Close calls

Close-up Photographer of the Year 04 winners share the stories and techniques behind their pictures with co-founder

- Tracy Calder

Among the 9,000 entries submitted to CUPOTY this year, I’ve seen salamanders being eaten by plants, slime moulds celebrated as works of art and spiders mimicking bird poo. I’ve been awestruck by a jellyfish that walks on its hands, a marble that resembles a cosmic wormhole and an egg that seems to contain the crucible of life within its watery walls. Often I have sat there in astonishment, marvelling at the magic of it all. Many of these moments would have gone unnoticed if they had not been witnessed by people who have a natural sense of curiosity about the world. It’s a fabulous gift, and one that I’m so grateful to benefit from. I hope you feel the same.

This year there were 11 categories: Animals, Insects, Butterflies & Dragonflies, Invertebrate Portrait, Underwater, Plants, Fungi, Intimate Landscape, Manmade and Micro, as well as Young CUPOTY. Samantha Stephens took the overall title with her incredible picture of northern pitcher plants digesting juvenile spotted salamanders, while Nathan Benstead was named Young Close-up Photographer of the Year 04 for his magical picture of slime mould fruiting bodies.

To see the winners and Top 100 pictures from CUPOTY 04, visit the website at www.cupoty.com. To stay up to date with all things CUPOTY (and receive fresh creative content) sign up to my fortnightly newsletter via the CUPOTY WEBSITE.

Winner: Fungi

Barry Webb

Ice Encrusted Comatricha

Category: Fungi

Nationality: British

Occupation: Gardener/photographer

Further information: Website: www.barrywebbimages.co.uk Instagram: @barrywebbimages