WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR NICK ROBERTSON-BROWN

WINNER: Hunting with reflections by Raffaele

Wow! What a start to 2021! Over 100 entries from 24 different countries… and it was not just the sheer numbers of images in this months competition – it was the incredible quality too…

When judging any underwater photography competition, the first thing I do is ask of each image: Is it in focus? The main subject has to be pin sharp. Is it exposed correctly?

I then look at lighting (photography is all about light) and composition. Backscatter, hot spots of light, messy backgrounds: all might see your image lose out.

Then there are other considerations that might get you knocked out of the first round: Was the image taken underwater? After all it is an underwater photography competition! Were any animals distressed or harassed to get the image? Was any environmental damage done to get the shot?

Once I have whittled out the images that do not pass these criteria, it is time to get down to picking a winner. A shot that makes me go wow – I wish I had taken that!

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Alas I cannot discuss each and every image but here are a few that caught my eye and why:

Scouting the Baitball by Tom Mills: Lovely baitball that perfectly fits in the frame of the image and a marlin circling below. I would love to be there right now! A picture that tells a story always stands out.

Pelican Hunt by Giacomo Antonio Rossi: Chaos! A great split shot with action both above and below the surface.

Sealions and sardines by Giacomo Antonio Rossi: What a super action shot! I love this image. The photographer has captured this scene at just the right moment with the sealions distinct from the sardines and with the blue sea as a background.

Assembly by Yung-Sen Wu: An unusual split shot of a large group of divers either starting or ending their dive in very clear water.

Hammerhead Shark Approaching by Guillaume Lichtle: Very striking monochrome shot of a hammerhead. The shark is quite small in the frame, but this does not detract from the image, but rather enhances it. I think I would have removed the fish on the right hand side as they do not add to the overall image – but this is a super shot.

Squirt Backwards by Wei Hsuan Lin Jamie: The lighting is wonderful in this image, with the surface sunbeams raining down on the squid. Super!

Devil’s Dec Cave Freedive by Cyril di Bisceglie: Lovely image with a magical quality. Again a shot that really puts the viewer in the action.

Hello! by Cyril di Bisceglie: Really striking shot. The yellow and black, with perfect eye-contact, makes this eel really stand out from the crowd.

Water Ballet by Elena: This image made me laugh. The idea of the crab on the pier leg watch another fall. Nicely taken and perfect timing!

Stunning Right? by Louis: We see a huge number of whale shots at the moment, but I like this flipped image. The shape of the whale and the light are lovely.

What Lies Beneath by Debbie Wallace: Super story-telling shot with the divers on the boat and the sharks below on a beautiful day. This is another image that makes me wish I was there and that can only be a good thing!

In the Vortex by Debbie Wallace: Super composition! A great job on the lighting too and a tricky subject with the small fish and underside of the shark difficult not to blow out. This is a dive on my bucket list and I can only hope I get a shot like this.

Yellow & Purple by Danjorge Revantad: I like this image. It is a moody shot, not over-lit and with a black background it works well.

Skin by Christian Stephan Zink: Subtle lighting really make this shot. A few bubbles, her reflection in the still surface – super shot.

Carybdea marsupialis by Yann Toso: Simple by beautiful. Nice diagonal, good focus and a black background to make the subject “pop”.

Nudibranch: Coryphellina exoptata by Igor Bogachenko: Stunning nudibranch shot. The bokeh is stunning. The colours are beautiful. Well done.

Nudibranch: Tambja morosa by Igor Bogachenko: Another stunning nudibranch shot with a shallow depth of field.

Harribo? by Dean Martin: Perfect title for this jelly shot! Lovely blue background with no distractions really makes the subject stand out.

Skeleton shrimp by denizgokmen: Stunning super macro image. The detail is incredible. Perfect focus on the eye of this weird but wonderful critter.

Killer Shrimp by Novrizal Herdananto: Another excellent macro image, this time showing the shrimp in its environment which I like. Great focus on the eyes on a challenging subject to photograph.

Hunting with reflections by Raffaele: A perfect image to make black and white. Lovely motion of the Marlin. This really stands out and the reflections makes it a first class shot. Well done.

Mother and son by Cedric Peneau: Stunning shot of an incredible behaviour where a mother would rest at the surface, with her calf, in the presence of underwater photographers.

