Ocean Photographer of the Year - WinnerOcean Photographer of the Year - Winner 

Winner Ocean Photographer of the Year – Yury Ivanov

The Ocean Photographer of the Year is awarded to the most compelling and beautiful image submitted to the competition. It is chosen from all entries. The following photograph resonated most strongly with the judges.

54-year-old professional diver and macro photographer Yury Ivanov hails from a small town near Moscow, Russia. He relocated to Asia some 14 years ago, settling in Bali, a true haven for underwater macro life and especially nudibranchs (commonly known as sea slugs) – they come in many brilliant colours and eye-catching patterns, often considered one of the most beautiful animals in the world. Ivanov is co-author of a book “Nudibranchs of The Coral Triangle”, an identification guide.

Ivanov has completed over 15,000 dives and received more than 40 international photography awards. His work has taken him to underwater sites across Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt, the Maldives, Palau, the Black Sea, and Thailand.

 

Location: Bali, Indonesia

Equipment: Nikon D850, Kenko extension tube 20mm, 105mm macro lens with AOI UCL-09PRO, Nauticam housing, two INON Z-330 strobes (eye-non, three thirty)

Settings: 1/250, f/22, ISO 64

Image size: 143.5 x 143.5cm

 

Wall text

Two amphipods from the Cyproideidae family, each only measuring around 3mm in body length, rest on a coral. Commonly called ‘ladybugs of the sea’, these tiny creatures display striking colouration and symmetry. “It required a lot of patience and precision to compose and light the shot properly,” says Ivanov. (ee) “The result reveals an intimate glimpse of underwater life that is often overlooked.”

 

Description 

Amphipods have segmented bodies, flattened at the sides. They have 7 pairs of walking legs at the front and 3 pairs of pleopods (small limbs) at the rear. They can be found in a variety of aquatic habitats, and they are mostly between 1 – 10mm. They are omnivorous, feeding on dead and decaying organic matter.  They help to control the growth of algae and provide a significant food source for marine animals, birds and fish. These brown and white ladybug amphipods are found on coral, sponges and other marine life.  

This photo was taken on a bright sunny day when the water temperature was more than 29 degrees. The photographer was scuba diving, and it took 6 dives, around 6 hours in total, to get this shot.  

Against a bold, bright-blue background two, curious translucent creatures with large brown spots on their mostly clear bodies perch on coral. There is a gap between the two and they are facing towards our left, almost in profile.  

They stand on spindly, translucent hind legs protruding from beneath their domed-backed little bodies. They share space on a carrot-stick-like finger of orange coral.  

The little amphipods have see-through, red and orange antennae protruding from their faces and next to the antennae, a large reddish dot resembling an eye. Both amphipods strike an identical pose, their antennae pointing up and out, one skinny forelimb extending down into the water in front. The rest of their walking legs are clustered together, almost as though clasped at their fronts.

Their horizontal coral vantage point, and several more coral sticks protrude in to frame from our right, in front of a small, out-of-focus triangular section of grey shadow suggestive of rock. The coral growths end two-thirds of the way across the image, on our left. One of the amphipods is standing very close to the blunt orange tip. Below the spotted amphipods, cylindrical, clear, white and pink flower-like growths line the coral. At the blunt tip is just one flower-like growth, in profile. Its shallow, bowl-like little fronds are reaching into the blue.

To the right of the first, the other amphipod is slightly smaller and more hunched over, as though not as fearless as its counterpart.  

The pair have an endearing, fragile air. The curve of their back’s and their compressed yellow and orange heads gives them a sweet, apologetic demeanour and their dark polka dot markings contrast dramatically with the orange coral and bright blue background.  

The centre of the image, and around amphipods is sharply in focus, the rest has a fuzzy quality, emphasising the subject’s minutia.

If you are standing at the tactile floor tile facing the winning image, over on your right, is a wall mounted tactile print for you to explore.

This is the end of the audio description.