UPY 2025

UPY  British Waters Wide Angle - Commended
'From mud grow the flowers'
Hector Clarke

Sea pens are usually denizens of deep, dark waters but find a shallower home in the mud-filled basins of many Scottish sea lochs. On the day I took this image, the sun was high and the tide was extremely low, allowing light to reach into deeper areas of the loch. Forests of tall and phosphorescent sea pens were cast in a soft jade light that complemented their pinkish hues. Toward the end of the dive, I was lucky enough to find a pair of phosphorescent sea pens in just the right position to make use of the light. In such a muddy environment a single misplaced fin stroke can throw plumes of silt into the water column, obscuring subjects for hours at a time. Acutely aware of this, I approached cautiously, positioning my camera as close and as low as possible to include both species and their delicate polyps.

Judge's comment: Exquisite subjects, lightly lit to allow in the perfect amount of subtle natural light. This impressed the judges every time and we were all in agreement. Undeniable quality.

Peter Rowlands