Wildlife/Animals nominee

This image was taken in 2016 in Mexico while snorkeling with the american saltwater crocodiles. Just after breathing the crocodile came down right infront of the lens with a little air bubble behind his front teeth. It may appears like an attack, but it was a very kind and trustful croc. There was no reason to be scared of this guy at the moment of the shot, which should show that even apex predators such as crocodiles, sharks etc are in generel no enemies of us as humans.

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"