UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY - BSoUP Best Beginners Portfolio 2005

1st Shannon Conway
2nd Simon Brown
3rd Martyn Guess

4th Annelise Hagan
5th Richard Smith
6th Maria Munn

My porfolio Maria Munn
	I am 35 and have been taking underwater photos for three years but only diving for the last two. It was always my dream to dive after an accident left me with thirteen fractures. For two years I took underwater photos with Consumer Digital Cameras and finally bought an Ikelite Housing for my 10D last year. I now shoot with a Canon 20D in an Ikelite Housing. I am a Property Manager in the London Area as well as being a freelance journalist and underwater videographer. I am currently producing an Underwater Video for a Dive Company in Costa Rica, as well as initiating a Manta Ray ID Project on the Pacific Side of Mexico. Speaking Spanish and Portuguese, I specialise in Latin America where I also help orphanages in Brazil and Mexico. I also help to raise money for The Scuba Trust through my work. I am co-leading Underwater Photographic Trips for Emperor Divers next year to the Southern Red Sea. Visit www.emperordivers.com for more information. You can visit my website at www.oceanvisions.co.uk.
	Dolphins - Drake Bay, Costa Rica. I was extremely lucky on finding myself in the middle of an immense 'Tuna Run' where there were hundreds of 'Pan Tropical Spotted Dolphins' swimming towards me together with hundreds upon hundreds of Tuna. This picture taken is of a mother calf pair with two adult escorts directly below.
	Manatee - Florida. I was snorkelling in some springs north of Tampa. There were three adults resting on the bottom of the spring. I waited patiently at a distance waiting for one of them to surface and breathe (feeling like a penguin at the time, it was an extremely crispy morning with frosticles on my nose!). I didn't realise that I had the reflection in the shot until afterwards, nor that it was pooping!
	White Shark - Guadelupe Island, Mexico. I was with the Nautlius Explorer who are setting up a conservation project to protect these amazing creatures and raise funds for the local people who inhabitate this unique place. There were 16 different sharks spotted during our three days there. Despite their fame, I never felt frightened at all by them and can't wait to get back there next year.
	Manta Ray - Socorro Islands, Mexico. Again I was with the Nautilus Explorer learning about the Manta Ray ID Project as well as the Humpback Whale ID Projects that are running there. This was taken at a spot known as 'The Boiler' where Mantas are known to come and interact with divers. There were five mantas circling us on this occasion. Simply awesome!
	Green Turtle with Remora - Dive site near Marsa Alam, Red Sea. I couldn't believe the size of the turtles here, or the numbers of them. I was diving with Emperor Divers looking for Dennis the Dugong and found Terry the Turtle instead!
	Trumpetfish, The Brothers Islands, Red Sea. Also taken this year, I had no choice in taking a close shot, it is a nightmare trying to fit all of these into your lens!