Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
April 2018 Photo Contest Winner and Review
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS NICK & CAROLINE ROBERTSON-BROWN
WINNER: On the Throne by Natalie Bondarenko
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!
April 2018
The April entries showed an amazing & high-quality set of images for our judges to work through. A good mix of macro and wide-angle shots on offer. Here is what they thought…
Our Favourites
Caroline
The Mardi Gras Queen by Craig Beasley: Superb detail in this shot of a tiny crustacean on top of coral. Isolated using a black background, this really pops.
Coming up by Sean Steininger: Beautiful shot showing the intricate pattern of spots on the back of a Whaleshark. Lovely natural light.
Blackwater Beauty by Laura Tesler: Simple yet beautiful – well done.
Basket Star Shrimp by David Ludovic: Superb detail in the shot of a tiny shrimp living in a basket star. Focusing is spot on.
Underwater Poppies by Natalie Bondarenko: Lovely shot of water lillies at the Carwash cenote in Mexico. Love the Snell’s Window view to see the world above the water.
Whale Shark and Freediver by Natalie Bondarenko: Another smashing shot of a great subject. Love the motion and shape of the freediver and the yellow fins really assist the image too.
On the Throne by Natalie Bondarenko: Natalie has put in 3 lovely shots into this month’s competition, all of them very different. I love this shot of the glassfish sweeping around the coral head and the grouper. Super shot.
Puppy Dog by Martyn Jakins-Pollard: What a gorgeous portrait of this sea lion. I love that it has turned its head towards the camera, engaging the viewer.
Smile! by Hannes Klostermann: Fantastic shot! Head on shot of the alligator, with the white teeth and eye contact, in gorgeous clear water – brilliant.
Godzilla by Hannes Klostermann: I think this one is even better. I love this unusual angle to shoot an alligator looking up and seeing the above water world through Snell’s Window. The lighting is handled perfectly with the underside of the subject lit, and yet we can still enjoy the natural light sunbeams. Gorgeous shot.
Open Mouth Grouper by Ifj. Lőrincz Ferenc: Lovely behaviour shot with complementary reds and blues on a black background.
Nick
Mardi Gras Queen by Craig Beasley: with a black background and a small depth of field, this image really pops out at you. Love the way the crab is sat on the very top of its domain.
Coming Up by Sean Steininger: This head-on shot of a whaleshark in dappled sunlight is really striking. The shards of sunlight in the water behind the whaleshark complement the subject and helps create a striking overall image.
Blackwater Beauty by Laura Tesler: This is a truly striking image with such a small depth of field and the focus in the centre of the moon jellyfish.
Closer by Laura Tesler: This abstract close up shot of a crimson anemone really draws the eye to the centre of the critter. I particularly like the variations in colour tones and the lighting is spot-on.
Basket Star Shrimp by David Ludovic: This orange shrimp is almost totally in focus against a background of mostly out of focus basket star. The orange stands out against the bland colour of the star and the overall image is delightful.
2 Beauties by Marc Eeckhaut: This shot of two harlequin shrimps facing each other is endearing and technically excellent. The lighting on the critters really brings out their colours and the bokeh’d background makes them almost pop out of the screen.
Underwater Poppies by Natalie Bondarenko: This is subject has been captured a fair bit recently but this image has nailed it beautifully. The central leaves are rusty red against a blue background and the complimentary colours really work, particularly against the blue sky in Snell’s Window.
Whale Shark and Freediver by Natalie Bondarenko: This is a lovely clean composition and the shape of the diver looking up at the whaleshark sums to balance the overall image very nicely.
On the Throne by Natalie Bondarenko: I love this shot. The lighting is amazing with the colour of the grouper and coral perfectly balanced against the silver glassfish swopping across the image.
Smile! by Hannes Klostermann: This excitement of being so close to a large predator is almost tangible in this shot. There is eye-contact and the whole front of this pre-historic beauty is in focus.
The Old Woman by William Goodwin: I really like this abstract close-up of this turtle, which shows the patination and colouring. It also captures the barnacles which have found their home on this transient host. I would have preferred the whole image to be in-focus through, as there is no specific focal point to the image.
Godzilla by Hannes Klostermann: lovely curve, implied motion, Snell’s Window and an unusual angle on an uncommon subject. Fab!
After much deliberations between our two judges….
There were lots of excellent shots this month, and as always we picked out many different shots from each other. We deliberated for quite a while, as it was a tough decision to place our favourite three in order! Here are the results:
Winner: On the Throne by Natalie Bondarenko
Runner-Up: Godzilla by Hannes Klostermann
Third Place: Whale Shark and Freediver by Natalie Bondarenko
Congratulations to the those who were placed – some really nice images here, and well done to all those that entered. We cannot wait to see what May has to offer.
Scubaverse.com’s May 2018 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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