Israeli Underwater Photographer’s Image Makes World Shootout’s All-Time Top 20

An underwater photo by Dr. Tom Shlesinger, an Israeli marine ecologist, coral reef researcher and nature photographer, has been selected among the 20 most iconic images in the 20-year history of the prestigious World Shootout competition. The image, titled "Goliath in Liliput," was chosen from tens of thousands of submissions, giving the Israeli scientist a high-profile international spotlight.

The photograph shows a giant Atlantic goliath grouper, a fish that can grow to about 2.5 meters and weigh up to 360 kilograms, swimming off the Atlantic coast. The species can live for decades, and its population was badly damaged by overfishing before strict conservation laws protected it and helped it recover. Shlesinger said that while trying to frame the fish, he was lucky to find a massive school of small fish circling it. He said the scene reminded him of Gulliver in Lilliput, and that he used a long exposure to blur movement and create a sense of depth and scale.

Alongside his scientific work at Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, and at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Shlesinger uses photography as a tool for expression, documentation, discovery and public outreach. He said nature photography helps reveal the beauty, complexity and vulnerability of underwater life to audiences that often never see it.

Shlesinger, who grew up on the Red Sea coast and began diving at a young age, has spent years documenting coral reef reproduction and nocturnal marine life in Eilat. His work has won multiple international prizes, including first place in the coral reefs category at Underwater Photographer of the Year, third place in Ocean Art for a rare coral spawning image in Eilat, and top honors from Ocean Geographic Society. The World Shootout, which began in Eilat in 2005, is now a global contest with participants from more than 50 countries. Public voting runs from June 1 to June 30 at 1 p.m. Israel time, and the top five photos will be named "Iconic Image," with the overall winner receiving 5,000 euros.