A photograph of a gannet diving into the water off the coast of Shetland has scooped top prize in an internationally acclaimed competition.
Renowned photographer Henley Spiers captured the underwater shot off the Isle of Noss in 2021.
It is believed the bird ploughed through the water surface at a speed of around 62mph.
The captivating image has gone onto received world-wide attention, securing first place in the 11th season of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) nature competition.
The UK-based photographer walked away with a grand prize of $120,000 prize (£98,982.96).
It is understood to be the second time the striking image has picked up a prize.
Mr Spiers took home first place in the global underwater photographer of the year awards in the British waters wide angle category.
‘I was caught entirely by surprise’
In a statement released by HIPA on their social media page, Mr Spiers said winning first place is a “once in a lifetime achievement.”
He said: “After several years of entering without any success, I awoke to extraordinary news: my ‘Gannet Storm’ photograph has won the grand prize in the prestigious HIPA photography contest, with a nature theme for 2022.
“Without any prior warning, I was caught entirely by surprise and danced around the breakfast table in celebration, even without fully understanding what daddy had won it was easy to persuade the girls to join in this jubilant jig.”
He added: “Gannet Storm is the frame I was most inspired to capture in 2021, and to have it recognised is reassuringly heart-warming. Even so, I never dared to dream it would scoop up the top prize in HIPA, it’s a once in a lifetime achievement which I’ll be sure to savour for a long time.
Mr Spiers, who lives in Devon, is one of the most highly decorated underwater wildlife photographers in the world.
He began his career as a diving instructor before following his passing for underwater photography to become a full-time photographer.
He has gone on to claim a host of awards and titles, including three category wins in the underwater photographer of the year, first prize in the nature photographer of the year black and white category and being crowned wildlife photographer of the year.
Nature photography at its finest
Hamdan International Photography Award is an international photography award, founded in 2011, under the patronage of the crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.
Mr Spiers fought off stiff competition from a sea of Arab photographers, who secured half of the winning places.
Kuwaiti photographer Majid Sultan Al Zaabi won the photographic content creators award, Qatari photographer Ali Seif Al-Din won first place in the portrait category with Egyptian photographer “Ahmed Mahmoud Abdel Azim Abdel Razek” taking home third place.
Conversation