Humans have always been a bit obsessed with the places we don’t belong. The sky was off-limits until we built machines to borrow it, and the underwater world still treats us like temporary visitors at best. Yet those are the two environments we keep trying to photograph anyway, because when you finally get a clean frame from up there or down there, it doesn’t just look beautiful. It looks impossible in the best way.
And after we recently featured the Exposure One Awards’ Black & White Nature Photography winners in the Animals category, we’re now diving into two more categories of their contest: Aerial and Underwater.
Let us know in the comments which of these stunning photos you enjoyed the most, and you can explore more submissions across the contest categories on Exposure One’s website and Instagram.
#41 “Genesis Of The Mist” By Alex Aldaco
Description: A layer of fog drifts across the mountain slopes, revealing shifting contours of land and the quiet rhythm of the earth beneath.
Nominee in the Aerial Category at the Professional level
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5points
#42 “City Lines From Above” By Saleh Alshamali
Description: A black and white aerial view of Kuwait City, where modern skyscrapers rise behind geometric lines of the seafront. The play of light and shadow emphasizes the city’s rhythm, merging architecture, patterns, and contrast in a timeless perspective.
Honorable Mention in the Aerial Category at the Professional level.
Honorable Mention in the Land Category at the Professional level.
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5points
#43 “Metal Art” By Ronald Brown
Nominee in the Aerial Category at the Professional level
Report
4points
#44 “Octopus In Black” By Pamela Fischer
Nominee in the Underwater Category at the Non-Professional level.
Report
4points
#45 “Circle Of Calm” By Peter Hutchins
Description: Two green sea turtles glide through the dim water, tracing slow arcs around each other in a quiet exchange. One tucks a flipper close to its body, a gesture that may reduce its profile rather than signal submission. Their meeting captures the calm rhythm of Cabbage Tree Bay.
Honorable Mention in the Animals Category at the Non-Professional level.
Nominee in the Underwater Category at the Non-Professional level.
Report
4points
