UPY 2025

UPY  Macro - Highly Commended
'Amphipod in HD'
yatwaiso

Both amphipods and pteropods are quite common subjects on blackwater dives. Occasionally, we find the crustacean attached to the mollusc to help it get around. I am always keen to shoot this odd couple because it is such a funny behaviour. However it is difficult because it is small, normally less than 5mm. For this shot I used a 100mm focal length macro lens and a wet lens to get a highly magnified image. Even so, I had to take around 70 frames to produce an image of optimum quality. The key to taking this photo is precise and stable buoyancy and effective finning for manoeuvring around this couple with my eye always in the viewfinder.

Judge's comment: With hundreds of blackwater shots entered in to UPY, they can become repetitive during the judging, so it takes a truly special shot to stand out. But the balance between this amphipod and its ride and the detail, so perfectly captured, really set this image apart. We had no idea it was quite so tiny and challenging when judging.
- Alex Mustard