A smiling ray, a turtle swimming in the clouds and a collection of octopus’ suckers were among the winning images in Bristol Aquarium’s inaugural Fin-tastic Photography Competition.
The Harbourside wildlife attraction invited visitors to capture the aquarium’s fishy residents on film.
Close to 50 images were sent in and staff then had the challenging task of picking the best in a series of different categories including ‘Best Composition’, ‘Most Colourful’ and ‘Cutest Fish’
“Our visitors certainly rose to this photography challenge,” said Bristol Aquarium’s Sarah Moore.
“It isn’t easy capturing our underwater creatures, often found in low-light, or speeding past, not to mention the thick glass that could offer up a surprise reflection!
“It was very hard to choose winners as all the photos were of a very good standard and I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to enter,” she added.
The 10 winners each received an Adult Annual Membership and the five runners-up received a Family Day Ticket.
Emily Warwick, who won the ‘Most Colourful’ category with her image of a busy coral sea, said: “When I took this image, I was greeted by a hustle and bustle scene like a city!
“There was so much vibrant colour and movement coming from every direction, every nook and cranny has a little gem hiding within it. It can keep you looking for hours!” she added.
Other winning images included Diane Slocombe’s picture of a turtle apparently swimming in the clouds and Debbie Picken’s octopus photos. Wayne Powell’s smiling ray was runner-up in the ‘Cutest Fish’ category.
“We hope our visitors enjoy the new Fin-tastic Photography exhibition at the aquarium and that it inspires everyone to look a little closer on their next visit and to challenge themselves to take capture the perfect shot,” added Sarah.
Fifteen of the best photographs will go on display from August 26th in the foyer area of the aquarium.
For more information please contact Sarah Moore or David Waines on 0117 929 8929.