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Winners - Underwater Photography Contests

May 2017 Photo Contest Winner and Review

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

WINNER: Colourful Cuttlefish by Hayley Eaude

PHOTOLINK: https://www.scubaverse.com/contestants/colourful-cuttlefish/

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

We 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 we 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 us both go wow – I wish I had taken that!

May 2017

Well it has been a record-breaking month – with 91 entries into the competition. Come on now – let’s break the 100 barrier in June! The quality of the images was once again incredible, and made it a tough judging day for Nick and Caroline.

Our Favourites

Caroline

Colourful Cuttlefish by Hayley Eaude. Wow – this is a stand out shot. Lovely eye contact. Great tentacle action. Lovely colour on a black background. Top stuff Hayley.

Cleaning by Tam Chun Ho. Lovely action and detail in this shot of a cleaner wrasse heading into the gills.

Yawning by Ann Sin. Another great behaviour shot. Lovely eye contact. Great colours on a bokeh background. Super.

Eyes by Alex Permiakov. This snoot shot is gorgeous. Just the right amount of lighting to make the eyes pop out of the image, but also lighting enough shell to allow the viewer to know what the subject is. Outstanding.

Polar by Zaflee Bin Md Suibarek. I really like this high key shot of a nudibranch. It is unusual and works well with the dark frill edge of the nudi.

Whaleshark by Yves Moor. Lovely capture of a whaleshark and its entourage. I really like the toned-down colour of this shot. It is very dramatic and moody.

Are you looking at me by Ryan Koh. Lots of character in this shot. Lovely use of bokeh. Great “eye” contact. Super shot.

Gudrun Wreck by Mikkel Stokke. Love this shot. Great use of off-camera lighting. Lots of atmosphere and I can really imagine what it was like to be on that dive. Well done!

Silky Sunset by Sean Chinn. Lovely evening light at the surface, with a silky swimming past. Great shot Sean.

Nick

Twinnies by Hayley Eaude – nicely in focus shot of two nudibranchs, one in focus, one in bokeh. This is a lovely macro shot.

Nemo and Marlin by Hayley Eaude – another shot by Hayley. Similarly constructed to the previous nudibranch shot – great lighting on the prime clownfish.

Colourful Cuttlefish by Hayley Eaude. This is my favourite shot of Hayley’s three. The lighting and focus is spot on with both eyes making contact. The contrast of the red on black really works well – nice shot.

Walking in the space by Ann Sin – this is a really colourful shot set nicely on a black background. I think the half in half out of focus coral slightly distracting.

Eyes – the snooted shot by Alex Permiakov – is striking. I love the focus on the left eye with everything else moving to slightly soft. I know it’s tricky with snoots, but I would have tried to not have clipped the top. Well done otherwise.

Scorpionfish by Jamie Cowley – it is really hard to make a well camouflaged subject pop out, but I think you have really succeeded in the shot. Great use of depth of field.

Free Diver Returning by Michelle Scamahorn. I really liked this atmospheric shot which really captures the nature of free diving.

Polar by Zaflee Bin Md Suibarek. I love the originality of the shot of a nudibranch, head-on. A really innovative take.

Devil Eyes by Lorenzo Jose Mendoza – I love the lighting and the contrasting colours in this shot, with both eyes perfectly in focus, it creates quite a haunting image.

Blending by Dragos Dumitrescu – this is a beautifully lit shot of an ornate ghost pipefish, doing what ornate ghost pipefish do best. The background accentuates the contrast and the overall effect is beautiful.

Whaleshark by Yves Moor. I love this desaturated image of a whale shark surrounded by remora looking for a tasty snack. It’s nicely composed and beautifully lit.

Nudibranchia by Albert Lincoln – another lovely macro shot with the rhinophors perfectly in focus, and the whole image in snooted light.

School of Bumphead Parrotfish by Donna Pepito-Lim. It’s very difficult to capture a whole school of these creatures as they swim towards you. This is a nice shot, but I would have lifted the camera just a little bit, so as not to clip the top fish.

Ornate Ghost Pipefish by Phil Metcalfe is a beautifully lit shot and the contrast really pops the subject and the colours. Focus on the eye is pin sharp.

Lionfish by Mark Eeckaut – this is nice shot showing a lionfish in its own environment. More or less everything is in focus, particularly the subject, but I love the way you have framed the lionfish in the negative space.

Sleeping Goliath by Christian Llewellyn – a classic view of the Giannis D. I love the diver on the starboard side, but as usual, too many divers cluttering the image with their bubbles. Still a lovely shot, though.

I love parachuting! by Ellen Hui – this is a really interesting shot with the cuttlefish and the coral behind it beautifully lit to create the contrast on the black background. Cuttlefish is in focus and the coral is soft, indicating which is the subject. It’s always good to see people try something a bit different.

Batwin slug by Simon Chong – unusual to see a large depth of field like this on this kind of macro shot, but it works well.

Gudrun Wreck by Mikkel Stokker – I love it when people play about with the lighting. This is a nice shot taken at some depth which helps create the deep blue background, and the lighting creates a halo in the ship’s wheel. Nicely done.

Dance of the Coconut Octopus by Ayub Mooduto (yubzukamoto) – trying to get an image of an octopus is never easy as they tend to cling to their surroundings. Getting an octopus free swimming usually helps in this very nicely captured on the sensor.

Silky Sunset Pt 2 by Sean Chinn – this is a beautifully atmospheric image with the shards of dappled sunlight coming through the surface and the silky sharks into them. Super shot.

