Durbanville photographer wins national award
Durbanville photographer Werner de Kock, 38, was named as the national winner at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025.
Werner took first place under the motion category with his picture titled “Crash Landing,” which was shot at the Baily Head in Antarctica – home to around 100 000 pairs of chinstrap penguins.
Werner’s passion lies in landscape and wildlife photography.
“Our journey through the Antarctic Peninsula was met with fair weather and a lot of wildlife sightings. There were days when the weather was harsher and colder than other days, but this is Antarctica, and it is unpredictable.
“On the day we landed at Bailey Head – where the winning image was taken – we lucked out with good sea conditions and almost no wind. It was in January 2024,” he told Northern News.
He said he was part of the shore team that helped off-loading guests from the zodiacs to the beach.
“I was witnessing groups of 20 chinstrap penguins coming back to shore and battling the shore breaks. I waited for the right moment to capture the penguins launching themselves onto the beach. It was a funny sight to witness and you could feel the crash landing. I felt a little sorry for the penguins, but they are very resilient,” he said.
Winners were announced online on Tuesday February 4.
Mr De Kock said prizes included camera equipment, a world photography awards book displaying all the winners’ photos with each winning photo on display in London at Somerset House from Wednesday March 5 until Thursday April 17.
To view other winning pieces, you can check on the website of the World Photography Organisation here.
