December 2020 Photo Contest Winner and Review

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

WINNER: Squid Reflection by Cyril di Bisceglie

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!

Here are a few of the images that caught my eye, and why:

Clownfish by MichaelG: I like this shot, largely because it is different. The purple fronds of the anemone and the clownfish looking at the camera against a black background create a unique perspective.

Gulp! by MichaelG: Interesting take on a feeding Whaleshark. It certainly works in monochrome.

Pink Kingdom by Oksana Maksymova: I love the lighting in this image. All the usual motion and action from the clownfish in the pink anemones. The black background adds to the isolation of the subjects.

With Escort by Oksana Maksymova: Nurse shark & trevallies captured on the flash create a lovely image.

Like King by Oksana Maksymova: Lovely portrait of this porcelain crab sat on a pink barrel sponge. The crab is pin-sharp in focus and I love the eyes. Good use of depth of field to bokeh the background too.

Eyes by Marc Eeckhaut: I love the eyes in this image, but they are somewhat lost in the messy background.

Pink Beauties by Marc Eeckhaut: This is a lovely shot, with the nudibranchs curled around to give the impression of movement. The colours are super and the dark, blurred background helps to isolate the subjects.

On the Blue Moon by Cedric Peneau: “See red, shoot against the blue” is a mantra amongst many underwater photographers. This is a great example of why it works.

UFO by Cedric Peneau: Lovelt shot of a comb jellyfish, in the blue against sunbeams. These are always fun to capture on a safety stop.

Harlequin by Cedric Peneau: What a lovely image. The colours leap out at you. I just hope that the subjects were not manipulated to get this shot.

Mum & Calf by Cyril di Bisceglie: I have spent may hours with the manatees of Crystal River. They make great subjects and love to get close to humans.

Galatea Crab by Riccardo Leoncini: It’s never easy trying to get an uncluttered shot of creatures that like to hide in cracks and crevices. This is nicely done and I love the yellow cup corals above the subject.

Squid Reflection by Cyril di Bisceglie: Lovely shot! It depicts movement and the fragmented reflection creates a super overall effect.

Night Shark Snorkelling by Cyril di Bisceglie: I love night diving with sharks, the opportunities for whale shark images against the night are numerous and the reflection in this image helps create the overall “melee” of sharks with two more below.

After much deliberation by our judge….

The results