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GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the
Year
Many congratulations to Alex
Mustard who has been awarded the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the
Year 2013 with his stunning image entitled Night Moves. Alex said "I
watched these bar jacks (Caranx ruber) hunting over the coral reefs for
several nights and was struggling to capture the energy of the predation.
Ultimately, I decided to experiment with long exposures, using an
underwater video light to illuminate their trails as they dived down to the
reef to feed. You can also see the smaller trails of their prey attempting
to evade them. The long swooping trails are dives to catch prey, the more
sinuous trails are where the bar jack is swimming slower as it devours the
meal. It took several nights work to time an exposure
correctly."
More at http://new.gdtfoto.de/ and http://wetpixel.com/
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Alex Mustard's Night Moves
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The BSoUP Stand prior to Dive 2013 opening to the
public. Manned by Linda Pitkin and Jan Maloney
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BSoUP at Dive 2013
BSoUP mounted a display of some of the
work of its members at Dive 2013 held at the NEC, Birmingham over the
weekend of 26th/27th October to promote underwater photography, to
encourage membership of the society and involve the visiting public in our
annual print competition.
BSoUP thanks Joss Woolf, Pete
Ladell, Peter Tatton, Martha Tressler, Anthony Holley, Jan and Mike
Maloney, Paul Colley, Rob Bailey, Dave Smith, Kirsty Andrews, Mark Feldman,
Martin and Alison Davies, and Brian and Linda Pitkin for help manning the
BSoUP Stand and the BSoUP/ DIVER Print Competition display.
Thanks also to Pash Baker who printed and mounted
new images for the BSoUP Stand.
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This year's Print Competition attracted 135 entries in
four categories of which the 80 best were displayed in the Photozone at
Dive 2013, where the public were invited to vote.
Thousands of visitors to the Show visited the display and
hundreds of these voted for their favourite prints in each category.
The main prize for the overall winner, a week's diving
holiday in Tobago kindly donated by OonasDivers, was judged by Underwater Photographers
Martin Edge, and Alex Mustard and DIVER's Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Nigel Eaton.
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Underwater Photographers
Martin Edge, and Alex
Mustard and DIVER's Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Nigel
Eaton judging the print competition.
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The BSoUP / DIVER dispay of Advanced prints,
prior to the show opening.
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The results of the competition will be announced at the
Awards Ceremony at the next BSoUP meeting on Wednesday,
20th November at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London
SW7.
The competition was sponsored by DIVER, OonasDivers, Cameras
Underwater, Calumet Photographic, The Widllife Trusts and Fifty Fathoms. All of the prints were mounted and
captioned by George Lanham of DIVER Magazine. BSoUP
extends its grateful thanks to all our sponsors and George.
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Website of the Week - Josef Litt
Josef Litt is a keen underwater
photographer. He took his first underwater photograph in 2007. Josef's
portfolio includes photographs from many diving locations around the world.
"I aim to create fantastic underwater photographs. Stunning fine art,
unique, pixel-perfect. Simply Miracles Photographed!"
Josef's project Help the
Seas! enables local marine protection projects to
reach funds from private contributors. The sea conservation projects
receive visibility and on-line fundraising capability. Josef's underwater
photographs were used in the Coral Reef Alliance's Calendars. Another his three photographs
taken with digital compact camera were published by BSoUP in the book
"BSoUP compact photobook".
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Josef Litt
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Paul Colley's winning image. February 2013
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More Meetings Presentations for BSoUP
members
Did you ever wonder how Paul Colley
created his amazing winning image in the Focus On Competition 'Post
production bonanza' in February?
Although Paul revealed the technique he used at our June
meeting in the 'Show and Tell' session, some of you may have missed it.
Thanks to him, BSoUP members can now download a pdf of his 10 minute
presentation by logging in and
selecting Meeting Presentations from the Members Menu and then selecting
the appropriate document from the list.
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If you missed Paul Morgan's presentation
on 'Workflow for Underwater Photographers' in May then, thanks to him,
BSoUP Members can now download his presentation as a pdf by logging in and selecting Meeting
Presentations from the Members Menu and then selecting the appropriate
document from the list.
Paul is a Mac user so the latter part of his presentation
includes using Aperture as an image editor, although the principals are the
same as Lightroom and Photoshop.
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Workflow for underwater photographers
by Paul Morgan |
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British Underwater Photography
Championship
(Splash-In) 2014
Portland Marina, Dorset on
Saturday 5th July 2014
The 2014 British Underwater
Photography Championships, organised by the British Society of Underwater
Photographers (BSoUP), will take place on Saturday 5th July at Portland
Marina, Dorset.
All underwater photographers are
invited to participate, whether they are members of BSoUP or
not.
There will be a separate category for
compact camera users.
Please book your accomodation and
boat now!
For further details visit www.bsoup.org/Splash/2014/
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Website of the Week - John Liddiard
I am a freelance diving photographer and journalist. I
travel, go diving, take pictures, write about it, and make an income from
publication and licence fees for my photography and writing. This site is
mostly an on-line library of my photographs.
