thinking about your practice, what would you say are the guiding principles when it comes to making an image?
Giulia Bersani: I’m very quiet when I photograph; I move slowly and talk softly. The most important thing is to leave the subject enough space to open up; to take off the mask, and to leave myself enough time to observe everything without judging.
In your opinion, what elements make a perfect photograph? And how do you edit your work and make selections of which pictures to choose?
Giulia Bersani: The perfect photograph to me is very personal and connected to precious memories. I let my stomach and my instinct choose which pictures are the most powerful to me. It’s often about the strength of gestures and colours.
“You can see my insecurities, my melancholy, my fears, but also the house of my parents where I grew up, my love stories, the story of my body” – Giulia Bersani
As a body of work, what do you think these self-portraits reveal about you as an artist and as an individual?
Giulia Bersani: This part of my work is probably the rawest and the realest part. You can see my insecurities, my melancholy, my fears, but also the house of my parents where I grew up, my love stories, the story of my body.
How does it feel to make public such intimate work?
Giulia Bersani: It feels good, it doesn’t scare me. I love transparency and I think those pictures are simple and true enough not to be misunderstood. It’s about self-representation. Since it’s my own vision about myself (as a woman), it’s precious.
Where, ultimately, do you intend this series to live?
Giulia Bersani: I would love, sooner or later, to see it both as a photobook and an exhibition. I’m waiting for the right occasion. It’s an ongoing series but I already collected more than 120 different self-portraits in 12 years so it would make sense for me to elaborate on them in a new shape at some point.
For updates on Giulia Bersani’s ongoing series of self-portraits and other work, you can follow her on Instagram.
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An Australian photographer accused Taylor Swift’s father, Scott Swift, of punching him in the face as the pop star and her entourage disembarked a yacht.
New South Wales police said they were investigating a report that a 71-year-old man assaulted a 51-year-old man at a wharf in the Sydney area early Tuesday morning, after Taylor wrapped up her final concert in the city on her worldwide “Eras” tour.
“We don’t confirm names of victims and offenders of crimes, but if every other news agency in the world is using those names, you wouldn’t be wrong,” a police statement said.
The BBC cited a video shown on Australian media, in which Taylor and her father are seen walking toward a car, with the singer hiding her face under an umbrella and her father briefly throwing up his middle finger.
Photographer Ben McDonald told Agence France-Presse that a security guard used an umbrella to try to stop him from taking photos, and that an older man then hit him as Taylor entered the car.
“He punched me in the chops,” McDonald said. “It was a shock. That’s never happened to me in 26 years.”
Taylor’s spokesperson Tree Paine sent a statement accusing McDonald and another photographer present of “aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”
A video published by Australian media shows photographers flashing pictures of the Swifts as someone instructs: “Go ahead and step away from the vehicle.” Then, an umbrella gets rustled.
“Don’t touch my umbrella,” someone says. “No, you touched my umbrella,” another person replies, before the video falls sideways.
Scott, nicknamed “Papa Swift,” is beloved by the megastar’s fans for public acts of kindness, including handing out sandwiches to fans at an earlier concert in Sydney. He left Australia with Taylor as scheduled after the incident, Good Morning America reported.
Taylor will continue touring in Singapore. The “Eras” tour became the highest-grossing music tour of all time last year, and the first to earn over $1 billion in revenue.
This story has been updated.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2024 have revealed the winners of the National and Regional competition which celebrates photographic communities in all corners of the world.
All the winners will receive Sony camera equipment and have their work exhibited. The Student, Youth, Open, and Professional competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 will be announced on April 18.
Celebrating photography beneath the surface of oceans, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools, the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest has announced this year’s amazing winning entries.
With “Whales Bones,” an emotive photograph showing a free-diver examining the aftermath of whaling under Greenland’s ice, Swedish photographer Alex Dawson was named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024.
Prizes and commendations were awarded in 13 categories including Wide Angle, Macro, Behavior, Portrait, Black & White, Compact, and Up & Coming among others.
‘Whale Bones’ won over 6,500 underwater pictures entered from around the world. The image “was photographed in the toughest conditions,” explains Alex Mustard, chair of judging panel. “A breath-hold diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear witness to the carcasses. The composition invites us to consider our impact on the great creatures of this planet.
