UPY 2025

UPY  Macro - Third
'The passenger'
Filippo Borghi

I was making a sunset dive with the intention of photographing mandarinfish mating, when I spotted this beautiful solar powered nudibranch. I was already busy photographing it when from between its horns this tiny emperor shrimp appeared. Perhaps it was more confident in the fading light?

Judge's comment: Peter Rowlands: This remarkable image gets better and better the larger you view it. With macro it is often tempting to go in close for maximum detail and scale but in this case the symmetry of the main host enhanced by the dominant oral tentacles and the extremely delicate lighting has produced an image which perfectly captures the relationship between these two beautiful creatures.