News - July 2009

Nikon Releases D3000 Entry Level DSLR

Melville, N.Y. (July 30, 2009) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the D3000 digital SLR camera, an affordable answer for users looking to experience the superiority of digital SLR photography or enthusiasts seeking a capable, compact D-SLR. The 10.2-megapixel D3000 has features that make it easier than ever to take great pictures, including the new Guide Mode, which lends a smart helping hand to new D-SLR users, and an extensive Retouch Menu, enabling consumers to edit photos, even without a computer. The D3000, which offers an 11-point autofocus system, also leverages proven Nikon D-SLR technologies, including the exclusive EXPEED™ image processing, Active D-Lighting system and 3D Color Matrix Metering II, enabling entry-level D-SLR shooters to take stunning pictures.

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Epson Red Sea July Competition

Voting deadline: 30th July.

The Epson Red Sea July Competition, in association with BSoUP, is open for voting. To vote please visit www.eilatredsea.com/. You will be asked to register first.

The images can also be viewed in an Adobe web gallery.

The winners from the April (Robert Bailey), May (Trevor Rees), June (Robert Bailey), July and August competitions will compete in September for the title 'UK & Ireland Underwater Photographer of the Year'. The overall winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to Eilat, Israel to compete in the Epson Red Sea Shoot out for US$ 80,000 in prizes being held between 9-14 November.

Website of the Week - Mark Webster

Each week we are highlighting a BSoUP Member's website. This week's choice is 'Photec' the website of Mark Webster.

Mark is an award-winning underwater photography, author and journalist. Mark's first book "The Art and Technique of Underwater Photography" was published in 1998 by Fountain Press. Mark's latest publications include 'Diving and Snorkeling Belize' (Lonely Planet), 'Passions - Scuba Diving' (Duncan Baird) and 'Beneath Cornish Seas' (Alison Hodge pbl) published in Janauary 2009.

Mark also runs highly successful underwater photographic workshops. For more details about Mark, please visit his website at www.photec.co.uk/

Underwater Images 2009

Photo/Video Competition - Final Results

Congratulations to BSoUP Member Mark Thomas from Cheshire who came second in the wide-angle open category with image entitled 'Fish Overhead'.

A gallery of all the winners may be viewed at http://www.uwimages.org/

Sharks in Focus 2009 Photography Competition

Deadline: 30th September 2009

Due to the phenomenal success in 2007; the Sharks in Focus photography competition is back!

Love them or fear them there’s no disputing sharks are a “must see” for most divers, but as many of you will have experienced first-hand dive sites famed for their sharks now often disappoint. Sharks are disappearing, with many species in dramatic decline due to habitat destruction, poorly regulated fisheries and the shark fin trade. However all is not lost. Now is your chance to contribute to shark conservation and support the vital work of the Shark Trust.

The Shark Trust believes that the profile of these mysterious and much maligned animals can be bolstered through the increased public awareness that still and moving images can provide.

So whatever your experience or age, this is your opportunity to join the hundreds of photographers who made Sharks in Focus 2007 such a phenomenal success. Be part of Sharks in Focus 2009 and help celebrate the majesty and diversity of sharks whilst bringing their vulnerability to a wider audience, not to mention putting yourself in the running to win big prizes and feature in the 2010 Magazine calendar!

Jointly hosted by the Shark Trust and and supported by high profile sponsors, Sharks in Focus 2009 is the competition to enter your shark shots to this summer. With the chance to win great prizes and support shark conservation, you’d be crazy not to enter!

So whether you dig back through your image archive, head out on a dedicated dive or get lucky with that chance encounter every shark, skate and ray image is a potential winner.

Entrants can submit their images through the Shark Trust website from 1st July to the 6th September. The images will be judged by renowned underwater photographers, marine biologists and authors Alex Mustard and Tom Peschak, and TV presenter, polar explorer and passionate diver Paul Rose.

For further details please visit www.sharktrust.org/photocomp

Website of the Week - JP Trenque

Each week we are highlighting a BSoUP Member's website. This week's choice is the website of our Chairman JP Trenque.

"Born in France, I learnt to dive in 1980 to follow my father's footsteps.

Currently Chairman of the British Society of Underwater Photographers, I spend much of my spare time taking photos underwater, either in the UK or abroad and I organise photographic trips with Hidden Depths Dive Tours.

Working as a volunteer RNLI helmsman on the Thames has also given me access to new photographic opportunities, which I hope to explore further in the future."

