Nearly 1 month at Gia Lai beach hunting for whale photos, 'immediately won' heritage journey prize

Every year, Bryde's whale season returns to Quy Nhon waters, leaving many unforgettable experiences for nature and photography lovers.

According to young photographer Nguyen Ngoc Thien, on a special occasion a few months ago, a whale suddenly came very close to shore and stayed for a whole week. He and many other photographers continuously took boat trips out to sea to take photos every weekend.

It took the photographer about a month to capture these precious moments. There were days when he encountered bad weather and rough seas, but there were also days when he enjoyed a brilliant sunrise. And on a beautiful day, Thien captured an impressive photo series, submitted it to the "Heritage - Heritage Journey 2025" contest and "won" the Special Prize in the Travel - Landscape category.

Nguyen Ngoc Thien with the unique whale photo series that he had to travel back and forth many times to take.

After more than 4 months of launching, the Award Ceremony and Exhibition summarizing the Photography Award "Heritage - Heritage Journey 2025" took place on the afternoon of September 26 at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam ( Hanoi ).

This is the 11th season organized by Heritage Magazine. The award attracted the participation of 180 authors with 445 photo sets, an increase of 34 photo sets (equivalent to 108.3%) compared to the 2024 season.

The works all focus on exploiting themes of nature, tangible and intangible heritage, traditional customs, and at the same time expressing contemporary life through creative perspectives.

The photo series "Journey to follow Bryde's whale in Nhon Ly sea area" by photographer Nguyen Ngoc Thien won the Special Prize in the Travel - Landscape category.

Nguyen Ngoc Thien is just one of thousands of photographers with nearly 10 years of experience in photography but has won many national awards. Also at this competition in 2024, his work The Blue Pearl in the Ocean won the award in the Special Shooting Technique category.

Thien is an engineer, photography is just a part-time job but has a passion for underwater photography. And the moments of whales in Nhon Ly sea ( Gia Lai ) are no exception. He said, around 2022 there was also a wave of whales coming close to shore but this time was the most impressive, attracting not only photographers but also many reporters to go out to sea.

To capture the moment the whale surfaced, he used a Sony camera, carrying two super telephoto lenses with focal lengths of 100-400mm and even one up to 800mm. Thanks to the equipment, he captured precious images of the giant fish in the middle of the ocean, both scientifically and artistically valuable.

President of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists Tran Thi Thu Dong and Mr. Nguyen Xuan Chinh - Head of the Exhibition Creation Committee - Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists at the award ceremony.

In addition to the above new photo series, the jury also selected 9 more excellent photo series to award prizes. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Chinh said that current events, meticulousness in composition and high artistry are the key factors in deciding the award.

In the Special Technique category , the work Kingfisher Hunting Moment by author Bui Trong Nghia excellently received the VAPA Bronze Medal, impressing with its macro photography technique and vivid moments.

In addition, the Culture - Heritage and Lifestyle - Human Portrait categories are marked by elaborate photo collections, reflecting the depth of culture and traditional customs. Such journeys are not only an opportunity to test the photographer's mettle and skills, but also contribute to spreading the love of wild nature as well as raising awareness of preserving the rare values of Vietnam's seas.

Some winning works at the contest:

Two works in the photo series "Kingfisher hunting moments" by Bui Trong Nghia won the Bronze Medal of the VAPA Series Award.

The photo series "The Dao Lu Gang's head-mounting custom" by Pham Quoc Dung won the Series award in the Lifestyle - Human Portrait category.

Photographer Pham Quoc Dung with his work "The custom of raising the head of the Dao Lu Gang people".

The photo series "New vitality of the basket boat craft village" by Nguyen Khac Hao won the Special Prize in the Culture - Heritage category.

The photo series "Quan Ho Kinh Bac with But Thap Pagoda" by Nguyen Trong Hieu won the VAPA Silver Medal.

The photo series "Ban Long Co Dao" by Tran Tuan Anh won the Series award in the Special Photography Technique category.

The photo series "Japan and the trains" by Dang Thi Thu Thao won the Series award in the Travel - Landscape category.

The photo contest "Heritage - Heritage Journey 2025" aims to honor the beauty of Vietnam's land and people through artistic slices with 4 categories including Culture - Heritage; Tourism - Landscape; Lifestyle - Human Portrait and Special Technique.

The final round will be held in early August 2025. The jury includes Ms. Tran Thi Thu Dong - President of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and many famous photographers such as Nguyen Xuan Chinh, Pham Van Ty and Ly Hoang Long.

The exhibition lasts until October 6, 2025 at the Temple of Literature (Hanoi).

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/gan-1-thang-di-bien-san-anh-ca-voi-am-ngay-giai-thuong-hanh-trinh-di-san-2444541.html