My work appears regularly in Diver Magazine and has
appeared in all the other UK diving magazines and many more general
magazines. I have also worked for many European diving magazines and a
selection of diving magazines worldwide.
More at www.jlunderwater.co.uk
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John Liddiard
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How I got my winning shots by Martyn
Guess
Martyn has kindly made his presentation on 'How I got my
winning shots', given at the October meeting, available to BSoUP Members as
a pdf.
To download your copy please visit Meetings Presentations and select 'How I got my winning
shots'. You will be asked to login if you have not already done so this
session.
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Understanding Lenses by Martha
Tressler
Martha has kindly made her presentation on 'Understanding
Lenses', given at the October meeting, available to BSoUP Members as a
pdf.
To download your copy please visit Meetings Presentations and select 'Understanding Lenses'. You
will be asked to login if you have not already done so this session.
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Giant with sunbeams © Alex Mustard |
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Congratulations to BSoUP member
Alex Tattersall who was runer-up in the Underwater Worlds
category in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition with
an image entitle Lionfish bait.
Congratulations also to BSoUP member
Alex Mustard who was highly commended in the Nature in
Black & White category with an image entitled Giant with sunbeams.
Now in its 49th year, the Wildlife Photographer of the
Year competition provides a global showcase of the very best nature
photography. The competition is co-owned by two UK institutions that pride
themselves on revealing and championing the diversity of life on Earth -
the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
Each of the thousands of annual entries is evaluated
individually by an international jury of photography experts, before being
awarded a place in the top 100 images of the year.
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Best of British Portfolio Competition -
Results
Congratulations to Trevor Rees who was
the winner of this year's Best of British Portfolio Competition. Trevor's
portfolio comprised Long spined sea scorpion guarding its eggs taken in
Loch Fyne, Scotland with a Nikon D90, with a Tokina 10-17 lens, Split level
image, of a brown trout in a winter landscape taken with a Nikon D90 and
Nikkor 10.5 lens and a Common newt from having fun in his garden pond at
Leigh near Worcester taken with a Nikon D90 and Nikkor 60 lens
Congratulations also to Warren Williams
and Robert Bailey who came second and third respectively.
Warren's images of autumn leaves were taken in three different rivers in
England. Robert's portfolio comprised a Pike taken in Dosthil Quarry, an
urchin feeding taken in the Farne Islands and a Yarrel's Blenny taken in
Loch Long, Scotland.
There were a total of 16 entries of which 2 were
withdrawn and one disqualified as it was not British.
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1st © Trevor Rees |

1st © Trevor Rees
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How the top six scored:-
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The top six may be viewed in the new Gallery by clicking
on the photographer's name in the list above.
BSoUP Members only may
view all 13 entries enlarged in the Competition Slideshow Archive. You will be prompted to
login if you have not already done so this session.
If you are not in the top six and would like to know how
you scored please contact Brian
Pitkin.
Next month's Competition is the Beginners
Portfolio. The deadline is Sunday 10th November at one minute to
midnight. Please read the Rules before entering via the Online Entry Form, which
will be available shortly.
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1st © Trevor Rees |
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HP Red Sea - World of Underwater Images |
HP Red Sea - World of Underwater
Images
The HP Red Sea World of Underwater Images Shoot Out takes
place during the week 20-26th October in Eilat Israel.
Main Category - 5 Best Images
Fish of the Year
Fish & Fashion Category
National Team Category
Full details of the event at http://www.eilatredsea.com/
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Festival Mondial de l'Image Sous
Marine
The 40th Festival Mondial de l'Image Sous Marine takes
place from 31 October to 3 November 2013 at Parc Chanot, Marseilles,
France.
The Festival is composed of :
19 contests
75 prizes
The Festival lasts 5 days on average in which :
films, slide and slide shows are screened in 3
rooms
prints are exhibited
there are a hundred of stands
for children, discovery games are organised in some stands
conferences take place
the Festival band plays its best pieces of music
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Festival Mondial de l'Image Sous Marine
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Cathy Lewis
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Website of the Week - Cathy Lewis
Underwater photography is challenging, often
frustrating but never dull. You're working in an alien environment,
sometimes in poor visibility and strong currents. I think the rewards are
amazing. I've been lucky enough to dive in fabulous locations around the
world, from pristine coral reefs to the wild rocky shores of Scotland's
Cape Wrath. Marine life highlights include manta rays, humpback whales,
playful seals and many encounters with inquisitive squid, cuttlefish and
octopus - my favourite creatures. I was introduced to diving in 1984 by my
adventure-loving friend Tina, who took me to Wast Water in the Lake
District on a freezing cold November day. The hail was horizontal, my
wetsuit didn't fit, and there was nothing to see. I thought she was mad.
Luckily a beginner's course in Port Douglas, Australia during a year's
travelling, changed my mind. I joined Clifton Sub Aqua Club when I returned
and have never looked back.
More..