Since the rise of humans, wild animals have declined by 85%. Today, just four percent of mammals are wildlife, the remaining 96% are humans and our livestock. Our way needs to change to find a balance with nature.”
UPY2024 results are now available to view in the Winners’ gallery, and the complete collection is available to download and keep in the free Yearbook.
‘Whale Bones’, Overall Winner Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 and Wide Angle category. … [+]
Alex Dawson, Sweden – UPY 2024
This image was taken in the toughest conditions as a breath-holding diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear witness to slaughtered whales.
In eastern Greenland, local hunters bring their catch and share it among each other. From a stable population of more than 100,000 minke whales in the North Atlantic, the hunters of Tasiilaq typically take about a dozen.
The whale is hauled up on the beach during high tide and many families gather to cut the skin, blubber and the meat at low tide. Almost the entire whale is consumed. However, the skeleton is pulled back into the sea by the next high tide and the remains can be found in shallow waters where various marine invertebrates and fish pick the bones clean.
Wild and Free, Runner Up, Wide Angle – Bimini Bahamas
Remuna Beca, U.S. – UPY 2024
A pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins swimming wild and free in the Bahamas.
“Over the last three years I have travelled to Bimini where a resident population is known for their playfulness with freedivers,” Remuna Beca explains. “They are incredibly fast and acrobatic, making most encounters high-energy and unpredictable, which can be challenging to photograph. I wanted to create an image that captured their playful spirit and the serene beauty of seeing them in the wild.”
Twilight smile, Third Prize, Wide Angle Category, Tiger Beach, Grand Bahama
Rodolphe Guignard, France – UPY 202
In 2011, the Bahamas declared its waters a “shark sanctuary.” At dusk, several dozen lemon sharks rose from the depths and surround the dive boat. “Perched on the swim-step with my body half-submerged, I set out to take split shots,” Rodolphe Guignard recalled. “On this day, the sea was rough and the sharks were lively and very curious, not hesitating to come into contact with my housing.”
Star Attraction, Winner British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024, Loch Leven, Scotland
Jenny Stock UK – UPY 2024
The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the United Kingdom. With her image “Star Attraction,” which finds beauty in species of British wildlife that are often overlooked, photographer Jenny Stock was named British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024.
Off the west coast of Scotland, Loch Leven is a dive site near Oban where “in the dark green depths, my torch picked out the vivid colours of a living carpet of thousands of brittle stars, each with a different pattern.,” said Stock. “I was happily snapping away, when I spotted this purple sea urchin.”
A dominant star next to this graphic invertebrate created a beautifully balanced pair, perfectly surrounded by an entanglement of the background brittlestars.
An abstract portrait of a Potbelly Seahorse, Winner Macro Category, Bare Island, Australia
Talia Greis, Australia – UPY 2024
For the photographer, this particular seahorse made a striking contrast with the surrounding coral, the result of its especially distinguished markings around the eye, and the jaw-dropping color palette.
While seahorses aren’t rare in Sydney dive sites, the seahorse’s striking red eye and posture captured the character of both the secretive seahorse and the murky waters of Sydney.
‘Green & Red’, Highly Commended, Macro category
Sunbong Jung – UPY 2024
A pop art palette of prime colors explodes as this juvenile puffer filefish comes into the photographer’s frame. The tiny white dot, the object of the filefish’s attention, fills this careful composition with purpose.
Lonesome drifter, Runner Up, Macro Category – Anilao Janao Bay, Philippines
Dennis Corpuz, Philippines – UPY 2024
“We frequently witness the vertical migration of small creatures that travel and feed on highly attractive lights in water that is approximately 200-plus meters deep,” said Dennis Corpuz. “While I was exploring the area, I came across a pyrosome (an unusual tubular planktonic animal) that was 10 centimeters (4 inches) long. As I examined it carefully, I discovered that a tiny octopus was hiding inside it. The creature was floating in mid-water and moving randomly.
Grey Whale Connection, Winner, Portrait Category Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur
Rafael Fernandez Caballero, Spain – UPY 2024
This groundbreaking underwater portrait of a curious whale entitled ‘Grey Whale Connection’ was taken as the photographer was drifting in a small boat, holding his camera over the side in the water. The whale displayed a friendly gaze resembling a human look of curiosity and innocence.
