2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year tells a tale

[Ulquiorra]

THE moment was magical. A Humpback whale mother and her calf idled around photographer Reiko Takahashi off the Japanese island of Kumejima. Then something appeared from below.

Titled “Mermaid”, the picture of the calf’s scratched and scarred tail was won the 2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year contest. Takahashi took the $A13,500 prize out of a pool of more than 13,000 entries.

The passionate photographer quit her office job to follow her dreams. Now she’s usually found in the water, looking for the perfect shot.

She found it.

“Most of the time, the calf stayed close to her mom,” Takahashi says. “At one point, the calf began jumping and tapping its tail on the water near us — it was very friendly and curious.
 

“Finally, the mother, who was watching nearby, came to pick up the calf and swim away. I fell in love completely with the calf and it’s very energetic, large, and beautiful tail.

“It was a special scene for me, to be able to take a photo of the calf, completely relaxed in gentle waters. I really cannot believe it.”

The National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year contest celebrates stunning pictures taken by all levels of photographers — be they professional or amateur — around the world.

It accepts entries under the categories of Nature, People and Cities.

Hiro Kurashina of Japan took top honours in the Cities category for his photo titled Another Rainy Day in Nagasaki, Kyushu, while Tea Culture by Alessandra Meniconzi of Switzerland won the People category.

All the winning and honourable mention photographs can be viewed here.
This year’s competition was judged by Whitney Johnson, vice president of visual experiences at National Geographic, as well as two National Geographic contributing photographers — ocean and adventure photographer Andy Mann and polar photographer Camille Seaman.

“I was amazed at the quality of images and the sensibility towards subject in all three categories for this competition,” Seaman says. “Looking at hundreds of images choosing the winners was a daunting task. The images that stood out did so based not solely on their technical execution but also a sensitivity for a feeling of the moment and originality.”