Winners Gallery
3rd place Ocean Portfolio Award
Brooke Pyke Maldives
A mating ritual between three tawny nurse sharks. “Two males were chasing a female, dancing in courtship at night,” says Pyke. “I captured the movement in the dark with a slow shutter speed, strobes, and video lights."
All of Brooke's Collective Portfolio Award entry
Click on image to view details
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Light wind
- 20m visibility
- Shot while freediving
- Site accessed by boat
Followed by a school of bait fish, a whale shark rises from the depths of the ocean. “I had always hoped to capture a photo with a whale shark surrounded by bait fish,” remembers Pyke. “This day, I got lucky.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Midday shoot
- 30-metre visibility
- Shot while scuba diving
- Site accessed by boat
A scalloped hammerhead near Darwin’s Arch. “This was one of my favourite safety stops ever,” explains Pyke. “Drifting over the white sand, I looked down to see several fish swarms. Underneath them passed several scalloped hammerheads.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Overcast conditions
- Shot while snorkelling
- Site accessed by boat
- 28 degrees Celsius water temperature
Mangroves meet colourful coral gardens off Gam Island. “Swimming along this shallow reef was an incredibly unique experience,” says Pyke. “Seeing these vital ecosystems thriving on top of one another gave me a real sense of hope for our ocean.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Sunny conditions
- Calm water
- 17 degrees Celsius water temperature
- Coastal walk-in
Master of camouflage, a leafy sea dragon drifts amongst the seaweed in the cold waters of Esperance. “My first time photographing a leafy sea dragon, and my second attempt to find one,” says Pyke.
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Night dive
- Pouring rain
- Shot while scuba diving
- Site accessed by boat
Toxic but beautiful – a blue-ringed octopus, a highly venomous species, hides between two shells. “This species was on my shot list for a long time,” says Pyke. “After following the octopus a while, I finally got lucky.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Midday
- Sunny conditions
- Shot while scuba diving
- Site accessed by boat
A school of oriental sweetlips swim in unison. “I had this image in my mind for a while,” says Pyke. “On this occasion, the fish posed perfectly. Using a slow shutter speed, I spun the camera to get a swirling effect.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Sunny conditions
- Light wind
- 20-metre visibility
- Site accessed by boat
A healthy reef brimming with life in the Maldives. “This reef was covered with fish – almost overwhelmingly so,” remembers Pyke. “The density of fish made it impossible to see the coral and other features of the reef.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Shot while freediving
- No swell
- Site accessed by boat
- 15-metre visibility
A dead humpback whale on the ocean floor. “One of the most moving scenes I’ve ever photographed. Within a few days, the bones were stripped,” says Pyke. “This tiger shark remained at the scene cleaning every scrap it could scavenge.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Afternoon shoot
- Calm conditions
- Coastal walk-in
- Shot while scuba diving
A pale octopus mother protects her eggs on an artificial reef. “She makes the ultimate sacrifice as she doesn’t eat as she cares for her eggs,” says Pyke. “The love for her offspring will eventually kill her.”
BEHIND THE LENS
Brooke Pyke Australia
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Calm seas
- Shot while freediving
- Site accessed by boat
- 8pm dive
MORE IMAGES BY Brooke Pyke
Fine ArtPhotographer of the Year
2022 Western Australia
Reconnect. Immerse yourself. Be inspired.
Enjoy the vibrancy, beauty and impact of each year's finalist photography, celebrated in our Ocean Photographer of the Year coffee table book collection.
