Wildlife / Animals 3rd place winner

This is the face that launched a thousand ships. Not out of admiration or virtue, but of exploitation.

The iconic shape of this leviathan is synonymous with New England. These are the figures that inspired Melville’s Moby Dick and led to the development of whaling communities along the coast. The sperm whale population was decimated in the 19th and 20th centuries, with numbers dropping from over a million to a third of that today. Whalers harpooned the animals for the oily substance—spermaceti—found in their heads.

When you join the whales in the water, the man-versus-beast narrative is quickly quashed. The giants welcome you into their domain—pupils tracking you as they swim past, turning upside-down to pulse you with their clicks to make sense of you, socializing with one another. For all our sins of the past, we are met with curiosity, not animosity.

You can be presented with the right conditions and unique behaviors that allow for an impactful image. But to feel these animals comfortable in your presence, vulnerable enough to sleep or play with you next to them—this is the greatest gift of all.

Eric Kanigan is a Canadian-American photographer and storyteller who is driven to visit remote corners of the globe to highlight commonalities where others might initially perceive differences.

A degree in Biology solidified his affinity for wildlife and the natural world. However, it was a specific focus in ecology that left the largest impression. The core premise that organisms and species are intertwined, no matter how disparate in form and function, inspires much of his work today.

Eric brings his audience with him above and below the surface to bear witness to some of the world’s most striking scenes and beings. He seeks images with the intent to bring them to life as physical prints—a permanence and longevity he creates with the finished piece, but more importantly, wants to observe in the subjects through conservation and action. Through his artwork and writing, Eric ventures beyond a simple image—not to lecture, but to inspire individuals to develop their own thoughts on the environmental, social, and ethical questions that we face today.

He hopes that others might recognize some of themselves in the people and the animals with whom we are fortunate to share our planet.