Our Sponsors

Beginners Portfolio Competition 1991

Winner - Howard Bunyan

by Brian Pitkin

Reproduced from in focus 43 (February 1992)

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.

BSoUP BEGINNERS PORTFOLIO COMPETITION