Seahorse (Hippocampus histrix) by Oksana Maksymova: Lovely image making here. The background is stunning and really makes this seahorse portrait stand out from the crowd.

Dragon shrimp (Miropandalus hardingi) by Oksana Maksymova: I love the composition of this shot. Simple colours, black background and an interesting subject that stands out in the frame.

Smile by Mizael Palomeque: Now that is a shark shot to make you smile!

Shark Stack by MichaelG: Lovely image of the whitetip sharks cuddled up. What makes this shot is the shark that has turned to camera with his fin flopped over his buddy. Lovely.

No social distancing by arnaud.guillebert: Lovely scene to capture. Blue and yellow always work well together.

Cratena peregrina by walter bassi: Very striking shot with the nudi stretching out to find a path. The lighting has been done very well.

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After much deliberation by our judge….

The results

Winner: Hunting with reflections by Raffaele

Runner-up: Sealions and sardines by Giacomo Antonio Rossi

Third Place: Skeleton shrimp by denizgokmen

With so many incredible shots we also have 2 highly commended images:

What Lies Beneath by Debbie Wallace

Pelican Hunt by Giacomo Antonio Rossi

Congratulations to those who were placed – there were a number of excellent images, and well done to all those that entered.

Scubaverse.com’s February 2021 Underwater Photo Contest is now open! Enter as many as three of your underwater photos here.

WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR NICK ROBERTSON-BROWN

WINNER: Squid Reflection by Cyril di Bisceglie

When judging any underwater photography competition, the first thing I do is ask of each image: Is it in focus? The main subject has to be pin sharp. Is it exposed correctly?

I then look at lighting (photography is all about light) and composition. Backscatter, hot spots of light, messy backgrounds: all might see your image lose out.

Then there are other considerations that might get you knocked out of the first round: Was the image taken underwater? After all it is an underwater photography competition! Were any animals distressed or harassed to get the image? Was any environmental damage done to get the shot?

Once I have whittled out the images that do not pass these criteria, it is time to get down to picking a winner. A shot that makes me go wow – I wish I had taken that!

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Here are a few of the images that caught my eye, and why:

Clownfish by MichaelG: I like this shot, largely because it is different. The purple fronds of the anemone and the clownfish looking at the camera against a black background create a unique perspective.

Gulp! by MichaelG: Interesting take on a feeding Whaleshark. It certainly works in monochrome.

Pink Kingdom by Oksana Maksymova: I love the lighting in this image. All the usual motion and action from the clownfish in the pink anemones. The black background adds to the isolation of the subjects.

With Escort by Oksana Maksymova: Nurse shark & trevallies captured on the flash create a lovely image.

Like King by Oksana Maksymova: Lovely portrait of this porcelain crab sat on a pink barrel sponge. The crab is pin-sharp in focus and I love the eyes. Good use of depth of field to bokeh the background too.

Eyes by Marc Eeckhaut: I love the eyes in this image, but they are somewhat lost in the messy background.

Pink Beauties by Marc Eeckhaut: This is a lovely shot, with the nudibranchs curled around to give the impression of movement. The colours are super and the dark, blurred background helps to isolate the subjects.

On the Blue Moon by Cedric Peneau: “See red, shoot against the blue” is a mantra amongst many underwater photographers. This is a great example of why it works.

UFO by Cedric Peneau: Lovelt shot of a comb jellyfish, in the blue against sunbeams. These are always fun to capture on a safety stop.

Harlequin by Cedric Peneau: What a lovely image. The colours leap out at you. I just hope that the subjects were not manipulated to get this shot.

Mum & Calf by Cyril di Bisceglie: I have spent may hours with the manatees of Crystal River. They make great subjects and love to get close to humans.

Galatea Crab by Riccardo Leoncini: It’s never easy trying to get an uncluttered shot of creatures that like to hide in cracks and crevices. This is nicely done and I love the yellow cup corals above the subject.

Squid Reflection by Cyril di Bisceglie: Lovely shot! It depicts movement and the fragmented reflection creates a super overall effect.

Night Shark Snorkelling by Cyril di Bisceglie: I love night diving with sharks, the opportunities for whale shark images against the night are numerous and the reflection in this image helps create the overall “melee” of sharks with two more below.

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After much deliberation by our judge….

The results