Yes, this IS a photograph! How a double exposure turned a water strider into an award-worthy work of art

A water strider skims across the bright blue, icy surface of a pond, with frozen plant leaves visible beneath the water.

Some photographs capture a moment. Others seem to create an entirely new reality. Anirudh Kamakeri's Layers on Water falls firmly into the second category. This dreamlike image transforms a simple water strider into what appears to be a fossil suspended in ancient ice.

Achieved through careful planning and creative camera work with his Nikon D500, it earned Kamakeri a Special Mention in the Creative Nature Photography category at the Nature InFocus photography competition.