Theo Bosboom's Image

It was a long, steep scramble in the dark to catch the blue light before sunrise. To get both the limpets and distant rocks in focus and correctly exposed, Theo merged 21 images. A small flashlight masked with a handkerchief gave a radiant touch to the limpets against the jagged rocks behind. A dramatic backdrop for a familiar subject.

The conical forms of the limpets mirror the tiny barnacles surrounding them and the folded rocks behind. A muscular foot clamps each limpet to the rock and stops it drying out at low tide. Once the sea returns, they move around scraping algae off the rocks with teeth made of a mineral–protein composite – the strongest natural material ever found.