Honorable Mention, Super Macro
Jeffrey de Guzman
"Shaggy Baby" Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Nikon D800E
The story:
Phycocaris sp. commonly referred to as "Green Shaggy Shrimps", measure between 3mm to 5mm in length and have a shaggy carpet like texture, unlike their cousins the hairy shrimp which have long hairs.
At my present age (middle age) I’ve have all but given up trying to locate subjects which are 10mm or smaller by myself. I rely on the eagle eyes of spotters to help me find those special critters. I asked my spotter Ian to help me located a shaggy green shrimp, the cousin of the well-known hairy shrimp. In my 8 years as being an underwater photographer, it was one those “special” subjects that had eluded me. After about 1 hour Ian locates one, on a wall 3 to 4 feet under water. It was so tiny it looked like a grain of sand to me. What was most challenging when taking this shot was not the size of the subject, but the location of where the hairy shrimp was found, the tide was changing and the seas were very rough. It was 20 minutes of hell, being battered by the waves, and the constant movement of the tiny green shrimp, it just didn’t like the strobes. It was a big sigh of relief to find a single shot that was nearly perfect on the computer I hope and pray, I don't have to wait another 8 years to find another green shaggy shrimp, and God I hope I find one larger than 3mm next time. lol
Side note: It took many dives with Ian to finally locate a green shaggy shrimp, it takes great perseverance and skills to find one of these tiny creatures. Thank you Ian for making my dream come true.
Location: Anilao, Batangas, Philippines.
Camera: Nikon D800E, Nikkor 105mm macro lens, Nauticam housing, Nauticam SMC, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes.
Settings: f57, 1/320, ISO 79, DX Crop Mode 1.4x
