Creatures of the Night

Thomas Peschak's Image

Thomas Peschak (Germany/South Africa) documents the relationship between endangered Amazon river dolphins – also known as botos, or pink river dolphins – and the people who share their watery home.

Village elders in south-west Colombia dance and sing about the importance of the dolphin, which they both revere and fear. The costumes are made from fig tree bark and vegetable dyes. They symbolise the connection between the people and the environment.

Stories tell of Amazon river dolphins transforming into men and entering the village at night, or of the dolphins taking lone swimmers into the underwater world of Encante.

To make this intimate image, Thomas took part in the dance instead of photographing from the sidelines.

Behind the lens

Thomas Peschak

Thomas Peschak

Germany/South Africa

Thomas is a National Geographic Photographer and Explorer. He’s a marine biologist who turned to photojournalism to broaden his impact in conservation. Thomas has photographed 15 magazine feature stories for National Geographic and has authored and photographed eight books, including his most recent Wild Seas for National Geographic. As the Director of Storytelling for the Save our Seas Foundation, Thomas merges science and visual journalism to tackle critical marine conservation issues. Plus, his TED Talk titled Dive into an Ocean Photographer’s World has been viewed more than one million times.

Image details

  • Nikon Z 9
  • 24-120mm f4 lens at 31.5mm
  • 0.4 sec at f7.1  •   ISO 1000  •   Profoto B1 flash
  • Souh-west Colombia
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.

More images from Thomas Peschak

View all
Death rays
Just jellyfish
The shark surfer

Support our important work

Help us harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature.

Donate now

Connections

More images from

Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award

Sign up to our newsletter

Receive email updates about Wildlife Photographer of the Year news, events, science, products, services and fundraising activities. We may occasionally include third-party content from our corporate partners and other museums. We will not share your personal details with these third parties. You must be over the age of 13. Privacy notice.