At the bottom of a stream, two tiny shrimp-like creatures are caught on camera clinging together among the lace-like veins of a rotting leaf
István Hogya’s runner-up image in the OurNature awards reveals a miniature world barely visible to the naked eye.
A Hungarian photographer captured a remarkable scene at the bottom of a stream: two tiny shrimp-like crustaceans clinging together among the delicate, lace-like veins of a decaying leaf. Photographer István Hogya noticed this miniature world while exploring the stream and knew exactly where to look to capture it. The image, titled "At the bottom of the stream," has been recognized as the runner-up in the Pure Nature: Water category of the OurNature Environmental Photo & Video Award.
These tiny creatures, a pale grey crustacean and an amber one, play a vital role in the stream's ecosystem, feeding on organic debris and providing sustenance for larger animals like fish and birds. The leaf itself is crucial to this ecosystem, as the decomposition of its soft tissue has left behind a fine network of veins, allowing the photographer to see through it clearly.
Hogya used a Canon EOS R6 Mark II camera with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens, shooting at 1/125sec, f/8, and ISO 1000 in manual mode with spot metering. To ensure everything was in focus, he positioned the subjects at a distance of just 37cm and aimed for the leaf and the crustaceans to be at roughly the same depth. The result is a prize-winning image that showcases not only an attractive pattern of light and line but also the unnoticed world of an ecosystem most people would never pay attention to.
Written by urgent.news from Digital Camera World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
