Tony Wu
Aliases: tonywu Role: Behavioral marine photographer, author, expedition leader First appearance: 2006 ([1]) Location: Travels 9–11 months per year; USA-based Website: tonywublog.com
Biography
Tony Wu is an American behavioral marine photographer who travels 9–11 months per year photographing marine life, specializing in sperm whales, humpback whales, and spawning aggregations. Described by Eric Cheng as “our good friend,” Wu co-led multiple Wetpixel expeditions and was a regular contributor. He photographs for himself rather than competitions, citing Ansel Adams as his primary influence: “completely different disciplines, black-and-white landscapes versus color underwater images, but the same nonetheless” ([2]).
His book Silent Symphony (co-authored with William Tan, ~2001) won the Grand Prize for Books at the World Festival of Underwater Pictures, Antibes. He did not enter another competition for nearly a decade — then won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Underwater category twice (2010, 2016).
Contributions
Wetpixel Expeditions
- Ogasawara Sperm Whale Expedition (October 2009): Co-led with Eric Cheng; 6 participants on a 42ft custom boat. Wu translated Japanese, navigated local logistics. Encountered social groups, mother-calf pairs, and a rare squid-in-mouth sighting ([3], [4])
- PNG Eastern Fields (2009, 2012): Co-led with Cheng in 2009; led solo in 2012, discovering and naming four new dive sites ([5])
- Free Lembeh workshop (March 2007): Offered free advice aboard Archipelago Adventurer I in Lembeh Strait ([6])
Humpback Whale Research
Multi-year study cataloguing individual humpback whale calves in Tonga. Blogged weekly from Tonga for Wetpixel in 2008 (6-week season). Identified “super mum” — a female with 7 calves over 15 years via citizen-science photo ID ([7], [8]).
Awards
- 2001: Silent Symphony — Grand Prize for Books, Antibes
- 2010: Wildlife Photographer of the Year — Underwater World category (four sperm whales, Dominica) ([9])
- 2016: Wildlife Photographer of the Year — Underwater category (two-spot red snappers spawning, Palau) ([10])
Timeline
- 2001: Silent Symphony wins Grand Prize for Books at Antibes Festival ([11])
- 2006-12: Silent Symphony reviewed on Wetpixel by Willy Volk ([12])
- 2007-01: Free informal workshop in Lembeh announced ([13])
- 2008-08: Blogs weekly from Tonga for Wetpixel — 6-week humpback season ([14])
- 2009-10: Co-leads Ogasawara sperm whale expedition with Eric Cheng ([15])
- 2010-10: Wins WPOTY Underwater World category (sperm whales, Dominica) ([16])
- 2010-10: Exclusive Wetpixel interview following WPOTY win ([17])
- 2012-02: PNG Eastern Fields trip report; discovers four new dive sites ([18])
- 2013-05: Full Frame feature: Australian sea lions at Carnac Island ([19])
- 2014-10: Identifies humpback “super mum” with 7 calves over 15 years ([20])
- 2016-03: Filmed swimming with orcas in Norway ([21])
- 2016-10: Wins WPOTY Underwater category for second time (spawning snapper, Palau) ([22])
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2006: Review Of Silent Symphony By Tony Wu And William Tan ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2010: An Interview With Tony Wu ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 14, 2009: Wetpixel Sperm Whale Expedition Update 1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 19, 2009: Wetpixel Sperm Whale Expedition Update 3 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 5, 2012: Tont Wu Publishes Trip Report Of Png Eastern Field Trip ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 4, 2007: Tony Wus Free Informal Workshop In Lembeh ↩
- Wetpixel article, Aug 10, 2008: Tony Wu Blogs From Tonga Week One With Humpbacks ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 5, 2014: Tony Wu Identifies Whale Super Mum ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 21, 2010: Veolia Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Results Released ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 19, 2016: Results Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2016 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2010: An Interview With Tony Wu ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 14, 2006: Review Of Silent Symphony By Tony Wu And William Tan ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 4, 2007: Tony Wus Free Informal Workshop In Lembeh ↩
- Wetpixel article, Aug 10, 2008: Tony Wu Blogs From Tonga Week One With Humpbacks ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 14, 2009: Wetpixel Sperm Whale Expedition Update 1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 21, 2010: Veolia Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Results Released ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2010: An Interview With Tony Wu ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 5, 2012: Tont Wu Publishes Trip Report Of Png Eastern Field Trip ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 3, 2013: Tony Wu Australian Sea Lions ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 5, 2014: Tony Wu Identifies Whale Super Mum ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 10, 2016: Tony Wu Describes Swimming With And Photographing Orcas In Norway ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 19, 2016: Results Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2016 ↩
- Silent Symphony review (2006) (article) ↩
- Free Lembeh workshop (2007) (article) ↩
- Tonga humpback blogs (2008) (article) ↩
- Ogasawara expedition (2009) (article) ↩
- Interview with Tony Wu (2010) (article) ↩
- PNG Eastern Fields (2012) (article) ↩
- Humpback “super mum” (2014) (article) ↩
- WPOTY 2016 winner (article) ↩