Winners Gallery
1st place The Ocean Photographer of the Year
Yury Ivanov Bali, Indonesia
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. "It was taken at a depth of 19 metres, during a sunny day with calm sea conditions. In total, it took me six dives to get the shot I wanted. The result reveals an intimate glimpse of underwater life that is often overlooked."
BEHIND THE LENS
Yury Ivanov Indonesia
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Taken while scuba diving
- Coastal walk-in
- Shot at local dive site
- f/22, 1/250s, ISO 64
Yury Ivanov is an Indonesia-based award-winning underwater photographer and PADI Dive Master with over 15,000 dives. He moved to Asia more than 14 years ago where he has since made Bali his home to photograph the local macro life. He has specialised in studying nudibranchs and co-authored the identification guidebook Nudibranchs of The Coral Triangle. His work has taken him to underwater sites across Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt, the Maldives, Palau, the Black Sea, and Thailand – but it’s Bali’s vibrant reefs and nudibranch-rich coastlines that continue to inspire him the most.
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.
