WINNER CATEGORY UNDERWATER
Andrea Michelutti | Dancing in the moonlight

Name: Andrea Michelutti
Picture title:Dancing in the moonlight
Category:Underwater
Nationality: I was born and I live in the northeast of Italy.
Occupation: I am not a full-time photographer, I am the owner of a car dealership.

Technical information
Camera: Compact camera Sony RX100 Mark 7
Lens: Integrated lens
EXIF: 1/500 sec at f11,0, ISO 100
Accessories: Isotta underwater housing, 2x Inon Z-330 strobes, Flex-arm arms clamps and tray

Andrea Michelutti says:

The picture was taken in the Lembeh Strait (North Sulawesi, Indonesia), one of the most popular destinations for underwater photographers. This small strait, constantly crossed by large container ships, hides rare and bizarre animals (the so-called critters). In the photo “Dancing in the Moonlight” I portrayed the Banggai cardinalfish, a species that inhabits a very narrow region of Indonesia. In their original habitat (the Banggai islands), they seek refuge among the spines of sea urchins to escape predators, but in the Lembeh Strait, where the long-spined sea urchins are scarce, they rely on anemones for protection. This is an Epibiosis: an advantageous situation for the fish and indifferent for the anemone. Since the Banggai cardinalfish has not developed a resistance to the venom of the anemones, it has to avoid touching the stinging tentacles, unlike the clownfish that can hide among them. Thanks to this particular behavior, I was able to portray these beautiful fishes in front of the anemone, whose tentacles can be glimpsed in the background, in a harmony of complementary colors.