UPY 2024

UPY  Marelux Macro - Highly Commended
'The witches’ eye'
Ishino Shota

I was diving with a camera without a strobe. All I had for the light source was a single light. I found this hermit crab, the size of a man's fist, standing on the top of a stone, with countless hydrozoans attached to the shell. I carefully aimed the light to capture the mystery of this creature with a strange hat, that I was seeing for the first time. It didn’t walk, but the antennae moved hastily as if to sense me. I thought if I held the light on him for too long, he would get dazzled. I only shot briefly and I said goodbye to him. This was the only time I saw him, maybe he was some kind of timid witch?

Judge's comment: This is a risky shot which might, in many pre judged competitions, been overlooked early on. The UPY judges see all images and often reward the risk takers such as this. A classic case of the ‘Less is more’ philosophy.
Peter Rowlands