To learn more about JP and view some of his images please visit his website at http://www.jptrenque.com/

Striped marlin and sardines by Marc Montocchio
Overall winner of the BSoUP/DIVER Print Competition 2009

BSoUP/DIVER Print Exhbition opens at London Aquarium

The best 79 prints from this year's BSoUP/DIVER Print Competition are on display at the The Sealife London Aquarium from today until mid-October.

The original competiton attracted 160 entries and the top 80 prints were displayed at the London International Dive Show held at ExCel, over the weekend of 28th-29th March 2009. Visitors to the show were invited to vote for their favourite prints in four categories and nearly 1,000 did so. Trophies and prizes were awarded to the winners. An independant panel of judges chooose the overall winner to receive a week's diving in the Red Sea donated by Oonasdivers.

The competition was sponsored by Oonasdivers, Diver, The Sealife London Aquarium, Mike’s Dive Stores, Ocean Optics Ltd, Cameras Underwater, Oceanic and Alison Hodge Publishing.

Focus on 'Green Waters' - July

Last night's Focus On competition 'Green Waters' attracted a total of 27 entries.

Congratulations to Alex Mustard who came first with an image of seal (left).

Congratulations also to Gareth Lock (second) with an image of a diver in a wreck , Simon Brown (third) with divers on a wreck, Anthony Holley (fourth) with a tompot blenny, Anna James (fifth) with a view through the surface, and Pedro Vieyra (sixth) with an image of sealions in a cave.

Second: Diver in wreck by Gareth Lock

How the top six scored

The top six may be viewed in the Gallery.

BSoUP Members only may view all of the images as an Adobe Web Gallery (projected order, named photographers). You will be asked to login if you haven't already done so this session.

If any entrant not in the top six would like to know how their image fared, please contact Brian Pitkin.

The UK's Outdoor Photography Magazine has a 7 page feature on BSoUP member Alex Mustard in its August 2009 issue, featuring a selection of his underwater photographs.

In the interview, by Heather Gregory, Alex discusses the possibilities that taking pictures underwater offers the photographer and comments on how underwater photography has been pushed forward by more land photographers being tempted to take their cameras beneath the seas.

link: http://www.thegmcgroup.com/item--Outdoor-Photography--1006OP.html

BSoUP Splash-in Championship 2009

Congratulations to BSoUP Member Cathy Lewis who won the Grand prize for her Close-up of a Topknot (left) at this year's Splash-in in Plymouth.

Cathy won a one week liveaboard trip to the Red Sea kindly donated by Tony Backhurst Scuba and a year's family membership of the National Marine Aquarium.

For full details of this year's event please click here

Marmara Festival Winners

Congratulations to BSoUP Member Debi Henshaw who came second in the Digital Macro category at the recent Marmara Festival held in held in Istanbul, Turkey.

For further details about Debi please visit www.digitaldiving.co.uk/Digital_Diving/Home.html

The aim of this festival is to unite international and local underwater photographers and videographers, both professionals & amateurs, through whose productions an awareness of the underwater world could be spread to many people.

For further details of the Marmara Fesival and all the winners of this year's competition please visit http://www.marmarafestival.org/Default_en.aspx

Website of the Week - Ken Sullivan

Each week we are highlighting a BSoUP Member's website. This wee;;s choice is Ken Sullivan.

Ken has been diving for over forty years after a friend encouraged him to join the Stevenage Sub-aqua Club in 1964.

When he made his first dive 'on the reef’ in the middle of Swanage Bay on the south coast of England in 1965, he could not have possibly imagined that diving would become a central theme throughout his life.

Ken had been diving for almost twenty years before he took a camera underwater. Whether it was his desire to show the family where he had been all weekend, or an increasing interest in his underwater surroundings he is not sure. He ‘borrowed’ his wife’s Kodak instamatic camera, built a plastic housing in his home workshop and took it diving.

Since the early years of designing, building and customising underwater camera kit, Ken is still absorbed by this activity to this day. Between dive trips one can find him enjoying a few days helping his friends and contacts get the most out of their underwater camera kit by some serious customisation.

To learn more about Ken and to see some of his images please visit www.kensunderwaterphotography.com/

BSoUP July Meeting

The next BSoUP meeting takes place on Wednesday, July 15th 2009 at 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. at our usual venue the Holland Club, Imperial College, S. Kensington, London. Directions.

Annual Event: Splash-in Review.

Focus On Competition: Green Water. BSoUP Members only. Rules & Entry form.

Main Event: Len Deeley -Audio-visuals.

Len began diving in 1970. However, he really settled into serious diving when he became a member of the Billericay Sub Aqua Club (1620) in 1980 when it formed. Len's first camera was a Nikonos IVA.

