This year, is the 13th year that Scuba Diving, a world-renowned diving magazine, held a water photography competition. More than 2,500 photographers contributed to the competition, but there are relatively few competition groups. is divided into four groups: wide-angle group, macro group, card unit, and concept group . The competition can be said to be quite fierce, , but the competition has also prepared generous prizes, and also has another special prize. Let’s take a look at below!
Special Prize
Photographer: Greg Lecoeur
Shooting location: Noss Island, Shetland, Scotland
Camera settings: Nikon D7200, Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X107 AF DX Fisheye lens, Nauticam housing, two Ikelite DS160 strobes
Parameter settings: f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 200
"When I came to the waters of Shetland Island in Scotland, I was surrounded by thousands of ganese that preyed on mackerel . They hovered between ten to fifteen meters above the water, and when they reached the water surface, they could reach one hundred kilometers per hour. In order to catch mackerel, they could dive to a depth of 15 meters. I could hear the sound of them hitting the water surface and then suddenly appeared in front of the camera. No matter how many prey, competition between ganese always occurs. There are often several ganese aiming at the same target and diving. It is incredible to witness this behavior in the water and will always be engraved in my memory."
wide-angle group first prize-winning work
Photographer: Rodney Bursiel
"Last year I went to Tavarua (a place in Fiji) to do some surfing photography with professional surfer Donavon Frankenreiter. When I found that Tonga was only a few hours away, I immediately called the travel agency to change my itinerary. Fortunately, some guests in my group left early, so I made some room for me to take this photo. I don't know what kind of photos I could take, but there were always some shots I wanted to take in my mind, and I think this is one of them. After I took this baby whale, the female whale came from behind. It was an experience I will never forget."
Shooting location: Vavau, Tonga
Camera settings: Nikon D800, Nikon AF FX fisheye lens -Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D , Ikelite housing
Parameter settings: f/22, 1/200 sec, ISO 320
Second place
Photographer: Marc Henauer
Shooting location: Mangrove Bush, Long Island , Bahamas
Camera settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens, Subal DP-FE4 dome port housing
Parameter settings: f/7, 1/200 sec, ISO 50
"When the waves hit the reef, it becomes fragmented. The underwater perspective provides incredible scenery, and the water surface becomes like thunderstorm clouds. Long Island is located on the Tropic of Cancer in the Atlantic Ocean, and the contrast between the rough windward side and the quiet coast on the leeward coast is stunning. This area is a shallow lagoon coral reef away from the ocean. We got there to take pictures of our freediving. Because of the weather, the energy of the sea seems to have been released. Due to the impact of the big waves, we had a hard time crossing the reef, we approached and tried to swim to the other side of the water, but we didn't succeed in the end because the waves were too strong, but we were able to take this incredible underwater photo. ”
3rd place
Photographer: Jens Troeger
Shooting location: Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada
Camera settings: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens, Nauticam housing, two SeaSea YS-120 strobes
Parameter settings: f/10, 1/320 sec, ISO 100
"I'm always excited to go to Hornby Island to dive with the local tiger-headed sea lion in the winter. These big cubs know to play with divers. You can clearly feel their excitement when they see us approaching their rocks! We went out very early and the weather was clear. I was welcomed by several sea lions who were eager to get to know me. This is my favorite day, my first photo of the day.”
card set first place in the winning work
Photographer: Kevin Richter
Shooting location: Lanbi Strait, Indonesia
Camera settings: Canon PowerShot G7X, Fantasea BigEye M67 Mark II lens, Isotta GX7 housing, Inon S-2000 strobe with Inon snoot
Parameter settings: f/11, 1/400 sec, ISO 125
" At the end of the Bluebie Strait silt dive, I found this very photogenic coconut octopus sitting at the bottom of the black sand at a depth of only 13 feet from the right side of my dive boat. The photos looked like night but were actually a sunny afternoon – my setup allowed me to get the photos the way I wanted them to. To take photos closer to the subject, I used a wide-angle wet lens and a beam bucket flash to illuminate from the top. You would think the octopus was posing for me, and in fact, I was lucky enough to catch a beautiful moment when it was about to run away. Five seconds before pressing the shutter, the octopus was still hiding in the shell. Five seconds later, it had escaped. "
second place
Photographer: Enrico Somogyi
Shooting location: Torrent de Pareis, Mallorca, Spain
Camera settings: Olympus Tough TG-4
Parameter settings: f/9, 1/2000 sec, ISO 100
"We encountered some jellyfish while snorkeling on the beach in Torrent de Pareis, Mallorca, Spain. The jellyfish is about 4 to 6 inches in size, so I put the camera in macro mode to use the internal flash. I tried diving under the jellyfish to shoot the subject and the sun, the first attempt didn't work, but I noticed the beautiful sunlight. I was determined to get the classic shot of jellyfish directly in front of the sun. After I tried it nearly 40 times, I finally got this photo successfully. ”
Third place
