#james lynott

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“Singled Out.”

Photo © James Lynott/UPY2024

2024 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition

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“Fluo Spiny Squat Lobster” by James Lynott (UK).

Location: Inveraray, Loch Fyne, Scotland

“This image was taken on a wonderful night dive at Inveraray, Loch Fyne. This site is known for being home to many beautiful fireworks anemones at shallow depths, but it also has an old pipe covered in concrete blocks which is home to lots of life, including the spiny squat lobster. These squat lobsters are usually found clinging upside down on boulders/overhangs and disappear the instant the camera shutter is pressed. However, on this night dive they were wondering about in the open and didn’t seem to mind having a few pictures taken. These squat lobsters show the brightest fluorescence I have seen in crustaceans and I was really pleased on this dive to be able to capture the whole animal in frame. I used excitation filters on my strobes, along with a yellow barrier filter in front of the lens to capture the fluorescence.”

Underwater Photographer of the Year

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“Fluorescent Fire”

“I have experimented a little with shutter drag/motion blur photography in the past and have seen many incredible examples of this style from other underwater photographers. I had never seen this technique combined with underwater fluorescence, so this was something I was keen to start trying in 2023. I experimented with a range of subjects and soon discovered I really liked how fireworks anemones looked using this method, which was not really a surprise as they are my favorite fluoro subject! This shot was captured during a pre-sunrise dive in Loch Fyne back in October 2023, I used 2 Nightsea excitation filters on my strobes, together with FireDiveGear/Riff TL Azur blue LED lights, and a FireDiveGear barrier filter.”

by James Lynott (United Kingdom).

2024 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition