"I am a technical photographer and love finding ways around the inherent restrictions imposed by the underwater environment and the fact that I only shoot on one breath is key to my photography."

Rarely seen Parr work to be exhibited Somerset House, London 21st April - 7th May, 2017 as part of 'Sony World Photography Awards & Martin Parr - 2017 Exhibition'.

"Pictures tell stories, and photography is the language I find most expressive. There is something more nuanced about a picture than a sentence; it leaves more room for a viewer to wonder."

"I like being able to look at the photographs and understand what they are telling me without having to read the text description about them. I want the photographs to speak for themselves."

We choose the last of our entries of the week, before the Open competition of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards close on January 5.

See the some of the best new entries to the Open competition of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards, from the week commencing Dec 19.

Russ O’Connell is Picture Editor of The Sunday Times Magazine and a judge for the Professional competition of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards.

"In Japan, the firefly season comes at the beginning of rainy season. These photos were captured on mountains in the Shikoku Island, the smallest of Japan's four main islands."

"I believe that nothing is more powerful than a well crafted story and use photography, video, multimedia, design, and the written word as tools to deliver the shared human experience."

"For me, I always try to get to know the person I am photographing so I can try to portray something about their character, something personal to them."