This year, thousands of images were submitted to the contest by over 2,600 photographers from 116 countries - here are the shots that amazed the judges.
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Brian Skerry says it was the stuff of dreams to be in the water with a nursing sperm whale.
The
National Geographic photographer and explorer dove into Caribbean waters to capture what he believes to be a unique image. He got within a few meters to get the shot. This was a very trusting mother, a new mom with maybe a five- or six-month-old baby that was nursing down at a depth of about 50 feet, he said. I very gently approached, just breath-hold diving, swam down. She saw me and then actually closed her eyes. I mean, she was so relaxed that I could enter into that world. I was being allowed into her world and could make these pictures.
Image credit: Brian Skerry
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Brian Skerry says it was “the stuff of dreams” to be in the water with a nursing sperm whale.
Humpback whales, working in teams, circle herring with disorienting curtains of bubbles off Alaska’s coast, then shoot up from below with their mouths open. This innovation developed among unrelated groups of humpbacks but is now a widely adopted practice.
Brian Skerry/National Geographic
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Humpback whales, working in teams, circle herring with disorienting curtains of bubbles off Alaska s coast, then shoot up from below with their mouths open. This innovation developed among unrelated groups of humpbacks but is now a widely adopted practice.
Brian Skerry says it was the stuff of dreams to be in the water with a nursing sperm whale.
The
National Geographic photographer and explorer dove into Caribbean waters to capture what he believes to be a unique image. He got within a few meters to get the shot. This was a very trusting mother, a new mom with maybe a five- or six-month-old baby that was nursing down at a depth of about 50 feet, he said. I very gently approached, just breath-hold diving, swam down. She saw me and then actually closed her eyes. I mean, she was so relaxed that I could enter into that world. I was being allowed into her world and could make these pictures.