UPY 2025

UPY  Portrait - Highly Commended
'High Five - A newly hatched hawksbill turtle'
Matty Smith

I flew out to PNG specifically to shoot this image. Upon arrival I knew I would only get one chance to get it right, so I spent the day testing lens & lighting experiments on a small piece of driftwood about the same size as the turtle (4cm) to get my technique perfected before the real event. In the end I opted for a 4”port with the fisheye with 2 snooted strobes. One strobe above the water pointing down and the other underwater pointing up at the hatching. When my chance came to get this shot I had less than a minute to nail it, the extensive preparation paid off.

Judge's comment: Some images look simple and their simplicity is appealing but after reading Matty’s back story it’s how you prepare that makes it look simple. Huge appeal, great composition and eye appeal topped by a kiss of sunburst. A big image from a small subject.
- Peter Rowlands