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Next BSoUP Meeting
The next BSoUP meeting takes place on Wednesday, 16
October 2013 at 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. in Room G.01 in the Royal School of
Mines, Imperial College, South Kensington, London, SW7 5BD (Directions). New
and prospective new members will be welcomed from 7.30 p.m. See Welcome.
Martha Tressler : Understanding
Lenses. This continues the series of BSoUP technical talks based on
"The Underwater Photographer" by Martin Edge. The lens on the front of
your camera is as important as the camera itself and determines the type of
image you will be able to capture. This review will cover some of the
key points for understanding how lenses behave and therefore which lenses
you may choose to use.
Martha is a BSoUP committee member and
last gave a talk in the technical talk series in February.
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Understanding Lenses
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Blue shark by Jane Morgan (1/3)
Last year's winner
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Best of British Portfolio
Competition
There were a total of 16 entries. Two portfolios were
subsequently withdrawn and one was disqualified as the images were not
taken in British waters. The remaining 13 portfolios may be
viewed in the Competition
Slideshow as a pdf. You will be asked to login, if you have not already
done so this session.
Some of the images were submitted at a higher
resolution than 72 pixels/inch and have had to be resized for projection in
Powerpoint. As a result they do not appear as sharp as they might
otherwise. It seems that a few of you do not read the rules before
entering!
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Martyn Guess: How I got the Winning
Shot. Martyn will briefly take us through his ideas on how
to give an image impact. He will go through a selection of his
winning images showing exactly how they were taken, the settings
used, the equipment, and the lighting techniques. These will include split
shots or over and unders, snoot lighting, for macro and wide angle,
silhouettes, wide angle shots with sun balls, black and white images and
images with divers. He will finish briefly on how to make a good
portfolio. Most of the techniques are for DLSRs, however with the
exception of perhaps splits, compact users with external flashes will be
able to take similar shots.
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Martyn's website
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Martyn started diving over 25 years ago
and has from school days had an avid interest in photography. His first
forays into underwater photography were with a Nikonos film camera in Grand
Cayman with Cathy Church. He currently uses a full frame Nikon D800
for wide angle and a Nikon D7100 for macro, both in Nauticam housings,
travelling the world with his model wife Sue seeking out new underwater
photo opportunities. A self-confessed warm water diver, his ambition is to
get more into UK diving and to the surprise of many diving friends joined
them under the water in Selsey this summer! A dry suit is on his shopping
list at the forthcoming dive show.
His images regularly appear in national and international
competitions, where he has had a good deal of success. This year he
has won BSoUPs Theme Portfolio and the Underwater Excellence competitions.
His images appear regularly in dive magazines and travel brochures and he
teaches underwater photography in his home pool. In his spare time he is a
commercial property developer based near Guildford Surrey.
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Close-up, Macro and Supermacro
by Keith Lyall
Keith Lyall has kindly made a pdf of his October
presentation, including notes, on Close-up, Macro and Supermacro available
to BSoUP Members.
To download your copy and other pdfs please visit
Meetings
presentations. You will be asked to login if you have not done so this
session.
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Website of the Week - Alan Larsen
Alan has carried a camera with him and taken many photos
since his student days, both of family and friends and when travelling.
After learning to scuba dive at the end of the nineties, it was perhaps
inevitable that he would eventually take a camera underwater, starting with
a compact camera and eventually investing in a housed dSLR system. This led
to a new enthusiasm for topside photography, especially landscapes; so at
the end of the noughties Alan invested in a tripod and a set of filters
and booked on a workshop to learn how to use them. This has led to an
increasing interest in black and white photography, which was mainly what
he shot as a student (largely because it was cheaper to process..!).
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Both
underwater and landscape photography require a bit more technical
understanding (although Alan is continually amazed at just how few settings
he uses on land and underwater). So, as well as getting advice from other
photographers, Alan has attended workshops and courses with Mark Webster,
Martin Edge and Mauricio Handler (underwater), with Helen Rushton of See
life through the lens (landscapes), and with Jonathan Critchley (black &
white). He still has lots to learn in all genres and is currently relishing
the challenge that his 365 project presents in having to take (and process) a
photo every day. |
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BSoUP Gallery reformatted
The BSoUP Gallery has been reformatted to improve its
funtionality and hopefully provide a more enjoyable experience when viewing
some of the stunning images produced by BSoUP Members.
There are currently 283 pages illustrating some of the
winning images in BSoUP competitions since 2002 up to last month.
You can either take a tour by clicking on the image
(left) and selecting Next from the gallery navigation or select a specific
gallery from the Gallery index.
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Underwater Journal - Latest Issue
The latest issue of The Underwater Journal, volume 30, is
now ready for download. Inside, you'll find stunning
imagery and comprehensive coverage of the world's most exciting cold water
destination: Iceland. You'll also learn about a unique style of
land-and-boat based diving safari that unlocks the best of the Philippines,
and take a site-by-site tour of all that Utila has to offer. As always, the
download is free, and can be enjoyed on your laptop or tablet, and saved to
your digital library.
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Underwater Journal Issue 30. Cover - Eco-Photo
Explorers
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