His audio visuals include underwater sequences and details can be found on the Audio Visual page of his website www.imagine-photography.co.uk. In 2001 he obtained a Distinction with the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (DPAGB).

Len joined The Royal Society of Photography (RPS) and earned an ARPS distinction in the Applied Category using underwater images taken with slide film. This was followed in 2006 when he achieved a Fellowship distinction with the RPS in the Nature category with digital prints.

In 1988 Len formed PHOTOSUB Underwater Photography Club. This club  provides the backdrop for much of his diving.

By building up successes with entries in various British Photographic Exhibitions affiliated to the BPE Crown Awards scheme Len achieved the BPE1 award certificate in March 2007, BPE2 in April 2007 and BPE3 in May 2008.

Len will be showing some underwater audio visuals, including his latest one 'Hidden Depths' that was the overall winner in the East Anglian Audio Visual Competition this year and also won 'Best Photography' in that competition. He will also show images from one of his recent trips using the audio visual programme Pictures To EXE to create a manual presentation.

Underwater Journal - Latest issue

The latest addition of the FREE Underwater Journal magazine is now available to download.

Issue #12 includes Turning a shark kill tournament to catch-and-release, Canary Island divers daring rescue of an entangled Bryde’s whale in the open sea, Diving Aruba’s premiere wreck the Antilla, and the story behind it, UWJ provides a look into Tim Taylor and his exploration vessel, the R/V Tiburon, Bringing up artifacts from Black Beard the Pirate’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge in waters of North Carolina, A look at the Shearwater Pursuit computer for mixed gas and closed-circuit rebreather diving and Mel Clark’s handbook “CCR Trimix simplified”

To get your copy please visit www.underwaterjournal.com

Success for Lundy’s first Splash-in

Lundy’s FIRST underwater photography competition took place on 20th June and was a great success!  Lundy has been a Marine Nature Reserve since 1986 and the aim of the competition was to capture the diverse aspects of the marine environment and bring local and national divers together to celebrate the 6th year of Lundy’s No Take Zone and marine reserve.

The waters around the island are renowned for their diversity and competitors had subjects such as grey seals, rare corals and ship wrecks to photograph.

Nicola Saunders, Wildlife Warden on Lundy said, “Whilst the weather was a little unpredictable with strong winds, local charter boats &  both Appledore & Ilfracombe Sub Aqua Clubs, braved the seas and made it across to the Island in time!”

“There were 13 entries into the competition, which was little lower than we'd hoped but good beginnings for a first time event, and given the weather we weren't too disappointed! All participants submitted their pictures in the early evening, before heading up to Lundy's lambing shed to enjoy our annual barn dance & spit roast.”

On Sunday morning everyone was up bright and early and piled into the Tavern for breakfast, before heading across to the Church for the slideshow and competition judging. The event was hosted by Derek Green, Lundys General Manager with the judging open to all divers and visitors staying on the island. The images were judged by an audience of 50  The winning entries were by Mark Lavington  with his picture of a Jewel Anemone in the Mega to Macro category,  Mike Deaton with his picture of a Seal in the Marine Nature Reserve Ambience category and James Wright with his picture of a compass Jellyfish in the Marine Abstract category.

James Wright of Appledore Sub Aqua Club walked away with the main honours as the overall winner, with his Black and white image of a compass jellyfish being chosen by Neil Hope (Sport Diver), Dan Hopkins and Spencer Cobby (Cameras Underwater) from the top three images.

Due to the amazing generosity of our sponsors, we had a fantastic prize fund including £250 vouchers from Sea & Sea; £300 vouchers from Cameras Underwater and a Nexus Nitrox dive computer from AP Valves. The overall winner also took home £350 worth of vouchers to spend on a winter helicopter break on Lundy. Other prizes included a BCD, flight regulator & octopus and a SubX undersuit as well as numerous books, magazine subscriptions and other dive & Lundy merchandise.

Wetpixel Quarterly - Latest issue

Wetpixel LLC is proud to announce the immediate availability of issue #6 of Wetpixel Quarterly magazine. In its trademark landscape-oriented, high-resolution format, issue #6 celebrates the underwater photography of marine photojournalists Stephen Wong and Takako Uno, as well as the quirky, humorous artwork of Ray Troll.

Scott R. Benson and Peter H. Dutton of the National Marine Fisheries Service write about migration routes of the Pacific leatherback turtle and discuss a recovery plan that addresses the key areas of research and conservation necessary for long-term survival of the species.

Issue 6 features the Pacific northwest coast of North America; Eric Cheng's shows underwater imagery of kelp and ice in Alaska, and a Wetpixel expedition to Port Hardy, Vancouver Island featuring Alex Mustard, Todd Mintz, John Davies, and Rand McMeins completes the tour. Finally, Tony Wu relates super-macro photography to intergalactic battle in The Photographic Eye.

