Inspiring and informing underwater photographers since 1967

© Images and articles on this website are the copyright of the photographers and authors.

BSoUP's Open Portfolio Competition 1988

Winner - Mike Wong

by Brian Pitkin

The last meeting of 1988 took place on Thursday, 15th December in the Senior Common Room, Sherfield Building, Imperial College.

The evening started with the annual Open Portfolio Competition. All members had been urged to submit a portfolio of six slides taken anywhere in the world, but excluding images taken in a tank or aquarium and any that had previously won a place in a major competition.

A total of only 12 portfolios (each of 6 slides) were entered in the competition. Each portfolio was projected twice and the audience present invited to vote for their favourite three portfolios.

The winner with 66 points was MIKE WONG with a double composition of a big-eye in a cave, a double composition of an octopus with the run just bursting through the sea surface, a hormothid anemone, a squirrel fish, a double composition of a hermit crab in a wreck and a batfish with a diver silhouette in the background. A cheque for E50 was awarded to Mike, who admitted that he personally didn't like double compositions but felt he had to try them in order to win competitions.

Big-eye by Mike Wong.

Squirrel fish by Mike Wong.

Hormathid anemone by Mike Wong

The original colour slides were three of the six which won the BSoUP Trophy for the best Open Portfolio 1988 for Mike Wong

Second place with 39 points went to PETER SCOONES with a squirrel fish portrait, a pretty young girl model plus her partial reflection in the water's surface, a goat fish portrait, lovers embracing just beneath the surface, a balanced light shot of a featherstar on a red sponge and three masked butterfly fish.

The original colour slides were five of the six which won Peter Scoones second place in our annual Open Portfolio competition.

Third place with 35 points went to LINDA PITKIN with a balanced light shot of a purple sea-fan, a sea-fan silhouette, a barracuda, a red shrimp, a crown-of-thorns starfish and a wide-angle shot of a damsel fish hovering over soft coral.

BSoUP Open Portfolio Competition

BSoUP's Open Portfolio Competition Winners 1984-