Ever glanced into a stream and seen nothing but murky blur? Don't be fooled. There's a whole world of life, color and action going on below the surface. And here's a great example of a photographer knowing exactly where to look.
The main part of the picture, at first glance, could be mistaken for a piece of antique lace, laid over black velvet. Look closely, though, and you’ll see it's actually a skeleton of a rotting leaf; its soft tissue decayed just enough to leave behind a fine network of veins.
Moving through it, we can glimpse some of the smallest inhabitants in this underwater world. On the right, two tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans, their bodies pale grey and amber respectively, seem to cling together. On the left, a mayfly larva appears in what Hungarian photographer István Hogya describes as a small “window” in the left.
Titled At the bottom of the stream, it's been awarded runner-up in the Pure Nature: Water category of the OurNature Environmental Photo & Video Award.
A miniature world
"These tiny creatures play an important role in the stream’s ecosystem," explains Hogya. "They feed on organic debris while also providing food for larger animals, including fish and birds. A miniature world, barely visible to the naked eye, yet essential to life in the stream."
Even the leaf plays an important role in this ecosystem. It's precisely because such creatures have been breaking it down over time, leaving only the toughest veins behind, that we can see through it so clearly.
Hogya shot the image on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, at 1/125sec, f/8 and ISO 1000, in manual mode with spot metering. Interestingly, Hogya was taken just 37cm away from the subjects. At that distance, even at f/8, only a few millimetres of the scene in front of him could be sharp. Consequently, he made sure both the creatures and the leaf were lying flat at roughly the same depth, keeping everything in focus.
Overall, this prize-winning image works on two levels: as an attractive pattern of light and line, and as a glimpse into an ecosystem most of us would never otherwise pay thought to.
The Our Nature Environmental Photo Award is an annual competition that showcases the most inspirational nature and environmental photography from around the world. See more winnng work in the Winners' Gallery.
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