Winners Gallery
2nd place Ocean Portfolio Award
Katherine Lu Anilao, Philippines
A poison ocellate octopus or mototi on a pyrosome, a pelagic colony of tunicates. “The poison ocellate octopus shares the same potent toxins with its relative, the blue ring octopus,” explains Lu. “Captured during a blackwater night dive, this juvenile octopus measured about 2 centimetres. Each night during the vertical migration, deep-sea creatures like this octopus migrate upwards to the lighter, shallower waters to feed and avoid predators before descending back into the depths by morning. Pyrosomes often serve as resting spots or transportation for these ocean travellers.”
All of Katherine's Collective Portfolio Award entry
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BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Calm and flat water
- Taken while snorkelling
- Morning
A mother and calf humpback whale in the calm waters off Mo’orea, French Polynesia. “This humpback whale calf, according to our marine biologist guide, was only weeks old and still very whitish in colour,” says Lu. “He told us that the mother was teaching it how to swim in the lagoon’s calm, warm waters. Humpbacks spend their summers in the warm waters of the South Pacific Islands to breed and give birth and when the calves are strong enough they will make the long migration back to Antarctica.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Visibility of 20 metres
- Taken while scuba diving
- Night
“The juvenile wunderpus octopus, with its translucent body, is a beautiful subject to photograph at night,” says Lu. “Having encountered this species multiple times before, I wanted to capture it in a unique way that conveyed a sense of motion. By using a slow shutter speed and intentional camera movement, I achieved a blurred effect that illustrates its movement. This image was taken during a blackwater dive in Anilao, Philippines.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Night
- Taken during scuba diving
- Site accessed by boat
“Every night, the largest migration on Earth, the diel vertical migration, occurs. Small creatures rise from the deep to feed while avoiding predators,” explains Lu. “While on a blackwater dive, I spotted this paper nautilus heading in my direction. I had only a few seconds to capture the moment. When the flash went off, it must have startled the nautilus – it took off so quickly, leaving a cloud of ink behind. I didn’t realise it until I reviewed my photos later.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Sunny
- Taken while snorkelling
- Morning
A jellyfish lake in Raja Ampat. “The location is very remote. It can only be accessed by boat and requires a steep rock climb up a limestone mountain and back down to the lake,” explains Lu. “The effort was well worth it. The jellyfish here have been isolated in the saltwater lake without predators for thousands of years. Over time, they have lost their ability to sting.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Choppy surface
- Photographed from the boat reaching into the water
- Taken at sunset
Lemon sharks at sunset. “The sun was setting and we were trying to capture split shots from the boat,” says Lu. “It was challenging as we had to lie down on our stomachs on the boat while extending our camera into the water. As the surface was choppy, it was difficult to get a good split photo. Meanwhile, the lemon sharks would circle us and sometimes come very close. One of the lemon sharks grabbed my glass dome and bit it, leaving some scratches as a souvenir.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Sunny
- Taken while scuba diving
- Afternoon
A healthy reef teeming with fish and a tiger shark. “While photographing tiger sharks at Tiger Beach we did an unbaited swim around the reef,” says Lu. “We often see tiger sharks in beautiful portraits or portrayed with a menacing demeanour. I took this image to show them in their natural environment like nature intended. The hook in the tiger shark’s mouth serves as a stark reminder of their vulnerability in the face of human impact.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Sunny
- Taken while scuba diving
- Afternoon
A healthy reef is one that is teaming with fish and apex predators. “While photographing a school of jackfish near a reef in the Bahamas, I spotted a nurse shark approaching. I quickly positioned myself to capture the moment as the shark gracefully swam through the school, creating a striking composition,” says Lu.
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Visibility of 20 metres
- Taken on a blackwater dive
- Night
A young jack fish hides inside a jellyfish, demonstrating their unique symbiotic relationship. “The small jellyfish will sting, but the fish will build immunity to the toxin,” explains Lu. “The jellyfish then provides a safe haven for the fish against larger ocean predators while the jellyfish is pushed through the water column by the fish, increasing its ability to feed.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Sunny
- Taken while scuba diving
- Morning
A whale shark swims alongside a diver in a remote part of Indonesia. “The fishermen here consider the arrival of these gentle giants a sign of good luck,” says Lu. “I spent two hours in the water, focusing on the whale sharks as they arrived and departed. The lighting that day was perfect, and I captured a fellow diver, framed by rays of light, crossing paths with a whale shark. Including the diver in the shot was a deliberate choice to provide a sense of scale.”
BEHIND THE LENS
Katherine Lu United States (US)
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Taken on a blackwater dive
- Site accessed by boat
- Good visibility
IMAGES BY Katherine Lu
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