Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
October 2016 Photo Contest Winner and Review
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS NICK & CAROLINE ROBERTSON-BROWN
WINNER: Ralpharia sp by Dawn Clerkson
PHOTOLINK: https://www.scubaverse.com/contestants/ralpharia-sp/
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!
October 2016
This month saw a whopping number of entries, with 54 in the mix. One of the toughest judging decisions is selecting the winner from both worthy macro and wide angle images.
Our favourites
Caroline
In my top selection of images this month are:
Early Christmas by L. Scott Harrell – I am not sure I approve of mentioning Christmas in October – but this is a lovely Christmas Tree Worm shot!
Farnes Seal by G Watters shows off the lovely faces of these charismatic creatures. It put a smile on my face.
Colourful by GreatWhiteSean is a superb nudi shot. Lovely colours and lighting.
Coconut Octopus by Sean Steininger – a lovely shot of a great subject. Also in the mix is Sean’s shot of a manta night dive which is very atmospheric.
Into the light by Ashley James Kirkham. Another favourite subject, slower shutter speed. Very nice.
Blue by Margarito Avenido is a wonderful shot of a blue-ringed octopus.
Peek-a-boo by Brett Thorpe. Lovely perspective, lots of character.
Rapharia sp by Dawn Clerkson – a really good macro shot. Simple subject but very well executed.
Nick
Resting by Joseph Azzopardi – I love the way this shot has been framed in the coral overhang. The curves on the ray clearly show it is about to move off (or it has just landed).
Sean Chinn’s nudibranch is a lovely macro shot, with excellent contrast of colours on a black background
Walk Tall by Sean Steininger is an unusual, but striking shot. It looks like the coconut octopus is retreating back into its shell. I particularly like the way the eyes are profiled against the black background
Another shot by Sean Steininger, showing 3 humpbacks, is in a very different style. Shards of light coming down from the surface make this a very pleasing image
The snooted Rhinopias is a lovely example of fine-art photography and works really well with the colours and black background. Well done David Niddam.
The whaleshark image by Ashley James Kirkham is a stunner. I love the angle and the small fish around its head really add to the effect of motion
The weedy seadragon, also by Ashley, is beautifully lit and is a super image. I would have like to see it taken from a few centimetres lower to lift the subject away from the messy background. I appreciate the shot demonstrates its camouflage, but it could still do that.
A stunning shot of soft corals by Carmen Toanchina, uses ambient light very cleverly
Here, Far, Wherever by Marcus Caruana is a lovely grainy and (I suspect) slow shutter speed shot inside the wreck. It is really difficult to do, but I just feel it needs a subject to focus on – perhaps a diver coming towards the camera in the corridor?
A super shot of a pigmy seahorse on a black background by Kim Foss-Pederson. I love the shallow depth of field.
Dawn Clerkson has a couple of excellent shots in this month. Good use of depth of field creates a lovely close-up in the macro shot called Orange Sided Goby. But it is her shot of a solitary hydroid that really catches my eye. It is beautifully lit and an unusual subject. I like this shot a lot!
After much deliberations between our two judges….
This was a tough month. There were lots of very good shots, with more than a handful picked out by both of us to mull over.
Winner: Dawn Clerkson – Ralpharia sp
Runner-Up: Sean Steininger – Walk Tall
3rd Place: Ashley James Kirkham – Into the Light
Keep your best shots coming as there are still plenty of chances of being in with a chance of the grand prize.
Scubaverse.com’s November 2016 Underwater Photo Contest is now live! Enter here.
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.
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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