Honorable Mention Wide Angle

Magnus Lundgren

"Pinkies Rush Hour"

The Story: In this image it was my goal to capture the fast and strong forces behind salmons migrations up rivers. 

I was in Alaska to photograph salmon sharks but as the sharks decided to leave early that season, I focused on other subjects in Alaska’s beautiful Prince William Sound. The pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), also called humpback salmon, had just started to run up the rivers in the area. This also means that all the great predators come down to the river banks to feast on the abundance of food - such as eagles, otters, seals, sea lions and of course brown bears… There were many bears along that creek that day. We saw them already on the pebble beach when we arrived. When I went in the river I felt a bit like I was swimming in the middle of the bears dinner table. I was to say the least a bit uncomfortable.

As we were three people, we took turns. Two photographers in the river shooting while the third person was walking up and down the river shouting loud to make sure every bear around know that we are here. This was to avoid any bear finding us by surprise.

In this river the pink salmon enter the creek in competition with dog salmon for the best spawning grounds. It is the salmons last journey and they all die after spawning, sending their genes into the future. The whole ecosystem in Prince William Sounds is dependent on the yearly salmon run.

Location:  Prince Willian Sound, Alaska, USA

Equipment Used: Nikon D850, Nikkor Fisheye 8-15mm, Sea & Sea Housing & Dome Port, Dual Inon Z-330 Strobes

Camera Settings: F16, 1/13 sec, ISO 320

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