Open Theme 2025

I was in all my puffy gear, goggles, big gloves, and big boots, walking through the cold and windy weather to get to the emperor penguin colony from our camp. Here I found emperor parents sheltering their young ones with their bodies to give them cover from the cold wind. What a powerful moment!

This photo was taken during our safari in December 2019 in the Masai Mara NP. We were lucky that the cheetah with its cubs was close to the road.

This image was taken during a dive off the southernmost shores of the Mitre Peninsula, one of the most unexplored areas of Tierra del Fuego’s Isla Grande. At the end of the dive, during the safety stop at a depth of about three meters, I came across this delicate scene: a pair of blue starfish resting on the undulating sheets of Macrocystis pyrifera, the large seaweed that dominates the underwater forests of this remote region.

Lago Pehoa in Torres del Paine.

I had a particular image in my head I was going for, but while the model was resting a moment or waiting for me to change some setting on the camera she gave me this moment and it turned out to be the best shot of the session. Natural light only.

Drone photograph of a cold winter’s evening while the sun was setting and colored the treetops red.

Flood in Poland.

Lofoten, photo taken in March 2025, view of the village.

The only true sunset I witnessed during the nearly 9 days I spent in northern Spain. It had been raining most of the time. After a challenging hike on almost nonexistent, very steep, slippery and precipitous trails, we finally reached a ridge summit. The view was incredible over the entire Riaño mountain range and its reservoir, as the sun slowly set, encircled by clouds. These small wind-twisted trees growing directly from the rock immediately caught my eye, creating a perfect frame.

This image was taken in a split second on a weekday morning, during a school run with my daughter. The bus had just stopped at a red light when the early sun broke through, casting a soft golden glow across the condensation-streaked windows. For a brief moment, the bus transformed – from a crowded commuter space into something still and introspective. The man sat motionless, absorbed in his own world, and the entire scene took on the quiet weight of solitude. I didn’t frame or wait – I just reacted. Sometimes, the city gives you a gift when you’re least expecting it.

“Forest Duel,” captured in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, is an evocative aerial photograph showcasing a striking juxtaposition of nature’s seasonal transformation. This image, taken by Thomas Andy Branson, reveals a sharp division between two distinct forest areas: one side dominated by golden-hued deciduous trees shedding their leaves, signaling the onset of autumn, while the other side is a dense expanse of evergreen conifers, maintaining their lush, verdant foliage. The photograph highlights the natural contrast between deciduous and coniferous forests, each with its unique seasonal behavior and ecological significance. The golden side, likely consisting of larches or other deciduous species, stands in stark contrast to the unchanging, deep green canopy of the conifers, perhaps spruces or firs, that remain vibrant throughout the year. Set in the expansive Cairngorms National Park, the largest national park in the United Kingdom, this image not only captures the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands but also emphasizes the biodiversity and the dynamic processes at play within forest ecosystems. The park, renowned for its wild landscapes, diverse wildlife, and ancient woodlands, serves as a perfect backdrop for this mesmerizing natural duel. “Forest Duel” serves as a visual reminder of the continuous cycles of change and stability in nature, inviting viewers to appreciate the intricate balance and the ever-evolving beauty of the natural world.

This panoramic image, taken in the evening after a brief rain in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor Region Showcases the stunning Arpa Canyon, rich with wine-making tradition.

Layer by layer, pigment by pigment, the rock tells stories older than memory.

A big fish, with a small fish clamped in its jaws, leaps out of the water. The splashing droplets fall onto the lower edge of an egret’s eyes, making it seem as if the egret is shedding tears for the unfortunate little fish, It resembles a line from a Chinese Tang poem: “Grieved by the times, even the flowers shed tears.”The power of this touching moment endows us with courage and confidence to face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the future, and to cherish every hard-won moment of life.

Leopard with cub photographed in NP Masai Mara Kenya. We visited the leopard with cub 3 times.

In the summer morning, the sunshine pours onto the surface of the Yundang Lake, and the egrets and big fish are busy catching small fish. The egret was one step ahead of the big fish and caught the small fish. The big fish rushed out of the water, opened its big mouth, made a silent protest, and left a helpless look in its eyes.

Two Worlds, One Picture.

An abstract photograph taken with the ICM (intentional camera movement) technique.

One of the few images I pre-conceived and it came out as I’d hoped. Long-exposure of the stream. Sometimes time is a funny thing and a moment can seem much longer than it is.

