The Gathering
Open Edition - From previous visits to the wild, west coast beach of Ruapuke, on New Zealand's North Island, I had discovered that on a low spring tide there's a small group of rocks that house a colony of starfish (Stichaster australis). As the tide retreats the exposed rocks reveal a mass of interlocking tentacles. The late afternoon sun really brought out the intense orange colours of the starfish, but as a result the contours and textures of these unusual creatures seemed lost in these vibrant colours. For this reason I decided to process the image as a black and white version of the scene, which really intensifies the textures and brings real depth to the composition. Printed on Ilford Smooth Cotton Rag 310gsm.
ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year 2017 Finalist.