Julia Nance, Other Worldly (Animal 2020)

The French Polynesian sun strikes through the water in piercing, sparkling shards of light. And then, when you're swimming you might be lucky to see a glimmer down below. A halo even. It's angelic, soft, and slow-moving. When a humpback whale approaches you in the water, often the first thing you'll see is a white glow. Their ribbed bellies, their pectoral fins, or the underside of their flukes are often the first giveaways. It starts soft, like an orb, and slowly, very slowly, it forms into a familiar shape. It's almost like watching a traditional black and white photo develop in the chemicals. But you're not in a darkroom - you're in the endless ocean. Observing humpback whales underwater is completely, utterly magical. Mother humpbacks would rest below while their calves approach the surface for a breath of air - twirling and twisting on their way upwards in an impressive performance. Sometimes, the mother will go up for a breath of air too, and they travel as a pair to the surface. Ever graceful, ever curious. This collection of images captures humpback whales in their natural environment, in the stages of rest and rise.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.