Name: Rémi Masson
Picture title: The Beaver House
Category: People’s Choice
Nationality: France
Occupation: I have been a professional underwater photographer for 15 years.
Technical information
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: Canon 16-35mm f4 lens
EXIF: 1/80 sec at f8 • ISO 5000
No Flash
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Rémi Masson | The Beaver House
Name: Rémi Masson
Picture title: The Beaver House
Category: People’s Choice
Nationality: France
Occupation: I have been a professional underwater photographer for 15 years.
Technical information
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: Canon 16-35mm f4 lens
EXIF: 1/80 sec at f8 • ISO 5000
No Flash
Rémi Masson says:
In the French Alps, July 2023. I’ve been waiting motionless against the bank in a rather uncomfortable position for over an hour now. Doubts are slowly creeping into my mind. Is this really the entrance to a beaver burrow? Situated between two rocks, the submerged cavity has a well-defined opening and looks relatively deep. But is it inhabited, or just a temporary shelter?
Absorbed in my thoughts, I pay no attention at first to the fine particles of sediment escaping from the gaping hole like tiny flakes. But a larger movement of water suddenly brings me back to reality. A beaver is emerging from the hole—the moment I’ve been hoping for is about to become real!
I can now clearly make out its head. It stops at the entrance and looks in my direction. Has it seen me? Possibly, but it’s hard to be sure. I huddle even closer to the bank. The animal extricates itself completely from its burrow, swims a few meters underwater before surfacing and heading toward the vegetation along the edge.
Its night has just begun. In all, this encounter will have lasted only a handful of seconds but felt like an eternity.
Rémi Masson
France
I was born, grew up, and continue to live in the Alps, a vast mountain range where all types of freshwater environments abound: mountain lakes, underground rivers, torrents, ponds, the Rhône River, and its wild backwaters.
Through my photography, I aim to showcase the rich biodiversity and stunning landscapes of these places. I am particularly interested in several remarkable species, such as the giant European catfish and the European beaver.
My work has been published in various magazines, including GEO, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Science et Avenir, La Salamandre, Terre Sauvage, and Plongeurs International. I have also contributed to the production of several documentaries broadcast on NHK (Japan), BBC, ARTE, WDR (Germany), TF1, Canal+, France 5, France 4, France 3, and Ushuaïa TV.
Some of the locations I’ve worked in had never been explored before. It is both thrilling and rewarding, from a photographic and scientific perspective, to be among the first to discover them. Adventure and a change of scenery are always within reach.