Winners - Underwater Photography Contests
March 2018 Photo Contest Winner and Review
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS NICK & CAROLINE ROBERTSON-BROWN
WINNER: The Inner Light by David Ludovic
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!
March 2018
March saw some amazing macro images being entered into the competition. Usually we get a real mix of shots, but everyone must have been critter hunting these past few weeks! Here’s what we thought…
Our Favourites
Caroline
The Inner Light by David Ludovic: A wonderful black water shot of a jellyfish and it’s entourage.
Night Beauty by Michal Černý: Another black water shot of note, this time of a squid displaying.
Black and Blue by Sean Steininger: Great use of depth of field in this shot. I would have preferred if the nearest rhinophore had been in focus, but that is the cost of such a small depth of field to get the background so wonderfully in bokeh.
Under / Over by Walter Bassi: A lovely split shot with reflections of the water lily and the blue sky above. This has a magical quality about it and I really like this shot.
Worm Hypnosis by Walter Bassi: Lovely shot of the patterns of this beautiful worm.
Reflected by Walter Bassi: Another lovely shot from Walter, with this pink jellyfish reflecting in the surface. Lovely.
Whip Coral Shrimp by Marc Eekhaut: A super detailed shot of this goby. Well done.
Luminescent by Davide Lombroso: I am not usually a fan of these shots, But I like this one, as you can clearly see the beautiful nudibranch within the blurred surroundings that this lens produces.
Nick
The Inner Light by David Ludovic: Beautifully lit subject and as the name suggests, it appears to be glowing. Looks stunning against the black background and I love the way small fish colonise these things.
Alien by Michal Černý: Translucent subjects against a black background make amazing subjects when the lighting is right … and in ‘Alien’ it is.
Weedy by Sean Steininger: This is an unusual shot, as it has the sea dragon away from its normal habitat and you can see its eggs around its tail.
Black and Blue by Sean Steininger: This uses bokeh to great effect and the yellow blue and black creates a simple, almost monochrome effect. Nice use of Depth of Field.
Reflected by Walter Bassi: This is a wonderful pink on black composition with a reflection thrown in for good measure. The image is certainly eye-catching and my only slight criticism is the clipping of the tentacles, and there does appear to be space on the right to allow for them. Love the diagonal.
Coming up for Breath by Jack McKee: this is a super capture with the low sun creating shards of light from the surface.
Whip Coral Shrimp by Marc Eeckhaut: This diagonal shot has really good focus. The shrimp is pin sharp and immaculately detailed, the coral is just soft enough that the subjects remain the item that draws the eye, and the background is bokeh in colour that supports the subject. Great Shot.
After much deliberations between our two judges….
There were lots of interesting shots this month; we picked out many different shots from each other. Most of the shots this month seemed to be macro too. We deliberated for quite a while! Here are the results:
Winner: The Inner Light by David Ludovic
Runner-Up: Whip Coral Shrimp by Marc Eeckhaut
Third Place: Reflected by Walter Bassi
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 April has to offer.
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Scubaverse.com’s April 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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