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An eery image of an underwater " graveyard " for British World War II military motorcycles has earned the top prize in the Underwater Photographer of the Year ( UPY ) competition for 2018 .
Titled " Cycle War , " the image was captured by German photographer Tobias Friedrich and shows a cargo deck in the SS Thistlegorm , a British munitions ship that German grinder sank in the Red Sea on October 6 , 1941 . The ship was tear apart by an explosion after flames from the turkey reached its ammunitions fund , and it settle in under a min along with all the cargo it was carrying , according to theThistlegorm Project , an ongoing archaeological resume of the crash .
“Cycle War” was taken at an underwater location in the Red Sea and shows Norton 16H motorbikes in the cargo hold of a sunken British warship, with fish schooling above.
In the photo , derelict Norton 16H motorbikes recline in the foreground , while school of colored fish hover above them . " Cycle War " was select by UPY as the winner from more than 5,000 photo submissions in 11 categories constitute submerged scene captured by photographers from around the world . [ arresting pic Capture Eerie Underwater Shipwrecks ]
The explosion that fall off the Thistlegorm destroyed much of the structure in the middle of the ship , making it extremely accessible to diver , accord to the Thistlegorm Project internet site . For long time , Friedrich had wanted to photograph the recessed cycles/second that were part of the lost cargo ; he was entrance by the manner the motorbikes in the wreck aligned so absolutely with one another , he said in a affirmation issued by UPY . But he find it unimaginable to snap the photo that he saw in his mind because the space in the cargo hold was too small — he simply could n’t pose his camera far enough from the minibike to accommodate all of them in the frame at once , Friedrich explained .
" As a outcome , I had to make apanoramic imageof the same scene to capture the whole shipment deck , including some lights that give the image more depth , " he say .
“Love Birds,” which shows a pair of swans above and below the water line, unites the familiar terrestrial world with the more mysterious underwater realm.
In the statement , judge Peter Rowlands , publishing house of the online mag Underwater Photography , described the turn back image as " quite extraordinary . " He added that the photo should be watch " as tumid as possible . "
The annual underwater - photography contest , which named its first Photographer of the Year in 1965 , showcases images that search the weak depth , from the instinctive habitats of oceans and lake to the artificial environments of swimming pool . Whether they boast brilliantly colored marine biography or darker , more melancholy quality ofbattered , crusted shipwreck , the look-alike offer remarkable thought of biography under the weewee ’s open .
Another dirty money , British Underwater Photographer of the Year , went to Grant Thomas for " Love Birds . " Also the winner in the Wide Angle category , this utterly timed catch shows a pair of feedingswansin Scotland ’s Loch Lomond , revealing the birds ' dead body above the water line as their heads and neck opening plunge at the same time below the surface to scrounge for intellectual nourishment .
" My initial idea was to frame a split shot of one swan feeding below the surface of the body of water , " Thomas said in a program line . " But when I noticed how comfortable they were around me , I was convinced , with some solitaire , I could get that witching shot of the two . "
The contest also recognise an Up & fall Underwater lensman of the Year and a Most Promising British Underwater Photographer , as well as standout entry in each of the 11 family , which include Behavior , Black and White , Macro , and Wrecks — fit of submerged human - made motorcar , vehicle and other structures now destine asartificialreefs and dive sites .
you’re able to see all of the winning photo on the UPYwebsite .
Original clause onLive Science .
