Name: Catherine Holmes
Picture title: Crimson Camouflage
Nationality: British
Occupation: Dental surgeon

Catherine:
‘I spotted this bargibanti pygmy seahorse in a marine conservation reserve in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. It was nestling amongst the open polyp fronds on the branches of a red gorgonian fan coral. This is one of the smallest seahorses in the world, barely more than a centimetre tall, and it camouflages perfectly with its warty polyp-like nodules, called tubercles. These animals are notoriously shy and tend to look away or move when approached, but with patience and time it started to engage with me. I was careful not to disturb either the seahorse or its delicate surroundings – even the slightest touch could have made the feathery polyps close leaving the seahorse exposed in stick-like branches. Damaging the coral, which takes decades to grow, could render the animal’s only home uninhabitable.’

Technical information:
Olympus E-M1 Mk II
Olympus 60mm f/2.8
ISO 200
f/13
1/60sec
Accessories: Nauticam underwater housing, 2x Inon Z330 Underwater Strobes
Post processing: Lightroom for global adjustments (saturation, highlights, minor cropping). Photoshop to remove a few small spots of backscatter.

Website: Catherine-holmes.smugmug.com