Encounters with gray whales in Pacific saltwater lagoons are extremely special. Known for their friendly and curious nature, gray whales often approach boats, allowing observers to witness distinctive behaviors like spy-hopping. During their migration from the Bering Sea to Baja California, these lagoons serve as crucial havens and winter maternity wards.
With only around 1,300 gray whales left, responsible practices of ecotourism are key to protect these giants. These special moments highlight the beauty and intelligence of the whales, creating enduring memories for both observers and, surely, the curious whales themselves.
Aquatic Primate, Third Place, Portrait Category – Phi Phi Thailand
Suliman Alatiqi, Kuwait – UPY 2024
During fieldwork at Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, spanning several weeks, the photographer focused on documenting the behavior of these crab-eating macaques and their water forages. The macaques have adapted very well to living around the sea and venture into the water for various reasons including transportation, scavenging, cooling down and even playing.
Highly efficient swimmers, they can dive for up to half a minute and cover short distances faster than most humans. This photo offers a rare glimpse of the swimming movement of a male macaque.
Attack from Above, Runner Up, Portrait Category – Monterey, California
on Anderson, U.S. – UPY 2024
More surprising than encountering a bird underwater is having the bird try to attack your camera while hunting for small fish in the kelp forest.
“Last summer at a popular Monterey dive site, the cormorants seemed to be more active and curious than usual,” On Anderson recalled. “I had numerous cormorants approach me, peck at my head and tank, follow me around and try to eat my camera. This one paused for a moment, perhaps after the seeing its self-reflection in my dome port, allowing me to capture a head-on portrait.
Countless species including these cormorants depend on healthy kelp forests to thrive. Unfortunately, local kelp forests have declined by more than 80% in size over the past decade due to warmer waters and unchecked predation by urchins.
The End Of A Baitball, Winner, Behavior Category – La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Rafael Fernandez Caballero, Spain – UPY 2024
“I was fortunate to experience this unique spectacle in the open Pacific waters in Magdalena Bay at the end of 2023.,” said Rafael Fernandez Caballero. “Due to the warmer water caused by the climate phenomenon ‘El Niño’, more species than ever joined this hunt.”
Bait balls of sardines attracted a variety of predators, but the main stars of the show, visiting Baja in perhaps larger numbers than ever, were the Bryde’s whales. They patrolled the waters, searching for bait balls to get their bellies full of hundreds of kilograms of fish. This photo shows the very moment of attack, with the whale’s ventral pleats wide open and filtering the prey from the water using their baleens after engulfing hundreds of kilograms of sardines in one bite.
“Absolutely jaw dropping (pun intended). Perfectly posed and composed at the peak of the action with sunshine highlights,” the judges commented.
Mouth To Mouth, Runner Up, Behavior Category – Oda, Shimane, Japan
JingGong Zhang, China – UPY 2024
Two female Zoarchias major eelpouts in a fight.
During the breeding season, in order to get a suitable spawning nest, not only the males will fight each other, but also the females — and even males and females will sometimes fight each other.
Usually, they can only be found in very few places of southern Japan. The image epitomizes the decisive moment when a hormone-fuelled dispute, as happens with many human disputes, is settled in favor of the individual with the biggest mouth.
A tiger shark feeds on a humpback whale carcass, Third Place, Behavior Category – Coral Bay, … [+]
Brooke Pyke, Australia – UPY 2024
When a whale falls to the ocean floor, nothing goes to waste.
A young humpback whale’s carcass lay slumped on the sand and within a few days, the bones had already been stripped. This lone tiger shark remained at the scene cleaning every scrap it can scavenge.
The meat from this dead whale musst have fed countless sharks of all types, fish and sea birds. This huge transfer of energy travelled all the way from Antarctica to arrive on the Australian Ningaloo Reef. “As if this section of the reef has won the lottery,” the photographer Brooke Pyke writes. “This is one of the most moving scenes I have ever photographed. I was both emotional and yet mesmerized by the pure, raw beauty of it.”
The Birth Day, ‘Highly Commended, Behavior category
Kenji Sato – UPY 2024
Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders and this image shows the moment the baby fish are released. At the moment of hatching, the father swims upward and spits out his many babies in an instant.
There seem far more babies than could fit in the mouth; it’s hard to believe so many can come from one fish.
