UPY 2025

UPY  British Waters Macro - Commended
'Blue-rayed limpets on kelp'
Martin Stevens

Blue-rayed limpets are a common site on the kelp locally, from the lower intertidal down to deeper water. They are tiny, often less than 1 cm long, and marked with spectacular bright blue stripes, of which any function remains a mystery. In the autumn and winter they cluster together on the lower parts of the kelp. I’d long had in mind a photo showing a group of limpets close up, set in the wider kelp habitat. The problem is that the limpets are too small to capture without a macro lens, which wouldn’t work well for the wider scene. So, I opted for an in-camera double exposure, using a macro lens for a group of limpets lit with only a snoot to keep the rest of the scene dark, combined with a photo of the kelp in sunshine with a fisheye lens and natural light only.

Judge's comment: We loved this double exposure that creates a technically impossible image, but one that feels completely natural to anyone familiar with these tiny limpets. Such shots take real photographic precision to achieve in camera. Best of all the photo invites us to appreciate their detail and beauty, while celebrating their habitat.
Alex Mustard