06/05/2026
Thank you to the Journal of Wildlife Photography for recognizing my work! I have learned so much in the last few years since picking up the camera. I have to admit that entering these monthly contests has really impacted my technique, my focus and my skills. Their monthly critique really provides a meaningful lens with which to look at your own photos and the monthly theme inspires me to get the camera out into the wild and shoot with intention.
April 2026 Intermediate Winner: āGrunt Stampedeā by Cynthia Ariosta
If youāve spent enough time in the field ā or underwater ā you know that wildlife photography rarely goes exactly as planned.
You may enter with one image in mind.
But nature often gives you something else entirely.
For Cynthia Ariosta, the plan was to photograph bull sharks at El Vencedor, a dive site in Cabo Pulmo National Marine Sanctuary in Baja California Sur. The area is known for its marine life, and Cynthia had hoped to capture one of the resident sharks with her Nikon.
But as she and her group waited low along the sandy bottom, moving slowly and intentionally so the sharks could approach on their own terms, another scene began to unfold.
A large school of graybar grunts started moving toward her.
Cynthia swam slowly and deliberately, staying low and exhaling gently so her bubbles wouldnāt startle them. Then the school came straight toward her lens ā a living wall of fish, parting only at the last moment before surrounding her again.
It was not the photograph she had planned.
But it was the photograph the ocean offered.
And that is one of the great lessons of wildlife photography: preparation matters, patience matters, technical skill matters ā but so does flexibility. Sometimes the strongest image comes when you are ready to adapt.
Cynthia shared that, through both diving and photography, she has learned the importance of patience, persistence, practice, and awareness. As a JoWP member, she has continued growing through contests, critiques, shared stories, and the inspiration of this community.
Congratulations to Cynthia Ariosta on being named our April 2026 Intermediate Winner.
What unexpected wildlife encounter has taught you to adapt in the moment?
