| Prev - | Back to 2026 Winners | - Next |
UPY 2026 Smartphone - Highly Commended
'Crown Gills'
Ben Sarinda
Mexichromis multituberculata is a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae. When I encountered this nudibranch, I carefully explored it by moving my Fotocore Snoot ST-01 torches around the subject to observe how the light working with its shape. I discovered that backlighting produced the strongest highlights on the gills and rhinophores and from the opposite side, I used another Fotocore Snoot ST-01 to add a subtle fill light to the nudi eggs , shaping the subject while maintaining a dark background. By using a Vivo X100 Pro allowed me to reduce backscatter and achieve a cleaner image.
Judge's comment: A stunning composition, natural behaviour and phenomenal detail revealed with expert lighting control.
Alex Mustard
You can use the Prev/Next buttons or left and right cursors to go to the previous or next image.
