The
annual Beginners' Portfolio Competition for the DIVER Trophy,
organised by the British Society of Underwater Photographers,
was held at the November meeting of the Society at Imperial
College.
Anyone
who had not previously won a place in a national or international
underwater photographic competition had been invited to enter
a portfolio of six slides taken underwater anywhere in the
world, except in a swimming pool or aquarium.
This
year there were a disappointing number of only fifteen entries,
partly attributable to lack of pre-publicity. All portfolios
were projected, each set of six slides at one time, on a nine
foot screen. The audience present were invited to vote for
their favourite three portfolios in order of preference.
Diver
relection in fish eye by Kevin Jones who came fourth.
Scorpion
fish by Peter Nangle, who came third
Fourth
place with 31 points went to KEVIN JONES from West Sussex.
Kevin's portfolio comprised a coral trout; a diver superimposed
in the eye of a fish (see page 5); a shoal of yellow butterfly
fish; a close- up of a parrot fish; a wide-angle balanced
light shot of fan coral; and a close-up of a scorpion fish.
Most of Kevin's shots were taken on a recent trip to the Red
Sea.
Third
place with 37 points was PETER NANGLE from Cheshire. The six
shots making up Peter's portfolio included a close-up of an
anemone with a rich red column and yellowish tipped green
tentacles; a wide-angle balanced light shot of hard and soft
corals with featherstars; a close-up of a colourful scorpion
fish (see page 13); a wide-angle balanced light shot of an
octopus on a reef wall; a wide-angle balanced light shot of
a clown fish in an anemone; with a distant diver above and
well behind the main subject; and a close-up of a colourful
fish on red soft coral. All of Peter's shots were taken in
the Red Sea.
Manta
Ray by Bob Soames, who came second
Christmas
Tree worm by Howard Bunyan, winner.
Second
place (for the third year running) with 54 points was BOB
SOAMES from Middlesex. Bob's portfolio comprised a natural
light shot of a manta ray passing overhead (see page 13);
a macro shot of the spiral feeding tentacles of a polychaete
worm; a natural light shot of part of a shipwreck, including
the helm; a macro shot of a small red and white fish on a
stony coral; a double composition shot of two species of fish;
and a double composition of a squid and orange pink anemones.
The
winner of the DIVER Trophy and a cash prize of £50 presented
by Bernard Eaton of Diver Magazine was HOWARD BUNYAN. Howard's
winning portfolio, which scored 80 points, included a macro
side- view of the delicate red and yellow spiral feeding tentacles
of a polychaete worm (see page 5); a wide-angle balanced light
shot of a large anemone on a pillar of hard coral beneath
a dive boat; a macro shot of a two mating flamingo tongue
molluscs; a close-up of a brownish puffer fish; a macro shot
of a delicate red spotted shrimp with red, white and blue
striped claws among the pink and white tentacles of an anemone;
and a close-up shot of brilliant orange sea slug. All of Howard's
pictures were taken in Bonaire in the Caribbean.
Howard
has been taking underwater photographs since about 1988 but
has not previously won any national or international competitions.
He used a Nikonos V camera and Nikonos SB102 strobe for all
of his winning pictures. His wide-angle shots were taken using
the Nikonos 15 mm lens and his close-ups and macro shots using
an Ocean Optics close-up lens and extension tubes respectively.
