Wild Exposures

This years best nature photographs shine a spotlight on creatures and places manyof us might otherwise never see.

THE STATE OF THE OCEANS has been in the news a lot recently. Hot topics such as coral bleaching and plastic pollution have captured headlines and done the rounds on social media. Clean-up efforts and plastic bans have sprung up around the nation and there’s a groundswell of grassroots support for exploring practical solutions to these problems. It’s heartening to see such growing concern for a realm most of us never see for ourselves. It can be hard to reconcile the environmental threats faced under water with the sparkling blue waters and beautiful white beaches above that bless Australia in abundance. That we are able to understand and appreciate what lies beneath has much to do with the people who document this extraordinary world.

Underwater photography is a highly specialised form of picture-taking that combines technical wizardry (in both cameras and life-support systems), adventure, courage, creative artistry and biological expertise. Its exponents are a special breed and tend to specialise in this field. The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year (AGNPY) competition has always attracted the best of them, and in 2018 they have dominated the top prizes. The waters of the broader ANZANG region boast many of the world’s great dive spots, not to mention the Great Barrier Reef, so it’s no surprise the submarine world features strongly in this contest.