Wetpixel Quarterly #6 shipped last month to subscribers worldwide. Individual copies are available immediately at http://www.wetpixelquarterly.com.

Website of the Week - David Stephens

Each week we are highlighting a BSoUP Members website. This week's choice is David Stephens.

David a keen amateur underwater photographer, based in South Wales and I have been diving for over 13 years. He is an active member of both Bristol Underwater Photography Group and BSoUP.

David has used a Nikon D100 in a Sea and Sea housing for the last few years with a 60mm, 105mm, 20mm and 16mm lens. When he first started in underwater photography he learnt the basics with an Aquashot before moving to a Nikonos IV and then onto a Nikon F90X.

To learn more about David and to view his images please visit www.underwater-photography.co.uk/homex.htm

Epson Red Sea - June Winner

Congratulations to Robert Bailey who won the Epson Red Sea June Competition with 44.23% of the vote. Robert previously also won the April Competition.

Trevor Rees, who previously won the May Competition, came second ln June with 22.8% of the vote and Anna James came third with 19.2% of the vote.

The July Competition is now open. To enter please visit www.eilatredsea.com/?CategoryID=300&ArticleID=25

Underwater Photography - Latest issue

The latest issue of the FREE web magazine is now available to download.

Issue 49 includes Editorial, News & Travel, New Products, Interview with Hubert Lacour by Sim Chee Ghe, Aquatica Canon 5D by Bruce Yates, Epoque ERX-C1010 by Dan Bolt, Sea & Sea DX-2G by Peter Rowlands, Fuji F200EXR by Rob Spray, Compact Course 3 by Maria Munn, Panoramas by Joseph C. Dovala, Fisheyes for FX by Alex Mustard & Jeff Hartog, Marsa Shagra by Mark Webster, Iceland’s cracks by Gisli A. Gudmundsson, Khao Sok caves by Ayesha Cantrell, Ambon’s Eel Man by Rod Klein, Phi Phi Island by Tobias Reitmayr, Black Coral by Glenn Lawyer, Parting Shots by Douglas Ebersole, Tim Priest & Jeremy Cuff.

To download your copy please visit www.uwpmag.com/

X-ray Magazine - Latest Issue

The latest issue of the FREE web magazine is now available to download.

Issue 30 includes Bonaire Divers’ Paradise by JP Bresser : Scott Johnson presents Turks & Caicos Islands in the Caribbean and Diving Mysteries Off North Carolina, USA : Roddenberry Dive Team and the Star Trek Legacy : Treasure Hunting in the Florida Keys by Millis Keegan : Shipwreck Treasure - 17th Century Solid Gold Grooming Tool by Carol Tedesco : Barb Roy tells us about the Reefs of Steel - Artificial Reefs of British Columbia : Ocean Arts Emporium and 19th Century Blaschka Glass Invertebrates is edited by Gunild Symes : Gennady Misan tells about an almost fatal dive in Lake Baikal : Bonnie McKenna explains about Jelly fish Ecology and Tony White explains about special UW Photography Techniques : Unique Dive site: Crystal River, Florida.

To download your copy please visit www.xray-mag.com/en/Front

Northern Underwater Photography Group Splash-in

The NUPG annual Summer Splash-in will be held on Sunday 26th July. Meet at 8:30 opposite Treaddur Bay Hotel from 6:00 p.m.in the evening for submission of selected images. Judging to start from 7:30.

Unfortunately this competition is now digital only. If you shoot film and can arrange processing and scanning on the day you are welcome to enter. Rules.

For further details about NUPG and its activities please visit www.nupg.org.uk/

Bristol Underwater Photography Group - July Meeting

Tuesday July 14th

The Meeting (start time 2000hrs) will be at our normal venue - The Casson Centre, Rodway Road, Patchway, BS34 5DQ (map)

The monthly competition theme is 'Green Water' - this covers any image captured in temperate waters. Send your digital files to Bob Anthony (anthonyrez30@tiscali.co.uk) and please include BUPG on the subject line. Unsure about entering? Even if you don't feel you have any winners, send some in to benefit from the audience feedback - it's an ideal way to learn.

The presentation this month is by Anna James and will cover her work photographing babies in swimming pools. We will have a review of the BSoUP Splash In which is being held on 4th July and we will also judge our own Splash In which was held on 13th June. If time allows, there will be a Forum on 'Animal Behaviour' and this will be led by Arthur Kingdon.

