News - June 2010

Please send items for the News to Brian Pitkin

Underwater Images 2010
Website of the Week - Anna James
Contest Citta’ Di Venezia 2010
See Life through the Lens
June's Focus On Competition Results
Website of the Week - Jack Jackson
BSoUP June Meeting
Website of the Week - Charles Hood
British Splash-in Championship

Epson Red Sea Competition - May Winners
SUPS - Next meeting
Underwater Journal - Latest issue
Website of the Week - Anthony Holley
Underwater Photography for Beginners
U/W Photography for Beginners by Maria Munn
The British Wildlife Photography Awards 2010
Other News Sources
FREE Web Magazine Downloads

Underwater Images 2010

Photo/Video Competition - Final Results

Congratulations to BSoUP members Jim Garland and Debi Henshaw who were among the winners in this year's Underwater Images Competition.

Jim came second and had an honorable mention in the Shipwrecks category.

Debi came second in the Macro/Close-up Novices category.

To view all the winning images please visit http://uwimages.org/

3° International Underwater Photography Contest CITTA’ DI VENEZIA 2010

Deadline: 7th July, 2010

Club Subacqueo San Marco, in collaboration with Club Sommozzatori Mestre and Gruppo Argo, organizes the 3° Underwater Photography International Contest “Città di Venezia 2010”, that will be held from the 18th of September to the 3rd of October.

Entry fees apply. Prizes: Sculptures of artistic Murano Glass, Sports Wear, Scuba Equipment, Books, and more.

Full details CITTA’ DI VENEZIA 2010.pdf or e-mail Club Subacqueo San Marco or Davide Barzazzi

A great opportunity to See Life through the Lens

It’s just over one month until See Life Through The Lens will be exhibiting the latest portfolio of work in London. On the 10th, 11th, 12th, July 2010 BSoUP Member Helen Rushton will be displaying  limited edition landscape, travel and underwater images in the Acquire Arts Gallery, 155 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4BU. 

The gallery will be open from 10am – 6.30pm on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday but if you join the See Life Through the Lens Photography Facebook Group you can join Helen for an exclusive viewing and a glass of wine on Saturday 10th July 2010 6.30 – 8.30pm.

To learn more about Helen and view some of her images please visit http://seelifethroughthelens.com/

June Focus On Competition Results - Reflections

Congratulations to Joss Woolf whose image of a toad taken in a pond in Tobago won the this month's Focus On Competition - Reflections..

Congratulations also to Robert Kemp, whose image of a freshwater jellyfish taken in Indonesia came second and to Keith Lyall whose image of a Lion fish came third.

There were only twelve entries this month.

How the top six scored:

The top six may be viewed in the Gallery.

BSoUP Members only may view all of the entries in projected order in the Competition Slideshow, but you will be asked to login if you have not already done so this session.

If you weren't in the top six and would like to know how you fared, please e-mail Brian Pitkin.

Next month's Focus On Competition is now open to all BSoUP members. So seek out your best Anemonefish image or get on down and take some even better shots and enter. Please read the Rules before submitting your single entry via the online Competition Entry page.

Website of the Week - Jack Jackson

Each week we are highlighting a BSoUP Members website. This weeks choice is Jack Jackson.

Jack is an author, photographer and photojournalist and a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild. He specialises in the fields of Adventure, Travel and Underwater.

To view some of Jack's images please visit www.jackjackson.co.uk/

To view websites of other BSoUP Member's please follow the links from www.bsoup.org/Links/Members.php

BSoUP June Meeting

The next BSoUP meeting takes place on Wednesday, June 16th at 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. at our usual venue the Holland Club, Imperial College, S. Kensington, London. Directions. New members will be welcomed from 7.30 p.m.

BUIF Review with Colin Doeg and Peter Scoones.

BSoUP co-founders Colin and Peter will reveal the fantastic winning entries from this year's British Underwater Image Festival held at DiveFest, Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, Cornwall between 30 April - 3 May 2010.

Focus On Competition: Reflections. The competition is now closed, but BSoUP Members only may preview all the entries in the Competition Slideshow. You will be asked to login if you have not already done so this session.

Leopard seal by Steve Jones

Main Event: Elysium – Shackleton’s Antarctic Visual Epic by Steve Jones

In February of this year, Steve Jones travelled to Antarctica as a contributing photographer and team leader on the Elysium Expedition.  One of the key objectives of this landmark event was to commemorate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill fated Trans-Antarctic expedition via a massive imaging project, resulting in the production of a book and documentary to catalogue the magnificent life in this region.  Steve joined such luminaries as David Doubilet, Amos Nachoum, Emory Kristof, Wyland, Göran Ehlmé and Michael Aw on an epic voyage of over 3200 nautical miles that took them from Argentina to Antarctica then on to South Georgia and back.