After much deliberations between our two judges….

1st Place: Colourful Cuttlefish by Hayley Eaude

2nd place: Gudrun Wreck by Mikkel Stokker

3rd place: Polar by Zaflee Bin Md Suibarek

However, this month again we are also going to give two Highly Commended awards, as these two images only just missed out and we really love them:

Highly Commended: Whaleshark by Yves Moor

Highly Commended: Eyes by Alex Permiakov

So can we get to 100 entries in June’s contest? Yes we can – go for it guys!

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Scubaverse.com’s June 2017 Photo Contest is now live! Enter here.

Nick and Caroline (Frogfish Photography) are a married couple of conservation driven underwater photo-journalists and authors. Both have honours degrees from Manchester University, in Environmental Biology and Biology respectively, with Nick being a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, a former high school science teacher with a DipEd in Teaching Studies. Caroline has an MSc in Animal Behaviour specializing in Caribbean Ecology. They are multiple award-winning photographers and along with 4 published books, feature regularly in the diving, wildlife and international press They are the Underwater Photography and Deputy Editors at Scubaverse and Dive Travel Adventures. Winners of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Photo-journalist of the Year for a feature on Shark Diving in The Bahamas, and they have been placed in every year they have entered. Nick and Caroline regularly use their free time to visit schools, both in the UK and on their travels, to discuss the important issues of marine conservation, sharks and plastic pollution. They are ambassadors for Sharks4Kids and founders of SeaStraw. They are Dive Ambassadors for The Islands of The Bahamas and are supported by Mares, Paralenz, Nauticam and Olympus. To find out more visit www.frogfishphotography.com

Winners - Underwater Photography Contests

December 2022 Photo Contest Winner and Review

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

WINNER: Basket star in the pure darkness by Arnaud Guillebert

Another great month full of wonderful underwater images!

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!


Three squid by Min seok Jeon: I love squid and this shot with three against a black background really stands out. I love the colours and shapes they create as they stretch across the frame.

Hippocampus guttulatus (Cuvier, 1829) by Marco Spoto: What a lovely scene. Great that you did not disturb the worm on taking this shot. I would have liked to have seen the subject isolated more though, losing the backscatter and seabed which can distact the eye.

Turtle in its coral garden by Claude Lespagne: What I like about this image is the snorkeler at the surface looking down on the scene. It shows that you do not have to be a diver to enjoy a stunning Red Sea scene like this one.

Ghost Goby by MichaelG: I love the colours, the expression on the goby’s face and most of all the texture of the coral. Lovely use of depth of field.

Hedgehog by Sofia Tenggrono: Great use of a snoot. You have lit up just enough of the environment to show us where this nudibranch lives, but still have highlighted the subject really well. The complimentary colours are lovely.

yellow cutie by Cedric Peneau: Lovely framing of a really cute little fish. The colours jump out from my screen.

REFLET by DIDIER PASQUINI: I like the motion in the tail and the reflection in this image of the biggest fish in the sea. I always like a bit more space in front of a fish when possible – but I know this will have been hard with a big Whale Shark.

Basket star in the pure darkness by arnaud.guillebert: This is more like a fine art image than the usual underwater imagery you see. Lovely lighting showing off the texture of this basket star.


After much deliberation by our judge….

The results

Winner: Basket star in the pure darkness by arnaud.guillebert

Runner-Up: yellow cutie by Cedric Peneau

Third: Ghost Goby by MichaelG

Highly Commended: Three squid by Min seok Jeon

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


Scubaverse.com’s January 2023 Underwater Photo Contest is now open! Enter as many as three of your underwater photos here.

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Winners - Underwater Photography Contests

November 2022 Photo Contest Winner and Review

Published

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

WINNER: The Herd by Cedric Peneau

Another great month full of wonderful underwater images!

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!

Longimanus by night by Claude Lespagne: Of the three wonderful Oceanic Whitetip Shark images you entered this month, this is my favourite. The reflection on the surface is sublime and I love the way the pilot fish really catch the eye against a dark night sea.

Underwater doughnut shop? by Bill Passmore: The detail in this simple shot of a coral head is super. I love the title too!

Little frogfish, big pollution by Cedric Peneau: I always worry about images like this one. Who put that battery there? Was it a diver in order to get a shot? I hope not. What it does to well is show how tiny this beautiful frogfish is.

The Herd by Cedric Peneau: Wow! I love this shot, there is so much going on and yet the subject is still really strong in the frame.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Sofia Tenggrono: This image really caught my eye. The focus is not what we would usually expect, but because the body and the glittering edges are the subject, it still works.

GREAT ENCOUNTER by DIDIER PASQUINI: Lovely shot that tells a story. You can imagine being this snorkeler and have an encounter of a lifetime with the biggest fish in the sea. You can imagine this image in a brochure.

Below the surface by arnaud.guillebert: These shots are so difficult to get right. This is another shot that tells a story and could grace a diving magazine. Initially you see the main shark subject, but as you spend more time, you see all the other sharks in the background.


After much deliberation by our judge….

The results

Winner: The Herd by Cedric Peneau

Runner-Up: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Sofia Tenggrono

Third: Longimanus by night by Claude Lespagne

Highly Commended: Below the surface by arnaud.guillebert

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


Scubaverse.com’s December 2022 Underwater Photo Contest is now open! Enter as many as three of your underwater photos here.

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