National Geographic has honoured their longstanding tradition of giving the world the very best in global snapshots, as they announce the Travel Photographer winners for their esteemed 2018 contest.
This annual event sees some 13,000 entries each year before a panel of expert photo specialists personally decides on the winning images. This year, the title of โBestโ goes to a Japanese photographer by the name of Reiko Takahashi, who captured a stunning underwater image of a humpback whale calfโs tail. Entitled Mermaid, the award-winning photo was snapped during a snorkelling trip near Japanโs Kumejima Island. In addition to the title and honour, Takahashi took the prize money of $10,000 USD home.
โMost of the time, the calf stayed close to her [mum],โ says Takahashi, regarding the circumstance and context of the image.
โAt one point, the calf began jumping and tapping its tail on the water near usโ it was very friendly and curious.โ
โFinally, the mother, who was watching nearby, came to pick up the calf and swim awayโฆ I fell in love completely with the calf and itโs very energetic, large, and beautiful tail.โ
Up close and very personal with nature. Congratulations are in order.
Take a look at Reiko Takahashiโs โMermaidโ in the gallery above, as well as a selection of other celebrated images from this yearโs contest. To find out more, head to National Geographicโs official website here.
