Gannet Storm

A northern gannet swims in an artistic hail of bubbles created by diving seabirds. The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey.

Their long wingspan and streamlined bodies make flying look effortless, gliding along with just the occasional pulse of their wings. When fish are spotted, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, precisely adjusting their position in relation to their quarry. Hitting the frigid water faster than an Olympic diver, these incredible birds have evolved air sacs in the head and chest to survive these repeated heavy impacts. From underwater, the sound was thunderous as streamlined, white torpedoes pierced the surface.

I wanted to create a novel image of these handsome seabirds and resolved to try and capture their movement through a slow exposure. The speed of the gannets led to innumerable failures but in this frame we retain strong eye contact with the gannet, even as the scene is artistically softened.

Essence of Life

"A mother humpback whale is seen resting with her newly born calf in the Kingdom of Tonga. The rain fell rhythmically in a soothing pitter-patter on the water’s surface, gently lulling them.

As we floated and watched them, the sound of the rhythm faded just a little and the ocean calmed just enough for the tranquil pair to rise up, meeting the light rays just starting to break through the surface."

Mother's Love

This Vietnamese woman has a speech disorder but it does not stop her from continuing her life as a mother of two.

A mother’s love is unconditional despite her speech disability, a hardship that can be too much to overcome, yet she stays strong for the sake of her children.

Having a month-old baby behind her and a two-year-old baby in her hand, life must go on. When life gets tough, the tough gets going. That’s how this mother overcomes her daily hardships. However, her life is full of hope when she is looking down at her children.

Duty

Dr. Juliana Ribeiro has just taken off her protective gear for lunch, after 8 hours of continuous work in the Covid-19 emergency room. Clear signs of prolonged and repeated use of this type of equipment appear on her face. Her features reflect great effort and extreme fatigue due to the human commitment to her moral duty.

What grabs you is the hint of sadness in her face as she feels the pain for humanity, as deaths in Brazil exceeded half a million people due to the pandemic. This photo was taken at the University Hospital Clementino Fraga Velho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Landfill Ballerina

A girl searching for recyclable items in a landfill in Guwahati, India. A small community lives inside this landfill and work as a team, some barefooted, sorting through mountains of garbage for less than $2 a day. They share this landfill with the endangered stork, the greater adjutant, along with some cows and dogs. The garbage is stacked very high and is very unpredictable since the ground beneath their feet can collapse at any time. The stench and fumes from the garbage is strong and heavy with animal feces and worms swimming everywhere in this ocean of trash. The homes in this community have no electricity or running water, and people live in an extremely unhealthy environment, with little to no chance of escaping.

Each year, India witnesses an unprecedented wave of vibrancy and colour during Holi, the festival of colours, celebrated throughout the country. The photo could have been restricted to a red and yellow affair, had it not been for the man throwing a handful of blue powder which made all the difference. The seated worshippers in the photograph, seem to be letting the barrage of colours layer them, which adds to the uniqueness of the image.

In an impoverished village in the West African state of Togo, a group of children play and run behind old motorcycle tyres in the red dusty dirt outside of an NGO clinic. Even though these children were mostly the sons, nephews and children of the patients in the clinic, their smiling faces and noisy joy are the embodiment of pure Happiness...