"Past excellent" climate circumstances and gorgeous morning gentle come collectively to make HIPA's black-and-white photograph of the 12 months

A shocking {photograph} of a rolling wave within the South Pacific Ocean gained the Normal – Black & White class for Australian photographer Ted Grambeau.

Clearly channeling the ‘Energy’ theme of HIPA’s fourteenth season, Ted’s picture was captured in Tahiti – one among his favourite haunts.

Chatting with him after the awards ceremony in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, in November 2025, he instructed Digital Digital camera World that he feels humbled to have gained his class – the truth is, he initially thought his invitation to attend the distinguished awards was an internet hoax.

A business photographer with 45 years’ expertise, Ted describes his specialty as distant journey pictures in places starting from Svalbard to Madagascar and Russia.

Throughout his profession, he has photographed browsing motion internationally for main manufacturers together with Quiksilver, Billabong, Rip Curl and Patagonia.

Capturing his category-winning photograph noticed him journey to Tahiti within the South Pacific Ocean, and Ted describes the southern finish of the island as having all the weather of excellent surf.

“Within the winter it has unimaginable swells and it is bought a selected break that’s as near excellent for waves to surf as is humanly potential,” he says.

“The swells come out of actually deep water and abruptly hit a reef and the response sees the highest of the wave spill over or preserve touring, and the bottom of the wave just about stops lifeless. That is unbelievable for surfers who’re extraordinarily expert and may get inside a wave, however on the similar time it makes it a lot extra harmful.

“I’ve photographed waves everywhere in the world however this reef at Tahiti Iti [‘Little Tahiti’] has been the best for me.

“I used to be there to {photograph} folks browsing, so taking pictures this photograph was an add-on – I very often shoot the waves with out surfers as there are some locations on the earth which are fairly spectacular and we simply go there [to photograph] the empty waves.

“Sarcastically, it is simpler to promote a photograph of an empty wave breaking than a wave with a surfer on it, no matter who the surfer is.”

Australian photographer Ted Grambeau collecting his trophy for winning the General &ndash; Black &amp; White category of the 14th season of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA) at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, November 2025 — (Picture credit score: © Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Worldwide Images Awards 2025)

The story behind the shot

So let’s go behind the shot with Ted – how did he seize it?

“Capturing from a ship is probably the most purposeful strategy as a result of you’ll be able to change lenses and preserve water off your gear. The one drawback is throughout actually large swells as a result of the boat must transfer out of the zone because it’ll be in peril of being impacted by the wave.

“When it comes to browsing circumstances, at the present time was excellent, nearly past perfection – in all probability too tough to surf, however you’ll be able to mind-surf it in your creativeness.”

However whereas the climate circumstances had been preferrred, this photograph would not have been so profitable with out the lighting.

“It was very early within the morning since you wish to get the primary morning gentle that may hit at an angle barely greater than 45 levels up the face of the wave, making a tonal vary that will not be there at different instances of the day.

“This specific break tends to be at its most stunning within the morning, and it was being groomed by a light-weight offshore wind, which was holding the wave up for an extended interval. I might have spent in all probability eight hours within the boat a minimum of.”

Photograph titled 'Exploding Swell' by Ted Grambeau of Australia, winner of the General (black and white) category in the 14th season of the HIPA (Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award) photography competition. Image description: On a Pacific reef, a massive swell surges, its waves crashing with unrelenting force. Spray erupts upward, curling in wild arcs before collapsing into the churning sea. The ocean's raw power is vividly displayed through this magnificent wave, a dream for surfers and a captivating subject for photographers. — ‘Exploding Swell’ by Ted Grambeau. Picture description: “On a Pacific reef, an enormous swell surges, its waves crashing with unrelenting power. Spray erupts upward, curling in wild arcs earlier than collapsing into the churning sea. The ocean’s uncooked energy is vividly displayed via this magnificent wave, a dream for surfers and a fascinating topic for photographers.” Captured on a Nikon D4S and Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR at 165mm. Publicity: 1/2500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 250. (Picture credit score: © Ted Grambeau)

Most of Ted’s pictures is in colour, so when did he take the choice to transform this photograph to black and white?

“I prefer to see how photos look in black and white and the tonal vary of this image – black within the shadows proper via each commencement to the highlights – allowed it to enter black and white.

“What it distills all the way down to is trying on the tones and composition and affect, and I might see that the [potential for a black and white conversion] was inherent within the picture, somewhat than being simply one thing to check out in post-production.”

Except for the mono conversion, all Ted did throughout modifying was balancing the distinction and ensuring the element stood out. And he cautions rookie photographers about exaggerating the colours of their photographs.

“You would possibly suppose you have bought an awesome photograph however all you have achieved is push the saturation slider; if the colour wasn’t there initially, then it would not belong within the picture.”

Ted’s profitable photograph was captured on a Nikon D4S – he makes use of Nikon for motion pictures and Leica cameras for his fine-art work – and Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens, a flexible optic with a focal vary that may cowl no matter place the surfer or the wave could also be in.

“If this was the youthful me swimming within the water earlier in my profession, although, I might have in all probability used a wider-angle lens to get the exaggerated perspective of being contained in the wave with somebody.

“Lately I will contemplate what probably the most appropriate lens can be to realize the shot given my bodily capabilities, whether or not I’ve bought to get in a helicopter, on a jet ski or use a drone, no matter works.”

As somebody who would not enter many pictures competitions, Ted’s HIPA win is all of the extra candy.

“I simply thought this image [titled ‘Exploding Swell’] suited the ‘Energy’ theme,” he says. “I do not enter many competitions however HIPA has a whole lot of integrity and looking out on the calibre of the judges offers you a sign of whether or not it is a critical pictures competitors.