Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
July 2020 Photo Contest Winner and Review
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR NICK ROBERTSON-BROWN
WINNER: Baby by Oksana Maksymova
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!
Another excellent month of images once again. Here is what I thought of a selection of this month’s images…
Painted Ball by Miguel Ramirez. I love these critters and this Warty Frogfish is no exception. I like the pose and angle of this shot and the way the focus disappears as you move back along the body.
Night Squad by Miguel Ramirez. Oh don’t you just want to be one this dive and see these guys for yourself. Cool shot.
Red Hairy Shrimp by Ferhan Coskun. This kind of critter is really difficult to capture and make it stand out. Good use of black background and the angle shows the animal’s form.
Flirtatious Red Pygmy Seahorse by Ferhan Coskun. Nice angle and the lack background isolates the subject perfectly. If I have a small criticism it is the darkness on the left of the subject, I would have liked a low power fill-in to soften it. It is, of course, all subjective.
Butterfly Constellation by Christina Fernandez Gonzalez. Lovely portrait, great subject.
Emerald Jewel by Christina Fernandez Gonzales. I have never seen a Green Mantis Shrimp and they are now on my list. The shot is nicely framed, if a bit bullseye, and I love the use of bokeh to isolate the subject.
Bargibanti by Marc Eeckhaut. Another shot using bokeh, to great effect, to isolate the subject. Really well done, as always, Marc.
Moray Eel by Marc Eeckhaut. I love the ‘whole-image’ focus in this shot, showing the eel’s environment and the usual mouth open pose.
Baby by Oksana Maksymova. Super shot of a tiny orange frogfish. This is a really well executed head-on portrait and the soft fill-in light on the left works well for me. I also like the way the subject is framed by the hydroids and worms.
The New Generation by Oksana Maksymova. I have several of these shots but none as good and crisp as this one.
The Pikachu have a windy day by Divecorn. Great use of dof in this shot, with a black background to isolate the subject, hanging on in what looks like a ripping current.
Proud Slug by Divecorn. This nudibranch shot is pin sharp and the colours really pop-out from the black background. I like the angle on it too.
Sperm Whales By Cedric Peneau. Who sees 7 Sperm whales in the same shot?? Beautifully done and with the sun’s rays too.
Leaving ISO with a Smooth Ray by Chris Scarlett. I always tell my students to avoid “bum-shots” of animals, but sometimes they really work. I love the fact that you have caught the ray shooting between the legs of the pier.
Ghost and Moon by Cedric Peneau. This is an interesting, and effective, capture. The pipefish is pin-sharp and is perfectly set against the diffuser (moon).
After much deliberation by our judge….
The results
Winner: Baby by Oksana Maksymova
Runner-up: Ghost and Moon by Cedric Peneau
3rd Place: Butterfly Constellation by Christina Fernandez Gonzalez
Congratulations to those who were placed – there were a number of excellent images, and well done to all those that entered.
Scubaverse.com’s August 2020 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: 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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