The Epson Red Sea Group is Now
Open and Active on Facebook!

The Epson Red Sea 2009 competition will take place this Novemeber in Eilat for the 5th year in a row.  As in previous years, talented and lucky underwater photographers will win significant cash prizes, valuable equipment and dreamy diving trips.

The Epson Red Sea - World of Underwater Images group was established in order to provide us all with a platform for sharing and retrieving information regarding the upcoming competition.The group  will be constantly updated with  information, news, images, videos, stories, judges tips and much more.

Whether you have ever participated in  the  Epson Red Sea competition, planned to  take part  in the future or  would simply like  to  learn about this great experience, you are more than welcome to join our Facebook group called " Epson Red Sea - World of Underwater Images ".

In addition, you are invited to share your input in this group, whether by uploading images, videos, links, asking questions, making comments, sharing stories and so on. To join the Epson Red Sea Facebook Group click here

Sharks in Focus 2009 Photography Competition

Entry dates : 1st July - 30th September

Due to the phenomenal success in 2007; the Sharks in Focus photography competition is back!

Love them or fear them there’s no disputing sharks are a “must see” for most divers, but as many of you will have experienced first-hand dive sites famed for their sharks now often disappoint. Sharks are disappearing, with many species in dramatic decline due to habitat destruction, poorly regulated fisheries and the shark fin trade. However all is not lost. Now is your chance to contribute to shark conservation and support the vital work of the Shark Trust.

The Shark Trust believes that the profile of these mysterious and much maligned animals can be bolstered through the increased public awareness that still and moving images can provide.

Sharks in Focus 2009

So whatever your experience or age, this is your opportunity to join the hundreds of photographers who made Sharks in Focus 2007 such a phenomenal success. Be part of Sharks in Focus 2009 and help celebrate the majesty and diversity of sharks whilst bringing their vulnerability to a wider audience, not to mention putting yourself in the running to win big prizes and feature in the 2010 Magazine calendar!

Jointly hosted by the Shark Trust and and supported by high profile sponsors, Sharks in Focus 2009 is the competition to enter your shark shots to this summer. With the chance to win great prizes and support shark conservation, you’d be crazy not to enter!

So whether you dig back through your image archive, head out on a dedicated dive or get lucky with that chance encounter every shark, skate and ray image is a potential winner.

Entrants can submit their images through the Shark Trust website from 1st July to the 6th September. The images will be judged by renowned underwater photographers, marine biologists and authors Alex Mustard and Tom Peschak, and TV presenter, polar explorer and passionate diver Paul Rose.

For further details please visit www.sharktrust.org/photocomp

Website of the Week - Claudia Soares

Each week we are highlighting a BSoUP Member's website. This week's choice is Indigo Divers the website of Claudia Soares.

Indigo Divers are an Authorised PADI dive centre established in Albufeira -  Algarve - Portugal. They offer a range of courses from total beginner, wishing to breathe underwater for the first time, to becoming a Pro with Divemaster including Speciality courses.

To learn more about Indigo Divers please visit their website at www.indigo-divers.pt/

The British Underwater Photography Championship 2009

The British Underwater Photography Championship 2009, organised by the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) in association with the National Marine Aquarium, will take place on Saturday 4 July at Mount Batten and the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, Devon.

All underwater photographers are invited to participate, whether they are members of BSoUP or not.

Prizes, trophies and individual awards will be presented for winning images in each category as judged by the audience present (see below for full details). In addition, a grand prize will be awarded by an independent panel of judges for the image selected as the best taken in local waters.

Cuckoo wrasse in kelp by Steve Lawes
Winner of the Beginners Animal Portrait category
and Overall Best Beginner 2008

Viewing and judging of the images entered will take place at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth on the Saturday night. If you want to participate in the
BBQ on Saturday evening please register your intention to attend by Wednesday 24 June latest (sooner if
possible). If you have not registered in advance we cannot guarantee BBQ tickets. If you want to take part in the Splash-In, but do not want the BBQ, you may register on 3 or 4 July, although we would prefer you to
register in advance.

Please register by one of the following methods:
registering online, emailing Martha Tressler
with a completed entry form or sending an entry form by post to Martha Tressler at the address on the
entry form. For further details please see Splash-In.

SPLASH-IN CATEGORIES

There are four categories; Close- Up, Wide-Angle, Animal Portrait and Humorous. A maximum of four images per entrant, two in any one category for the first three categories are allowed. In addition, each photographer may enter one image for the Humorous category.
Images entered in the Close- Up, Wide-Angle and Animal Portrait categories will also be entered in the overall competition for the grand prize to be chosen by a panel of judges.