Photographer: Francesco Pacienza
Shooting location: Altomonte, Cosenza, Italy
Camera settings: Nikon Coolpix P7000, Fantasea BigEye lens, Nikonos SB-105 Underwater Speedlight with fiber-optic cable and a homemade snoot
Parameter settings: f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 100
"My hometown is Altomonte, Italy, and when I need quiet and peaceful nature, by the small river a mile away from home is my refuge. I often walk on the riverbed to look for some pictures of interesting topics, and when I see this little crab a few inches under the water, I think this is the topic I'm looking for this time. I used a fisheye lens to shoot, and the camera was placed at a very close distance of less than an inch. We can often find interesting goals just a few steps away without having to go too far. ”
Macro Group First place in the winning works
Photographer: Raoul Caprez
Shooting location: Islote El Pelado, Ayangue, Ecuador
Camera settings: Nikon D7000, Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G ED VR lens, Nauticam housing, two Subtronic Pro 160 strobes
Parameter settings: f/13, 1/125 sec, ISO 200
" At that time, I was on the Pacific coast of Ecuador and had decided to use it for macro photography all day. I've decided to shoot animals and macro and have adjusted my full set of equipment. Suddenly I encountered a wonderful, huge green turtle staying at the bottom. And it was not afraid of me at all, and it kept me close. My first reaction was, “Oh, why am I carrying a macro lens?” Then I noticed a small cleaning fish surrounding the head of the old turtle mom. At that moment, the little fish swam very close to the turtle's eyes, so I took this picture. ”
second place
Photographer: Eduardo Acevedo
Shooting location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
Camera settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 100mm f/2 macro lens, Inon Z-240 strobe, Seacam housing
Parameter settings: f/11, 1/200 sec, ISO 100
The story behind the photo: "The location of this photo is in the Blue Strait, the capital of Indonesia's underwater macro. The normal habitat of ribbon eels is coastal coral reef tops, usually in clean and clean areas from 10 to 70 meters deep.They are usually hidden in their small holes or caves, showing their heads timidly. They can display two-color combinations: blue and yellow or black and yellow. The species has been photographed several times, but rarely outside the cave. That's why the moments recorded in photos are special to me. ”
Third place
Photographer: Gabriel Barathieu
Shooting location: Mayotte, Indian Ocean
Camera settings: Canon EOS 5DS, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, Subal housing, two Subtronic Nova strobes
Parameter settings: f/18, 1/100 sec, ISO 200
The story behind the photo: “I took this photo while diving alone late at night. I've long wanted to take a picture of the squid at night. I swim in the lagoon on Mayotte Island, a small French island near Madagascar. I found this squid face to face just two minutes after I went into the water. After careful observation, I immediately found that there was a small fish between its tentacles. It is preying on! It was a perfect picture for me because it didn't move. I was also able to photograph some beautiful reflections on the surface of its body. OK, I wish Mr. Squid a good appetite!
Abstract concept group first
Photographer: Helmut Theiss
Shooting location: Sea Wolf Lake, Palawan, Philippines
Camera settings: Canon PowerShot G7X, Isotta housing, Inon S-2000 strobe with Inon snoot, Fantasea BigEye M67 Mark II lens
Parameter settings: f/11, 1/400 sec, ISO 125
"This idea comes from my friend Catalin Craciun, an underwater photographer, free diving coach is also a model in the photo. The depth of the photo is 8 to 15 meters. The free diving we want to convey is not to rely entirely on that rope to go up and down. Free diving is also a way to explore in a pure underwater world without any equipment, only relying on one's own talent. The challenge is that the visibility of the shooting was not good at the time, so I could not use the flash light, so I could only use natural light and the magic filter developed by Dr. Alex Mustard and Peter Rowlands. "
second place
Photographer: Kimberly Jeffries
Shooting location: Huwa Island, Hawaii, United States
Camera settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 8-15mm lens, Subal housing
Parameter settings: f/9, 1/250 sec, ISO 100
"Seeing a group of rays surrounding a shipwreck and coral reefs is a typical picture that can be seen on Oahu, Hawaii. When a large group of fish passes, the entire ocean appears empty, and I see this eagle ray swimming alone. At first, my intention was to express it in the opposite way to the blue background, but in the end I chose to increase exposure and contrast in the white background. Through the photos I want to express that many species have been greatly reduced due to overfishing and mishaps, so they appear to be increasingly lonely in the ocean."
Third place
Photographer: Tracey Jennings
Shooting location: Seraya Secrets, Bali, Indonesia
Camera settings: Nikon D3S, Nikon 105mm f/2.8G AF-S VR lens, Seacam housing, Ikelite DS161 strobe, Retra Underwater-Technology Light- Shaping Device
Parameter settings: f/18, 1/100 sec, ISO 200
“A lot of photographers have taken photos of clown fish taking care of their eggs, but I want to take something different. In Bali, Indonesia, a dive site called "Silaya's Secret", I used an LSD device to arrange the backlight to the fish eggs, emphasizing that only a small crescent part was illuminated. When the fish approaches its egg, I focus the picture on the fins, and the whole photo uses backlight to achieve the full effect.
