July 2016 Photo Contest Winner and Review
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS NICK & CAROLINE ROBERTSON-BROWN
WINNER: Red Sea Sunset by Christian Llewellyn
PHOTOLINK: http://www.scubaverse.com/contestants/red-sea-sun-set/
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!
July 2016
This month saw 42 entries into the competition, and there were some lovely images. 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:
Snapper vs Snappers by Justin Beevor – lovely shot of schooling snapper from the Red Sea.
Rays at Night by Octavio Aburto Oropeza – this is a tough shot but it really lets the viewer get a wonderful idea of what the experience must have been like.
– Bispira – by Wesley Oosthuizen – gorgeous colours.
Lunch by Jack McKee – what a behaviour shot! This would have done really well if the lighting had just been a little better.
Embrace by Christian Siegenthaler – lovely shot against a deep blue background.
Home Sweet Balled Up Home by Heather Sutton – lovely subjects, composition and black background.
Slug by Marcus Blatchford – lovely head on shot of a cold water nudi.
Red Sea Sunset by Christian Llewellyn – smashing split shot. Really love this shot.
My top 3 are: Red Sea Sunset by Christain Llewellyn, Embrace by Christian Siegenthaler, and Slug by Marcus Blatchford.
Nick
It was another tough month for judging. The images that stood out for me are:
Snapper versus Snappers by Justin Beevor – lovely shot of the snappers in tight formation, presumably off Yolanda Reef in the Northern Red Sea.
Rays at Night by Octavio Aburto Oropeza – this is an unusual shot in difficult circumstances, but it works well.
Chaos by Gemma Smith – I love the angle of the shot and it does seem to capture the excitement of a shark dive. There is plenty of contrast and as a result; the monochrome works well.
– Bispira – by Wesley Oosthuizen – lovely simple macro shot of the beautiful pink Tube Worms extended to filter the food from the water.
Roundbelly Cow Fish by Wesley Oosthuizen – this is a lovely, head-on shot of a cow fish and the use of black background techniques really draws the eye.
Embrace by Christian Siegenthaler – this is a fantastic shot against a dark blue background in the lighting is just beautiful. Well done Christian.
Home Sweet Balled Up Home by Heather Sutton – simple, lovely composition on the black background creates an absorbing effect.
The King by Laura Giavardi – this is a lovely macro shot the candy, crabs, redeye nicely in focus. The red and pink on the black background works really well.
Gobi on Whip by Vicki Major – another cracking macro shot. The goby has a parasite on and even blown up it is pin sharp. Nicely done.
The Great White Dream by Heather Sutton – this wide-angle wall shot is beautifully lit, however, the divers positioning on the right is a distraction and for me, I would have taken it out.
Slug by Marcus Blatchford – I just love the depth of field on the shot with the rhinophores absolutely pin sharp, whilst the rest of the slug slowly bokahs out.
Red Sea Sunset by Christian Llewellyn – the split shot is beautifully done. The ambient lighting above the water is superb with the hazy sunlight bouncing off the side of the boat. The strobe lighting beneath the water is beautifully balanced against the ambient light in the overall effect is just fantastic. The two parrotfish just add a little bit of colour the underwater scene.
Nick’s favourite three: Red Sea Sunset by Christian Llewellyn, Embrace by Christian Siegenthaler, and Slug by Marcus Blatchford.
Nick and Caroline have picked a few different shots in their top selection this month, but when it came down to selecting their top 3 images, they picked the same three images. So then they had to work out what positions to place them.
After much deliberations between our two judges….
1st place: Red Sea Sunset by Christian Llewellyn
2nd place: Embrace by Christian Siegenthaler
3rd place: Slug by Marcus Blatchford
There were plenty of good shots to choose from again this month. But the winner, a stunning split shot, was picked by both of us. Keep your best shots coming as there are still plenty of chances of being in with a chance of the grand prize.
