photo contest - In Focus Underwater Photography Blog

Enter the 2023 Ocean Art Competition!

Jenny Hanna — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 23:35:29 +0000

The ocean is a world of wonder, teeming with life, color, and mysteries waiting to be uncovered. If you’re an underwater enthusiast, a passionate diver, or an aspiring marine photographer, we have exciting news for you! The 2023 Ocean Art Competition is here, and it’s your chance to showcase the mesmerizing beauty of the deep blue. With over $110,000 in prizes to be won, get ready to enter the biggest underwater photography competition in the world!

What is the Ocean Art Competition?

The Ocean Art Competition is an annual celebration of the ocean’s incredible biodiversity and its importance to our planet. It provides a platform for photographers and divers from all over the world to share their breathtaking underwater images and videos. Whether you’re capturing the grace of a manta ray, the vibrant colors of a coral reef, or the mysterious depths of a shipwreck, this competition welcomes entries from all genres of underwater photography and videography.

Highlights from the 2022 Ocean Art Competition:

Before we dive into the details of the 2023 competition, let’s take a moment to celebrate some of the top prizes won in the 2022 Ocean Art Competition. These stunning entries showcase the immense talent and dedication of underwater photographers:

Best in Show – “Octopus Mother” by Kat Zhou: This truly spectacular image captures a mother octopus guarding her eggs won a dive trip on the Carpe Novo liveaboard for two people!
Wide Angle Category Winner – “Shark Trio” by Renee Capozzola: A print-worthy over-under shot taken in Fakarava, French Polynesia, won Renee Capozzola a 140night dive package at Kri Eco Resort in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Blackwater Category Winner – “Octopus Attack” by Dennis Corpuz: The ethereal nature of blackwater photography is captured perfectly in this shot from Anilao, Philippines.
Black & White Category Winner – “Long Shadows” by Martin Broen: Like something from another planet, this image taken in one of Mexico’s famed cenotes earned its prize: a trip aboard the M.Y. Oceanic in Indonesia.
Underwater Conservation Category Winner – “A Sad Catch” by Lawrence Alex Wu: This troubling photo documents the impact of humans overfishing seahorses and demonstrates the importance of conservation.

What to Expect in the 2023 Ocean Art Competition:

Now that you’ve witnessed the incredible talent on display in the 2022 competition, it’s time to get excited about the 2023 Ocean Art Competition! While the competition continues to honor the best in underwater photography and videography, this year promises even more spectacular entries, prizes, and opportunities to showcase the ocean’s wonders.

Get your cameras ready, start exploring the depths, make your edits, and join us in celebrating the 2023 Ocean Art Competition. Together, let’s capture the essence of our planet’s most precious and awe-inspiring realm – the ocean!

For more details about the competition, including deadlines, rules, and prizes, click here!

Need some new camera gear to help you capture that prize-winning image? Head on over to Bluewater Photo to get the latest cameras, housings, lenses, lights, and accessories.

The post Enter the 2023 Ocean Art Competition! first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Ben Hofilena

Kelli Dickinson — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 18:19:02 +0000

Wide angle compositions are often the hardest to nail perfectly. During the SoCal Shootout participants have to do just that. There is very little editing allowed, so getting correct lighting, exposure and above all, that striking composition is key. Ben Hofilena succeeded with his first place image in our open wide angle category. While he claims just a lucky shot, he at least knew the most important part of luck, which is preparation. Proper settings and being ready for the moment allowed this excellent shot to get captured. Here’s the details on our first place winner.

Title: Ocean Bouquet

Location Captured: Eureka Oil Rig (off the coast of Long Beach, CA)

Camera / Housing: Canon 70D with Tokina 10-17mm Lens, Sea & Sea Housing

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F8, 1/125th, ISO 200

The Story: The first time I took a camera underwater was about a year ago. Prior to that, my topside photography was limited to point and shoot cameras in AUTO mode and taking pics on my iPhone. That being said, I’m a newbie to underwater photography and this was a lucky shot. This photo was taken on the Sunday of the SoCal Shootout while aboard the Pacific Star. We were lucky to have good visibility and a bait ball at the Eureka Oil Rig. I was able to get really close to a section of the bait ball and compose my shot. It was awesome to be able to capture what I saw as a solid wall of fish and bouquet-like image in the middle.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Ben Hofilena first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Photo Contest Winners – “Seeing Stars” Dec/Jan

Kelli Dickinson — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:43:03 +0000

Our December / January contest was great with a ton of sea star pictures from all over the place. To everyone who participated, thanks so much! Here are our winners, make sure to enter this month’s contest, the February theme is “Couples” because of that gooey romantic holiday that falls in the middle of the month.

December / January Winners:

First Place: Ellen, with “Invisible”

Second: Eiko, with “Yoga Star”

Third: Deanne – “King of the Hill”

Honorable Mention: John, “Brittle Stars on Sponge”

Honorable Mention: Philip – “Get a Grip”

Popular Vote Winner: Michelle – “Crown of Thorns”

Again, many thanks for everyone who entered, and remember to enter this months contest. The theme is “Couples”.

The post Photo Contest Winners – “Seeing Stars” Dec/Jan first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Creepy Critters – Sept/Oct Photo Contest Winners!

Kelli Dickinson — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:35:54 +0000

Here are the winners from last month’s Facebook Photo Contest. We merged Sept and October to bring in lots of great entries, and themed the contest around Halloween with “Creepy Critters” as our theme. We had a ton of great entries, so thanks so much to everyone who participated!

Don’t forget to submit your photos for this month’s contest, which ends Nov. 30th. The theme for this month is “Fish Faces”. Submit your photo’s here.

First Place: Ron Watkins, “Is there something in my teeth?”

First Place – Ron Watkins, “Is There Something in my Teeth?”

Second Place – William Goodwin, “Ghoulish Stargazer”

Second Place – William Goodwin, “Ghoulish Stargazer”

Third Place – Todd Aki, “Happy Halloween”

Third Place – Todd Aki, “Happy Halloween”

Honorable Mention – Chelsea Camera, “Zombie Fish”

Honorable Mention – Chelsea Camera, “Zombie Fish”

Honorable Mention – Tracy Clark, “Bugs”

Honorable Mention – Tracy Clark, “Bugs”

Popular Vote Winner – Peter Waller, “I C U 2”

Popular Vote Winner – Peter Waller, “I C U 2”

Again, congratulations to our winners and thanks for everyone who participated. We’re looking forward to seeing all your great entries for November!

The post Creepy Critters – Sept/Oct Photo Contest Winners! first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

August Monthly Contest Winners

Kelli Dickinson — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:41:03 +0000

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Monthly Photo Contest on Facebook! The winners are available to view on facebook through this gallery, check them out!

The theme is “Reefscapes”

The photo contest is now live for September and October. The theme for the next contest is “Creepy Critters” We’re looking for some fun Halloween style shots of creepy and interesting underwater creatures. This can be anything, even something that might not be creepy normally but the conditions, or lighting make it unusually creepy!

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