The annual salmon spawn in one of the most exciting times of year for a wildlife enthusiast on the British Columbia coast. Each year, a generation of these amazing fish journey from the ocean, where they’ve spent their entire adult life, back to the streams and river beds where they were born. This journey can range from a couple kilometres to hundreds of kilometres, but with few exceptions it’s a one-way trip. The salmon use all the energy they have left to give life to the next generation, and support an entire ecosystem along the way. Photographing these Pink Salmon as they headed upstream was a far greater physical challenge than I had imagined. It frequently required all of my strength as I grasped onto a rock to hold myself in place in the flowing water. However, this just gave me even more respect for the salmon that surrounded me. As I struggled to hold my ground, they casually swam by, moving through the raging current with ease. When eagles, bears and other animals eat salmon, they often carry the fish from the stream into the forest. This fertilizes the soil, providing marine nutrients that the forest needs to grow. I wanted to capture this relationship, showing the underwater and above water scene in one photo. With much patience and persistence, I was able to capture this image.