Wildlife/Animals nominee

This image was taken in 2018 in Cuba at the end of a sunset dive. It shows a silky shark during the sunset using the split-shot technique. The image should show the beauty of sharks and their interplay with nature. At the same time humans are killing 100.000.000 sharks per year mainly for their fins. For some shark species the sun will never rise again, but those that are left should be protected in our own interest.

During my diving course in 1999 I saw my first reef-shark. A certain fear mixed up with fascination for this elegant creature. Following the way of shark diving, a passion for beauty of animals and nature was born. In 2007 I started underwater photography while diving Great White Sharks. Over the years the subjects became broader, but the fascination for sharks never vanished.

Awards:
1. MantaFest (2011): First and second place in Wideangle, honorable mentioned
2. Divephotoguide (2012): Third place in Wideangle
3. Ocean Art Competition (2019): 6th place in Wideangle
4. UnderwaterPhotography-Award (2019): First place
5. FAPA (2019): Nominee 2x
6. WunderweltenFestival (2019): First place
7. ND Awards (2019): First place and honorable mentioned
8. FAPA (2020): Third place and nominee
9. Monovision Photography Awards (2021): Honorable mentioned
10. European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2021): Highly commended
11. Chromatic Awards (2021): Honorable mentioned
12. Int'l photography awards (2021): Honorable mentioned
13. FAPA (2024): First place W/A

Exhibitions:
2017: Galerie am Staden, Saarbrücken, Germany: "Das Leben in unseren Ozeanen"
2018: Kellner, Saarbrücken, Germany: "Life in our Oceans"
2019: Sparkasse Saarbruecken, Germany: "Life in our Oceans"
2020: Wunderwelten Exhibition, Germany: "Silky Sunset"