“It happens so quickly that it has taken me several years to get this image,” said Kenji Sato. “I hope that many of his babies will grow, and survive.”
Nudi on Fire, Winner Compact Category – Tulamben Indoneia.
Enrico Somogyi, Germany – UPY 2024
A nudibranch (sea slug) on eggs, with a commensal emperor shrimp on the head, is all set against a golden explosion of light.
Octopus Attack, Runner Up, Compact Category, Lembeh, Indonesia
Enrico Somogyi, Germany – UPY 2024
The coconut octopus was sitting in a small hollow in the sand. In the background rests a shell where another coconut octopus was living. After some pictures, the octopus started to touch the camera’s lens.
Window of Opportunity, Winner, Up & Coming category – Magdalena Bay, Mexico
Lisa Stengel, U.S. – UPY 2024
The moment of ambush amidst a blur of evasion, this action photo captures high-speed hunting of sardines by mahi mahi fish.
With this image, Lisa Stengel of the United States was named Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024. Stengel used both a fast shutter speed and her hearing to catch the moment. “If you listen, there’s an enormous amount of sound in the ocean,” she explained. “The action was too fast to see, so I homed in on the sound of the attacks to capture this special moment.”
Lion’s Lair, Third Place, Up & Coming Category – Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Bryan H. Blauvelt, U.S. – UPY 2024
Raja Ampat, Indonesia is a destination at the top of many divers’ bucket lists for the incredible diversity and density of marine life.
“My goal on my first visit to this magical destination was to create a photograph that captured the explosion of life, color and texture,” said Raja Ampat. “This lionfish nestled up to a black crinoid feather star and framed by hundreds of tiny glass fish caught my attention and became a favourite image from the year of shooting.”
Encircled, Runner Up, Up & Coming Category – Marsa Shagra, Egypt
Sarah O’Gorman, Egypt – UPY 2024
“Summer 2023 brought the usual small groups of baby barracudas to each coral pinnacle on the house reef at Marsa Shagra, but for the first time in the 11 years I have lived there, they all gradually came together as one giant bait ball in the entrance of the bay, giving divers no choice but to pass through them at the start and end of their dive,” said Marsa Shagra. “Snorkelers spent hours every day floating above them, mesmerised by their movements.
This free diver played amongst them, influencing their formation for as long as her breath would last. As autumn passed, the juveniles grew and the bait ball attracted hunters such as snappers, jacks and bigger barracudas who feasted for several months, and by winter it was if it had never existed.”
Saving Goliath, Winner Marine Conservation Category and Save Our Seas Foundation’s Marine … [+]
Nuno Sá, Portugal – UPY 2024
Portuguese photographer Nuno Sá, was named ‘Save Our Seas Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2024 with his photo ‘Saving Goliath’, taken in Portugal and showing beachgoers trying to save a stranded sperm whale.
The picture gives us hope that people do care and want to help the oceans, but also warns us that bigger changes are needed. “The whale had been struck by a ship and its fate was sealed,” explains Sá.
The golden beaches of Costa da Caparica, just across the river from Lisbon, were packed with sun seekers on this sunny day. And then something unusual caught their attention. A massive sperm whale seemed to be struggling to swim as it slowly moved towards the coast. Soon its giant wounded body was passing by surfers and swimmers and reaching the shallow waters of the beach. Suddenly dozens of sun seekers start running towards the whale and together they push and chant trying to help the giant back into the sea, as it slowly slaps its tail back and forth, and breathes heavily.
Several hours later, the whale takes its last breath, its body crushed by gravity as it lays on the sand.
An estimated 20,000 whales are killed every year, and many more injured, after being struck by ships — and few people even realize that it happens.
Very Bad Luck, Third Place, Marine Conservation category – Coastal lagoon of the Mar Menor, Spain
Javier Murcia, Spain – UPY 2024
Every year, thousands of marine seabirds are caught in fishing gear from all the seas and oceans of the planet, from longlines to nets.
In the coastal lagoon of the Mar Menor in Spain, it occurs too often with several species of diving birds.
These seabirds are divers and look for fish to feed on. During their dives, they become trapped in nets that they cannot see and die a slow and agonizing death because they cannot breathe. On many occasions, these fishing gear are illegal (such as the one in this image) that killed an adult specimen of the great cormorant with the fish that surely lured it towards the net in the first place, still in its mouth.
