“A Mother’s Touch” Wins The Artist Gallery Wildlife Photography Contes

A moment of connection

I am incredibly honoured to share that my photograph “A Mother’s Touch” has been awarded first place in The Artist Gallery Awards Wildlife Photography Contest 2026.

The image captures a tender interaction between a young grey whale calf and its mother in one of Mexico’s grey whale birthing lagoons. In the photograph, the calf gently reaches towards its mother as they move together beneath the surface.

It was a subtle moment, but one filled with trust and intimacy. Grey whale mothers and calves share an incredibly close bond during their first weeks together. The sheltered lagoons give the calves time to grow, learn and build strength before beginning the long migration north towards their feeding grounds.

Moments like this rarely unfold on command. They require patience, respect and the willingness to remain present without attempting to control what happens next. When the two whales moved into position, I knew I was witnessing something special.

Why this image means so much to me

Grey whales have given me some of the most profound wildlife encounters of my life. Their curiosity, intelligence and apparent willingness to connect across the boundary between our worlds is unlike anything else I have experienced.

As a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, I am drawn to images that reveal more than an animal’s appearance. I want my work to show personality, relationships and the emotional lives that exist throughout the natural world.

“A Mother’s Touch” represents exactly that kind of image. It is quiet rather than dramatic, but the story within it is universal. The care between a parent and child is something we can recognise immediately, even when the subjects belong to a world very different from our own.

Two further honourable mentions

I was also thrilled to have two more photographs receive honourable mentions in the competition. Both images were captured in Mexico and reflect the extraordinary lives of whales above and below the surface.

A juvenile grey whale approaching a visitor while its mother watches from below — **A connection between worlds** A curious juvenile grey whale approaches a joyful visitor while its mother watches from beneath them. The encounter captures the remarkable curiosity that Mexico’s grey whales can show towards people.

A blue whale surfacing to breathe off the coast of Mexico — **“Big Blue”** The largest known animal ever to have lived rises to breathe off the coast of Mexico. We first spotted its towering blow from more than a mile away.

More than an award

Receiving this recognition is an incredible honour, especially alongside so many powerful photographs from wildlife photographers around the world.

Awards can help an image reach people who may never otherwise have encountered the animal or the story behind it. My hope is that these photographs encourage viewers to see whales not simply as distant giants, but as intelligent, social and deeply connected animals whose lives are worth understanding and protecting.

Photography has the ability to turn a fleeting encounter into something that can be shared far beyond the moment in which it was captured. That is what continues to motivate me: creating images that help people feel a little closer to the natural world.

Thank you

Thank you to The Artist Gallery Awards for recognising these three photographs, and to everyone who continues to follow, share and support my work.

Most importantly, I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these remarkable animals and to share a small part of their world through my photography.

“A Mother’s Touch” Wins The Artist Gallery Wildlife Photography Contest