Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
March 2015 Photo Contest Winner and Review
Winner Chosen And Review By Scubaverse.com’s Underwater Photography Editor Stuart Philpott
Winner: ‘Looking Up’ by William B. Tomanek
Photolink: https://www.scubaverse.com/?contestants=looking
A big thank you to all of the underwater photographers who have entered Scubaverse’s very first monthly photo contest. I’ve looked through the submitted images, briefly at first and then studied each one more carefully. Can I ask that any future entrants add a few more details – camera type and if possible camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ASA rating etc) and a brief description of how and where the picture was taken (some entrants have done this already). This will give me and anyone else viewing the images a better understanding of how/why you’ve taken the shot.
I guess the winning image is down to my own personal taste. But I will look at every image critically for composition, lighting, artistic flair etc, so hopefully you’ll agree with my choice. No hate mail please!
I’m really am impressed with the entries. There is a good range of macro and wide angle shots, some using flash and some using natural light. There’s even a ‘green’ water shot. Where is Rapid Bay? I did a quick ‘google’ and came up with South Australia but looking at the picture I’m not sure if this is Australia? I’m hoping to see a few more UK entries in the future, especially now that summer is coming on and ambient light/underwater visibility is improving.
Having recently taken my first pygmy seahorse shots on a trip to Papua New Guinea I know how difficult it is to get an ‘in focus’ image, let alone think about the composition, so I loved the ‘pink beauty’ seahorse taken in Bali. I also liked the black and white bow shot of the Imperial Eagle in Malta. Wrecks can look so atmospheric in black and white. I’m not sure if the ‘in the spotlight’ shot should be portrait rather than landscape view? Is this sunlight filtering through or a torch beam? Either way I like the effect but I think it needs a focal point; something highlighted in the light beam would work, like a diver or a fish or an anemone. The ‘love is in the anemone’ is another great composition, the 2 crabs on a colourful anemone backdrop stand out well and I nearly chose this as the best of the month – nice one Jelana!
So finally this month’s winner is ‘Looking Up’ taken at the Blue Grotto fresh water spring in Florida. The slight rippling on the surface has given the image a kind of oil painting effect, very abstract and arty. There are one or two concentric circles formed by water droplets or exhaled bubbles on the surface which gives it more authenticity. If the sun had been shining through the trees I think this would have probably enhanced the effect, but all in all this image would look great framed and hanging on my lounge wall.
Thanks again for submitting your images. Please don’t be put off from entering again if you didn’t win. It would be nice to see some more of your compositions. There must be thousands of underwater photographers out there with at least one or two favourites, so get sifting through your hard drives and put something up for next month’s contest.
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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