Hotshots
Our selection of the Top 100 images from the Close-up Photographer of the Year Awards 2024
© Sigfrido Zimmermann|
cupoty.com
THIRD PLACE, Plants
‘Flowing Kelp’
Sigfrido Zimmermann (USA)
“As a marine biologist working in southern California, I am lucky to have the opportunity to scuba dive in kelp forests. This image was made during a surface interval between dives at one of my favourite dive sites on Santa Barbara Island in the Channel Islands National Park. My goal was to evoke a calm flow throughout the image to help show the elegance of giant kelp.
“In this photograph, you can see the giant kelp’s pneumatocysts (gas-filled bladders), blades and stipe. The pneumatocysts help the kelp to stay upright in the water column. The blades or leaf-like structures are where photosynthesis occurs. The stipe holds everything together. In ideal conditions, giant kelp can grow at a rate of up to two feet per day. When giant kelp reaches the surface, it continues growing and forms a canopy on the surface of the water. This image represents only a small portion of the canopy in this particular kelp forest.”
Camera and settings: Nikon Z 6, Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 800