UPY  Macro - Commended}

UPY  Macro - Commended
'Razor Gang'
Nicholas More

Razor fish are characterful protagonists, that unusually swim nose down to the sand, hunting for small crustaceans. They are one of the less glamorous inhabitants of the Lembeh Strait, but a firm favourite of mine. I used a slow shutter and a downwards panning motion, to imply movement of the school, but also to 'blur away' the ugly & distracting background. A tight aperture controls the flash and provides plenty of depth of field to give detail and good eye contact from each individual. It was a close shave and very pleasing to get a clean-cut image of these razor fish and I'm thankful to the UPY judges that it made the winners circle in this cut-throat competition.

Judge's comment: A truly satisfying composition of a subject that many photographers would overlook. The combination of pin-sharp details set against blurred textures makes for a most memorable image.
Alex Mustard