Form and Force

In black and white, Teahupo'o becomes something else entirely. What remains is form, texture and the particular weight of a wave that has travelled a long way to meet a very shallow reef.

The panoramic format holds the full arc of the swell as it draws across the reef, the surface glassy and controlled, the momentum behind it anything but. In black and white, the light finds different edges. The curve of the lip, the texture of the face, the density of the water. Everything that colour might soften, monochrome makes precise.

This image was awarded 1st Place in the Black and White Division of the 2025 Hamdan International Photography Award, under the theme Power. It is an honour to be recognised by such a prestigious international award, and my sincere thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the HIPA team for the opportunity to be part of it.

This is Teahupo'o reduced to its essential character. Beautiful, foreboding and entirely indifferent.