Steve will talk about the Elysium Expedition itself - one that was not without its own dangers, against the backdrop of the incredible story of Shackleton’s survival that served as its inspiration. He will also talk about what worked and what didn’t whilst diving and photographing in waters of minus 1.8 degrees centigrade, sometimes for over 2 hours at a time.   Giving some insight into what it was like working with some of the best polar photographers in the world, Steve will be showing a variety of images from both above and below water and in particular talk about their close up underwater encounters with the powerful Leopard Seals.

Having worked as a full time professional diver throughout the 90's, BSoUP member Steve worked as guide to some of the world’s top underwater photographers.  He now lives in Oxfordshire and writes and photographs for several magazines around the world.  His website is www.millionfish.com

British Splash-in Championship

Are you the next British Champion Underwater Photographer?

The quest is on to find the UK’s top underwater photographer. The title will be decided at the fourth annual British Splash-In Championship being staged at Plymouth on Saturday, July 3, 2010 by the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP). The winner of the title – chosen by an independent panel of judges - will be jetting off to the Maldives with a companion to enjoy a fabulous one-week liveaboard trip (exclusive of flights and taxes) donated Maldives Scuba Tours.

Cathy Lewis' overall winning
image last year of a Topknot

Said BSoUP chairman J.P. Trenque: “The event is open to any qualified diver or snorkeller and we hope that users of compact cameras as well as those with more advanced equipment will test their skills in this unique way. The winners of the one-day shootouts staged by the various local underwater photographic groups in the UK are also invited to take part. All facing the same conditions underwater and working within a specific timeframe in the vicinity of Plymouth on that particular day, the battle is to produce the one image that is judged to be the best and worthy of the title.”

In addition to the grand prize, other generous sponsorship for the Splash-In is being provided by Olympus Cameras, AP Valves, Ocean Visions, New Holland Publishers and Sport Diver magazine.

Full details of the event can be found at www.bsoup.org/splash.php

Epson Red Sea Competition - May Winners

The winners of the Epson Red Sea May online Competition have been announced.

First place went to Thomas Luken from Germany with 19.021%% of the votes. Congratulations to BSoUP Member Ross Gudgeon who came second with 14.142% of the votes. Third place to Goos Van der Heide from The Netherlands with 9.476% of the votes. To view the images please click on a name above.

Want to be Invited to the Epson Red Sea 2010 Competition - FREE OF CHARGE?

Compete for the title "Photographer of the Year"!

Are YOU the Photographer of June? CLICK HERE to Participate!

SUPS - Next meeting

The next meeting of the Stevenage Underwater Photographic Society takes place on Tuesday 8th June 2010 from 8pm at at their usual venue the Stevenage Arts Guild, Community Arts Centre, Roaring Meg, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK (map).

Focus-on: 'Bubbles'
5 Images - Ian Hamson

For further details please visit www.sups-online.com/meetings.php

Underwater Journal - Issue # 16
Cover: Walt Stearns.

Website of the Week - Anthony Holley

Each week we are highligting a BSoUP Member's website. This week's choice is 'Anthony's Nudibranchs', the website of Anthony Holley.

Anthony was introduced to nudibranchs when he started taking macro pictures back in 1985. His website catalogues some of the hundreds of nudibranchs he has seen and photographed in nearly 3,400 hours of diving in over twenty countries. To date there are 1,750 images of 361 species arranged both geographically and systematically.

To view Anthony's Nudibranchs please visit www.holleyuwphoto.com/

Underwater Photography for Compact Camera Users by Maria Munn

A Step-by-Step Guide to Taking Professional Photos with a Digital Compact Camera

Maria’ guests have won numerous prizes with compact cameras both here and in the UK during the past year or so and more recently Daniel Norwood won the British Society of Underwater Photographers’ Best Beginner Portfolio. This book will share all the secrets to show and inspire how both beginners through to the more advanced, can take beautiful underwater photographs with your compact camera in an easy-to-understand way.

Chapters include how to choose, set-up and care for your camera, through to understanding all of the different settings, specified for each make and model of camera, showing how they work underwater to achieve the best results possible. 

Each chapter is fully illustrated with photos to demonstrate the techniques used. Additional chapters include how to photograph different subjects underwater as well as a special “Guest Gallery” to inspire how all models and makes of compact cameras can achieve stunning results.

The British Wildlife Photography Awards 2010

Deadline: Friday 4 June 2010

After a successful first year and widely acclaimed photographic exhibition celebrating British wildlife, the BWPA has announced the launch of its second competition, which is now open for entries.

With a prize fund of up to £20,000 and the overall winner receiving a cash prize of £5,000, the images receiving judges’ commendations will be included in a series of nationwide exhibitions throughout 2010/2011, including a prestigious launch and awards event in London in October.

For more detailed information about the competition, how to enter, a full description of categories, shooting tips, and terms & conditions, please visit: www.bwpawards.org