UPY 2025

UPY 2017 British Waters Macro - Commended
'Translucent Shrimp'
David Morgan

This little prawn or shrimp (Palaemon elegans) was part of a small but elusive group that I came across on a night boat dive in the Falmouth estuary. They were constantly moving around a localised part of a wreck on the seabed. I found that as I came within ideal camera range of an individual it would suddenly use its powerful tail to dart into cover, leaving an expanding cloud of silt in my viewfinder. This meant that I had to find another subject in a suitable location once again, but as you can see, my perseverance was rewarded with an 'arial' view showing the symmetry and detail of its eyes and translucent body. It is fascinating to see the smaller creatures make their appearance after dark, when the 'usual' bigger denizens have vacated the area.

Judge's comment: Alex Mustard: Tremendous detail revealed in this tiny subject. Sometimes photos can show so much more than you can see at the time.