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Finalist The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds

Bing Lin Malapascua Island, Philippines

11.3285° N 124.1136° E

A blue-ringed octopus, smaller than a golf ball, moves across the crest of a reef wall at Malapascua Island, Philippines. This species is nocturnal, intensely secretive, and rarely seen during daylight hours – much less hunting in the open, which makes moments like this incredibly rare. Using its intricate camouflage, this tiny predator blends into the reef while searching for prey among rocks and coral. Photographed with a macro lens, the image reveals details often missed in the underwater landscape.

BEHIND THE LENS

Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 BINLIN6

Bing Lin Australia

ABOUT THE IMAGE

  • Scuba, Boat
  • Sony A7R V Body and Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens
  • ISO: 100; F-stop: f/2.8; Shutter Speed: 1/200

Bing Lin is an award-winning conservation photographer, writer, and scientist whose work explores the intricate relationship between people and the natural world. His research focuses on coral reefs and the human behaviors that shape marine ecosystems. Through science, storytelling, and photography both above and below the surface, he reveals what has already been lost—and what we still stand to lose. Bing is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney's Thriving Oceans Research Hub, a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and the author of the forthcoming book A Sea of Fading Color (University of Chicago Press), exploring the intertwined fate of coral reefs and humanity.