UPY 2024

UPY  British Waters Compact - Winner
'Rock pool star'
Martin Stevens

Living from shallow down to deep water and reaching impressive sizes, spiny starfish are abundant in Cornwall. I've often taken photos of them underwater, but on a low tide they can be found in the exposed rock pools. Last year we had very low spring tides, and I wanted to attempt some split shots of a starfish in the pools. So, I attached a fisheye wet lens and was lucky with bright conditions, and after a while came across a large starfish in a gully flanked by exposed kelp. The water was clear and calm, and given that starfish aren't the quickest of creatures I could compose some photos with the gully and kelp behind and a little of the starfish showing through the water from above. At the same time, seaweed is most vibrant in the spring, which added a splash of red colour to the scene.

Judge's comment: Excellent example of what can be done in your backyard with least effort. Very nice composition and good catch to see the opportunity in this situation. Even though I wish it would have been croped a little bit more to straighten the horizon. - Tobias Friedrich