Runner-up - Travel Photographer of the Year 2022.

Green Planet, Blue Planet Portfolio Category

Image 2

Finding fresh ways to bring to life intricate detail on a reef is something I love doing. This is a Supermacro view of Brain coral showing a colony of genetically identical polyps. A defunct tubeworm hole provides a secure dwelling for a resident Spinyhead blenny.

Measuring around 2cm long, the blenny lives most of its life in this abandoned hole. Darting out with lightning-fast speed, it captures prey that washes past on an ocean current. The upper reaches of its hollowed-out cylindrical home are comprised of dozens of bright yellow living animals. Deeper down, the walls of the tube are made from layers of dead polyps. The entire coral head may be a few hundred years old.

Camera: Canon EOS 800D
Lens: Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM & Nauticam SMC1 (super macro converter wet lens)
f/stop: f/9
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 100

Location: Bonaire, Leeward Antilles, Caribbean Sea

Photographer: Laura Storm