WINNER CATEGORY YOUTH
D’Artagnan Sprengel | Brace!

Name: D’Artagnan Sprengel
Picture title: Brace!
Category: Youth
Nationality: New Zealand
Occupation: I work part time in a photo printing and framing shop and do photography in my spare time.

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D500
Lens: Tokina 14-20mm f/2 at 14mm
EXIF: 1/40 sec, f/2, ISO 800
Accesories: Polarising Filter

D’Artagnan Sprengel says:

I had been eager to photograph starfish for some time, inspired by stunning images I had seen online. One particular photo, taken at a local beach near my home, sparked my interest even more. When the low tide finally coincided with sunset, I seized the opportunity and headed to Port Waikato, New Zealand.

Arriving early, well before low tide, I spent over an hour searching but found only a few tiny rock pool dwellers. It wasn’t until the tide was completely out that I finally discovered what I had been looking for: Reef Starfish. Photographing them proved to be a challenge—not because they moved, but because every half-minute, a wave would roll in and temporarily submerge them.

I found myself running back and forth between waves, determined to capture the perfect shot (which I eventually did) while also trying to stay dry.

I decided to use a slow shutter speed of 1/40 to blur the wave as it came in. I didn’t use a tripod as it wouldn’t have been very practical or easy to set up and use in the current situation so the photo was taken handheld. It made it harder to capture a sharp image but it allowed me much more flexibility and creative freedom.