UPY 2025

UPY 2019 British Waters Wide Angle - Highly Commended
'Marine Compass'
Malcolm Nimmo

Being a passionate diver and snorkeler, I spend much of my spare time in UK waters particularly around Plymouth Sound, Torbay and the Isles of Scilly. All are beautiful and diverse marine environments.
Towards the end of July, you may be lucky enough to encounter a compass jellyfish, pulsating gently through the surface waters. Not only are they fascinating creatures but they make potentially beautiful photographic subjects.
This photograph was taken whilst snorkelling in the Isles of Scilly in only a few metres of water, shooting directly upwards to capture the surface features and a partial Snell’s windows. Maintaining both the surface features and subject illumination requires high strobe power settings and hence careful strobe positioning. Hopefully this image highlights the beautiful marine environments we are lucky to have around the UK.

Judge's comment: This image stood out on many levels. Composition, colour vibrancy and contrast combined with an unusual angle kept us coming back to it and helped it rise in the rankings with each viewing. Peter Rowlands