My photo being nominated and on their website is such an honor and pleasure. Being able to show the photo means so much to me because my goal is to get people thinking about conservation, to feel the connection between the animal and nature. By showing how beautiful nature is, I can facilitate those first connections and help people get excited about nature.
Yuka Takahashi, V28 Wins Prestigious Ocean Photography Award
Her photo of humpback whales earns third place for Young Ocean Photographer of the Year from Oceanographic magazine
Snorkeling off the island of Mo'orea in French Polynesia, Yuka Takahashi, V28, captured a rare photograph of two humpback whales swimming side by side in synchronicity. The photo was selected as a nominee for Ocean Photographer of the Year, presented by Oceanographic magazine and Blancpain. She traveled to London for the awards ceremony in September, where she took third place in the Young Photographer of the Year category. Her photograph will be featured in the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition, which will travel through the United Kingdom and Australia in 2026.
Ocean Photographer of the Year is one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world. More than 15,000 ocean wildlife and underwater photographs were submitted in this year's competition. Takahashi's photo was one of 118 selected by a panel of ocean photographers, editors, and curators from museums and galleries.
Takahashi has always admired the photography in Oceanographic magazine and the annual competition, particularly the way the photos tell a story.
"My photo being nominated and on their website is such an honor and pleasure. Being able to show the photo means so much to me because my goal is to get people thinking about conservation, to feel the connection between the animal and nature. By showing how beautiful nature is, I can facilitate those first connections and help people get excited about nature," she says.
A second-year student in the dual-degree D.V.M./Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Takahashi conveys her passion for conservation and veterinary medicine through her stunning wildlife and underwater photography. She snapped the photograph of the humpback whales while working as an underwater photographer for a whale tour company in Mo'orea and for Association Oceania, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that identifies whales for conservation research.
Takahashi's award-winning photo immortalizes an unusual moment of two humpback whales swimming alongside one another in the same pose. The pair is often seen playing and traveling together.
"This was a very special encounter snorkeling around these two humpback whales," says Takahashi. "It was a unique experience that they came towards me. This photo captured their bond and also their curiosity; these two whales enjoy interacting with humans."
Takahashi grew up in Japan and took her first underwater photos as a child on a family trip to Okinawa. She photographed her encounters with sea life with her GoPro underwater camera.
When she moved to the United States to attend the University of California, Berkeley, earning her bachelor's degree in molecular environmental biology with a concentration in animal health, Takahashi found unique opportunities to work with marine mammals and other animals. She volunteered on the marine mammal team and assisted with a jellyfish breeding program at the Marine Science & Technology Center Aquarium in Washington, worked as a veterinary technician at three veterinary clinics, and interned at the South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation in Florida. She also conducted pathology research with elephant seals at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California.
Though her study abroad experience in Mo'orea was most impactful during her undergraduate years, it was particularly notable for her participation in a sustainability program focused on the impact of research on conservation efforts and policy-making. During the week she studied, and on weekends she snorkeled and scuba dived.
"Study abroad made me want to dive into real underwater photography," says Takahashi. "It connects with my interests in marine animals and medicine. Getting to know the people and culture there, how animals behave in the wild, I wanted to tell that beauty to people who've never seen it before."
The Tahitian people's love of nature inspires her work. "Tahitians have so much knowledge about nature. They navigated the ocean, they know how to read the weather and the stars, and they learn from their ancestors. That's something I really respect. There's so much to learn from being out there in nature."
Returning to Mo'orea during whaling season, the summer after her study abroad program concluded, Takahashi upgraded from her GoPro to a full-size camera with a waterproof cover. She worked as a photographer for a whale tour expedition company for a month that summer and the following two summers. She shared her photos with Association Oceania for their whale identification conservation efforts, including monitoring the whales' population and migration patterns. During her second summer trip to Mo'orea, she shot the award-winning photo. She plans to return to Mo'orea to continue photographing whales for the tour and NGO.
This is the third photography award that Takahashi has received. While attending the Wildlife Diseases Association (WDA) International Conference in 2023 to present her elephant seal research, she submitted a photo of a sea turtle she took in Mo'orea for the WDA's Wildlife Photography Contest People's Choice Award. She won the award and her photo was featured on the cover of WDA's member magazine, The Quarterly. She also won the Shunsaku Kimide Award, a Japanese underwater photography contest, with a photo of humpback whales taken on her second trip to Mo'orea.
Planning on a career that combines conservation, international veterinary medicine, and research, Takahashi chose Cummings School for the dual-degree D.V.M./MPH program, the school's focus on One Health, and the International Veterinary Medicine Program.
This past summer, Takahashi's work took her in a new direction, conducting retrospective research on snakes as a zoological health researcher at the Bronx Zoo, through Tufts' Tisch Summer Fellows Program. "That special opportunity was given to me thanks to Tufts," she says of the experience.
Grateful for all the support she has received over the years from family and faculty, Takahashi says, "The professors are very helpful in my career and also in integrating my photography work into veterinary medicine. They really support my academic journey."
Takahashi embodies her passion for nature in both her photography and her words.
"No matter what the condition outside in the world—sometimes it's rainy, windy, or the visibility is not great for the photo—every encounter is special for me. Every day is such a pleasure that I'm able to be outside in the water."
Department:
DVM/MPH Program