THE PASSENGER © UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR / FILIPPO BORGHI
I was making a sunset dive with the intention of passenger photographing mandarinfish mating when I spotted this beautiful solar powered nudibranch. I was already busy photographing it when from between its horns this tiny emperor shrimp appeared. Perhaps it was more confident in the fading light?
Nikon D800e 105 Nikon. Subal housing, two Ikelite DS 160 strobes. 1/125 @f/22. ISO 100
This remarkable image gets better and better the larger you view it. With macro it’s often tempting to go in close for maximum detail and scale but in this case the symmetry of the main host enhanced by the dominant oral tentacles and the extremely delicate lighting has produced an image which perfectly captures the relationship between these two beautiful creatures. -Peter Rowlands
‘The Passenger’ by Filippo Borghi won 3rd place for international macro in the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition. See more at Underwater Macro Photos of the Year.