In Namibia, in a place as fascinating as it is hostile called Deadvlei, trees that have been dead for centuries still stand, frozen like black sculptures on the cracked ground of a dried-up basin. Time, wind, and sun have slowly tortured their silhouettes, shaping them into gnarled, spectral forms. Yet, despite their apparent death, they still seem present, anchored in this scorched earth, silent guardians of a forgotten world. All around, the incandescent dunes with their coppery hues form a majestic setting, where light dances with shadows. Here, time stands still, offering those who venture there a feeling of absolute serenity, a moment of pure contemplation in the heart of a landscape of both austere and supernatural beauty.

This is a photograph of two cowboy team ropers pursing a steer at a jackpot rodeo in Oakdale, California. The image was shot in June, 2025. The technique is called panning, where the camera shutter speed is dramatically reduced while the f/stop is greatly increased. By implementing this technique, the capture provides a greater sense of motion than if it was a stop-action shot. Moreover, the photo in black and white gives the image an even more classic Western look than if it was presented in color.

Cosmic and geological time meet in this shot in Monument Valley, USA, where rock formations have withstood millions of years of erosion, the night sky reveals their history on even older timescales.

A crowd gathers in front of Munich’s Allianz Arena before the UEFA Nations League Final. The long exposure captures a moment suspended between stillness and movement—between architecture and emotion. The blurred figures evoke anticipation, unity, and the fleeting rituals of collective experience.

Feeling a deep sense of awe as the first light dances across the still waters of Pyramid Lake.

The heart of Hell is not fire, but ice. Cold as hatred, dehumanization and relational death. The body is enveloped by the cold waters of the Cocytus and at that moment all desire is extinguished and man can only contemplate his failure. Cryogenized in this immense river, which separates the world of the living from that of the dead, the human being becomes stone, soulless, insignificant, mute and inert. He lets himself be transported aimlessly by the great Luciferian sacrificial machine and the ‘mperador of the painful kingdom, mocking, makes fun of the imperfect creation of the Father, who observes the macabre infernal dance choreographed by his last Son from above. He is aware of how great the suffering of mortals is, as it is he himself who inflicts it in the same way as the Fallen Angel. The truth is that the Almighty feels envy for the pleasure that the Morning Star feels in giving pain. With lies he helps man to ascend to Him. His intent is not to save him, but his only reason for being is to be able to continue the eternal struggle with his beloved Genius of Evil.

The image that started my underwater work as a series of dreamy images; some peaceful, some chaotic.

The city doesn’t sleep — it just switches to grayscale.

Grand Canyon, AZ, USA shot in 720nm infrared monochrome, 2025.

I photographed a cute little monkey being held by its mother.

The famous “Ponte 25 de Abril” in Lisbon (Portugal).

A delicate balance of strength and tenderness, this image invites us to feel the invisible bonds connecting us to those who came before, resonating deeply within.

At dusk in Botswana’s Moremi Park, a young leopard nestles peacefully in the branches of a tree. Perched high above, hidden from view and danger, it patiently waits for night to unfold its veil. It will then be hunting time, when darkness offers this stealthy predator the ideal cover to stalk its prey and appease its hunger. Its calm, almost meditative gaze betrays an absolute serenity, that of a discreet master of the savannah. The feline’s grace exerts a silent fascination—a wild and hypnotic beauty that suspends time.

I first met Humberto almost ten years ago in Timor-Leste, where he was working as a professional digital animation artist. From a young age, he was inspired by the hand-painted banners used by demonstrators during the independence struggle. These visual messages sparked his belief in art as a powerful form of communication. Living with a stutter, Humberto found it difficult to express himself through speech, but painting gave him a clear and confident voice. He began illustrating his ideas as a way to engage with social and cultural issues in Timorese society. Today, he is studying Graphic Arts at the University of the West of England, continuing to develop his visual language and deepen his artistic practice. His journey reflects both resilience and quiet strength, using creativity to tell stories that matter. Through his art, Humberto speaks with purpose, drawing on the past to shape a more thoughtful and expressive future.

‘Solitary Play’ speaks to themes of stillness, growth, and the quiet rituals of childhood. It invites us to remember the hours spent alone, yet content. There is no performance here, only presence. Shot on Cinestill 50D, the film’s softness matched the mood. It felt like a fleeting glimpse into a moment of growing up — that in-between space where childhood starts to shift, quietly, without anyone noticing.

The big fish chased the small fish and rushed out of the water together, passing the egret. The egret looked surprised and did not know where the small fish would go under the laws of nature? Just like a poem: I passed you by. You hurried here. Before I noticed, you had gone far away, leaving me a regretful back.

To do the unthinkable is to create reality.

One morning I was diving until suddenly I live the most adrenaline sequence of my life, 8 orcas were hunting in front of me and one in particular looked like he was posing for the picture and this image I was able to take.