Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
November 2015 Photo Contest Winner and Review
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR STUART PHILPOTT
WINNER: Dennis Emeric
PHOTOLINK: https://www.scubaverse.com/contestants/time-to-eat/
Welcome to Scubaverse’s November competition results. Sadly there are not so many entrants as last month but there are still some striking shots, mainly of macro subjects this time round.
The first image is by Denis Emeric and is called ‘time to eat’. This shows a porcelain crab inside an anemone. The colours and detail on this macro image are superb. The crab’s right hand claw seems to dominate the image. I’m not 100% sure about the composition but otherwise a very nice shot and a clear contender for the no.1 spot.
Janice Nigro’s first image ‘anemone trampoline’ shows an anemone shrimp inside an anemone taken at Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. Lembeh is supposedly one of the top places in the world for muck diving. I have yet to visit!
It’s really worth zooming in on this image just to see the amount of detail. I love Janice’s title for the shot, I can picture the little crab bouncing around on the anemone while Janice is trying to take focus her camera. Very frustrating by the sounds of it! I really like the vibrant colours – not so sure about the composition yet again though.
Janice Nigro’s second image ‘exposed’ has to be one of the best submissions this month. Thank you for the extra information on your camera settings and the description Janice, much appreciated. The image shows a blenny sitting on a closed up anemone (it’s a shame that the anemone is not open). Great colours and composition. I think this macro shot works very well.
Domenico Luzzi’s shot titled ‘spine cheeky’ shows an anemone fish next to a bubble tip anemone. Bubble tip anemones are my favourite anemones! I think the anemone fish is slightly lost on the reef background but it’s in focus and the colours are punchy. Maybe slightly too contrasty?
David Fletcher’ first entry called ‘a shared thought: I’m hungry’ shows a Mexican stand-off between diver and barracuda and a reasonably sized barracuda at that! I’m sure there used to be a diver in the Florida Keys that used to put a fish in his mouth and then a barracuda would fly in and snatch the fish. This doesn’t sound like a very bright idea. What if the barracuda missed?
David Fletcher’s second entry called ‘vivid blue’ shows a scrawled filefish. It looks as though David has just caught the fish as it’s bolting away. Not an easy fish to photograph. I often see them in pairs. I think David’s pictures would benefit from a strobe as there seems to be a lack of colour. I guess that’s why this shot’s called vivid blue!
David Fletcher’s third shot called ‘rank and file’ show’s a filefish on a reef off Cozumel in Mexico. I’m not a marine biologist David but I would say this is either a trumpet fish or a cornet fish. I really like the way that this fish inverts itself so it can blend in with the soft coral fronds. Trumpet fish are quite long so it’s difficult to get the whole fish in the frame which David has found out here.
The juvenile whaleshark in Simone Lipscomb’s image called ‘contact’ only looks about 2 or 3 metres long. I like the composition of photographer next to whaleshark. I also like the sun’s rays filtering through the water. The white looks a little over exposed but otherwise a good all round effort.
Well known contender Tam Warner Minton has sent in three entries this month (thanks for your support Tam). Tam’s first entry is simply called ‘Cozumel lobster’. The sand is so white in the image that it reminds me of snow. I’m obviously thinking too much about Christmas! The head and eyes are in focus. It’s difficult to get all of the tentacles in focus as they are so long.
At this time of year most of us are thinking about Christmas time so Tam Warner Minton’s next entry, simply titled ‘Christmas tree worms’, is quite apt. I agree with Tam that the worms make great photo subjects and they come in a huge variety of vibrant colours. The trouble is it’s very difficult to get a clean shot without the main subject getting lost in the background.
Tam Warner Minton’s third shot called ‘bubble eating angel’ shows a section of a grey angel. This abstract view of the eye works quite well, maybe slightly out of focus but I like the fish scale pattern and the dash of the colour from the pectoral fin on an otherwise monochrome image.
Bryan Kerschner’s ‘going for breath’ shows a turtle in-flight heading for the surface to breathe. I like the way the turtle is swimming across the diagonals and the blue background makes the turtle’s shell pattern really stand out. It looks like a green turtle. I always find that green’s are more skittish than hawksbill’s which makes it more difficult for the photographer to get a front facing shot. It’s a shame that the turtle’s flipper is obscuring the face and eye.
Great colours on Jamie Wilkes nudi shot called ‘Aliwal shoal’. When I think of Aliwal Shoal near Durban in SA, it’s always about the big marine life encounters, not about the small stuff, so it’s good to see this kind of shot. The background is slightly disruptive but the nudibranch still manages to stand out.
Neil Owen’s ‘In the forest of the Gorgonian king’ (great title) shows a huge sea fan, which looks pretty healthy. You managed to get the whole gorgonian in the picture which is a plus point but it’s missing some marine life and some blue sea in the background. I guess you were quite shallow when you took the shot? It’s much easier to get a blue background on a deep wall. A diver or some orange Anthias would have added some more interest. Try and get the dive guide in the frame next time around!
Neil Owen’s ‘this is my rock’ shows a colourful upside down shrimp. I like the composition. The shrimp is the central subject with the reef overhang crossing the diagonal. It’s obviously a macro shot but it’s not macro enough if you get my meaning. I think you need to get closer Neil but I don’t know what camera or lens you are using? I would say a compact of some kind.
That’s a nice looking moray eel taken by Neil Owen called ‘all the better to eat you with’. There’s plenty of light illuminating the subject and it looks in focus. The backdrop could have been slightly more interesting and more contrasting but I guess most morays live on or around the reef so this is their standard pose. Giant morays always look menacing but I have never seen one get aggressive even with antagonistic photographers poking a camera in the way!
Thanks again for this month’s entries. Now that I’ve had a good look through the images and gone back over them twice more in finer detail I think Denis Emeric’s shot called ‘time to eat’ is the overall winner with Janice’s blenny shot coming a close second. The last photo competition of the year will close on December 25th, Christmas day, so get sifting through your hard drives. As well as a chance of winning the vivid-pix photo editing software don’t forget there is also a brand new set of Mares diving kit up for grabs if you win Photo of the Year.
Scubaverse.com’s December 2015 Photo Contest is now open! Enter here.
Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
December 2022 Photo Contest Winner and Review
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.
Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
November 2022 Photo Contest Winner and Review
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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