Photography

Through You Lens celebrates the best underwater photography of 2020

Through You Lens celebrates the best underwater photography of 2020
2nd Place - Compact. Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. A porcupine fish hiding inside a barrel sponge
2nd Place - Compact. Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. A porcupine fish hiding inside a barrel sponge
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Winner - Macro. West Palm Beach, Florida. A seahorse floating on a small clump of sargassum
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Winner - Macro. West Palm Beach, Florida. A seahorse floating on a small clump of sargassum
Winner - Wide-Angle. Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Diving into a cenote in Mexico
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Winner - Wide-Angle. Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Diving into a cenote in Mexico
Winner- Compact. Anilao, Philippines. A juvenile wonderpus sitting on a palm leaf
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Winner- Compact. Anilao, Philippines. A juvenile wonderpus sitting on a palm leaf
Winner - Behavior. Port Phillip Bay, Australia. A shorthead seahorse grabbing hold of a pipefish tail
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Winner - Behavior. Port Phillip Bay, Australia. A shorthead seahorse grabbing hold of a pipefish tail
Grand Prize Winner. Baja California, Mexico. A whale shark with dozens of remoras in its mouth
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Grand Prize Winner. Baja California, Mexico. A whale shark with dozens of remoras in its mouth
2nd Place - Behavior. Ambon Bay, Indonesia. A lizardfish catching a damselfish for dinner
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2nd Place - Behavior. Ambon Bay, Indonesia. A lizardfish catching a damselfish for dinner
2nd Place - Compact. Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. A porcupine fish hiding inside a barrel sponge
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2nd Place - Compact. Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. A porcupine fish hiding inside a barrel sponge
3rd Place - Macro. Banco Chinchorro, Mexico. Close up on a nurse shark
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3rd Place - Macro. Banco Chinchorro, Mexico. Close up on a nurse shark's eye
2nd Place - Wide-Angle. Amorgos Island, Greece. The Olympia shipwreck
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2nd Place - Wide-Angle. Amorgos Island, Greece. The Olympia shipwreck
Honorable Mention. Red Sea. An oceanic whitetip shark
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Honorable Mention. Red Sea. An oceanic whitetip shark
Honorable Mention. Male reef fish fighting for dominance
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Honorable Mention. Male reef fish fighting for dominance
3rd Place - Compact. Anilao, Philippines. A juvenile lionfish with a surprised lemon goby
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3rd Place - Compact. Anilao, Philippines. A juvenile lionfish with a surprised lemon goby
View gallery - 12 images

From a record number of submissions, the 16th annual Through Your Lens photo contest delivers a world-class selection of the best underwater photography, from an incredible look inside a whale shark’s mouth to an amusing portrait of a smiling porcupine fish.

Run by Scuba Diving Magazine, the Through Your Lens contest this year attracted more than 2,600 submissions spanning four simple categories: Behavior, Macro, Wide Angle and Compact. The final category, Compact, was established in 2015 in response to the growing influx of small, non-SLR digital cameras.

Grand Prize Winner. Baja California, Mexico. A whale shark with dozens of remoras in its mouth
Grand Prize Winner. Baja California, Mexico. A whale shark with dozens of remoras in its mouth

The overall grand prize this year went to Evans Baudin for a spectacular shot featuring dozens of remoras residing peacefully in the mouth of a friendly whale shark. Baudin snapped the shot off the coast of Baja, California, during a special project chronicling the effects of the pandemic on marine life.

In June 2020, with a special permit, I went on an expedition to document marine life and the effects of reduced marine traffic due to COVID-19,” explains Baudin. “After two hours in the water with a school of silky sharks near the surface, our boat captain yelled, 'Whale shark, right behind you!' – a 12-plus-meter female. The surprise was twofold when I discovered about 50 remoras peacefully enjoying a free ride in her mouth!”

3rd Place - Compact. Anilao, Philippines. A juvenile lionfish with a surprised lemon goby
3rd Place - Compact. Anilao, Philippines. A juvenile lionfish with a surprised lemon goby

Another highlight came from Enrico Somogyi’s amusing snap of a surprised goby and lionfish. Somogyi was diving off the coast of Anilao in the Philippines when he noticed a lemon goby living inside an old beer bottle sitting in the sand.

“After a while, I noticed a shadow in the background, and a few seconds later, I saw the juvenile lionfish coming out,” says Somogyi. “I pushed the shutter right when the goby started to yawn and the lionfish looked in the camera.”

Entries for the 2021 contest open in November. Take a look through our gallery at more highlights from this exceptional underwater photography competition.

Source: Scuba Diving

View gallery - 12 images
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