Dark dive

Audun Rikardsen's Image

Raised in a fishing community in northern Norway, Audun has always been fascinated by the Arctic coast’s wildlife.

In 2009, he started taking pictures, such as this humpback whale, in the region of Tromsø, where he now lives. As a professor of biology at the University of Tromsø, he brings his fieldwork experience to his photography. He is a recognised wildlife photographer in Norway. In winter, humpbacks linger in the fjords of Norway. As the giant mammals dive, they sometimes, albeit briefly, reveal the unique fingerprint pattern on the underside of their tail. To scientists such as Audun, these patterns of pigmentation and scars are like a name-badge, used to identify individual whales.


Behind the lens

Audun Rikardsen

Audun Rikardsen

Norway

Audun is a photographer and full-time professor of biology at the Arctic University of Norway. Growing up in a small fishing community in northern Norway, he developed a lifelong fascination with the Arctic's rough landscape, culture and wildlife, both above and below the ocean's surface. He uses his fieldwork photography to inspire his students and to draw attention to the science.

Image details

  • Canon EOS-1D X
  • Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 lens at 70mm
  • 1/250 sec at f3.5  •   ISO 2000  •   x2 Canon 600 flashes
  • Tromsø, Norway
Copyright in WPY competition photographs remains the property of the respective photographers. You may not copy, share, reproduce or republish the photographs except as expressly permitted by copyright law. For media image usage enquiries, please contact us.

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