JANUARY
MASTERS
SEEING DOUBLE – ANY LENS – We all know the challenges of getting a fish to make double eye contact with us. Submit a head-on photo of a fish with both eyes locked onto your lens. The subject must be a fish, not any other animal. No seahorses!
Submission deadline: January 4th
CHALLENGERS
BOLD FISH BEHAVIOR – ANY LENS – Present your best shot of fish behavior caught on camera. Examples include fin flashing, color flashing, fish kissing, hunting, feeding, mating rituals, or schooling. Excludes seahorses!
Submission deadline: January 4th
VIDEO
NEW BEGINNINGS – ANY LENS – Make a video showing the eggs or young of a species. This might include super-macro shots of eggs, creatures tending to their eggs, or juvenile creatures in their earliest stages of development. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: January 4th
FEBRUARY
MASTERS
BLACK SUBJECTS – MACRO – Black subjects are tricky to light. The subject must be predominantly black – or very dark – and must be lit from the front to show its detail. It may be snooted or have a touch of backlighting in addition to being lit from the front. Pay attention to strobe positioning to avoid overexposing a bright background, or consciously choose a more muted background that will allow you to better expose the detail of the subject. No silhouettes without any light on the subject. Possible subjects include a black frogfish or sea urchin, juvenile spadefish or black tunicate.
Our recent presentation by Andy Deitsch gives a few examples of how to outline dark subjects.
Another helpful link: UW Photo Tips: High Key with black subjects on black sand
Submission deadline: February 8th
CHALLENGERS
GEOMETRY CLASS – ANY LENS – Create an image with strong geometric shapes or lines created by natural or organic subjects like animals or rocks, but not by humans or man-made structures. For example, a close-up of a star coral, cascading plate corals, fish scales, even an abstract presentation of a creature’s geometric shape is acceptable.
Submission deadline: February 8th
VIDEO
LOVE STORY – ANY LENS – Show the courtship/mating behavior of creatures of any species. Illustrate the characteristic ways in which your chosen subject or subjects attract a mate. Demonstrate your ability to tell a story in video form. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: February 8th
PRINTABLE .PDF
For a printable version of this years contest subjects, click here:
VIDEO CONTEST RULES
Click here to view or print the video contest instructions:
PHOTO CONTEST RULES & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Photos must be taken underwater by the entrant. No aquarium or pool shots.
Each month the contest is divided into two categories – Masters and Challengers, each with different subjects to promote participation by all SFUPS members of all skill levels.
A maximum of 2 images per person may be submitted per meeting.
NOTE:
If you are uncertain about what qualifies in a category, please consult a reputable guidebook such as Humann/DeLoach’s reef set. If still in doubt, contact Eleanor Hornberger well before the contest. She will be happy to clarify a potential submission to confirm if it fits the category.
MARCH
MASTERS
SNOOTED CFWA – WIDE ANGLE – Close Focus Wide-Angle with a snoot. Make a larger macro subject stand out from its environment by highlighting its colors using a snoot as well as exaggerating its size with a wide-angle lens. The background must be visible, not black.
Our sponsor, Nicholas Remy, gives some examples in his presentation for SFUPS, SEA DRAGONS OF AUSTRALIA, and in his courses for The Underwater Club.
Helpful link: https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-techniques/article/close-focus-wide-angle-snoots/
Submission deadline: March 1st
CHALLENGERS
BIG ANIMAL SMALL SUBJECT – MACRO – Create a macro image that instantly identifies a larger animal, such as a shark, turtle, manatee, whale, ray, large fish, or dolphin, using a close-up shot of one of its most distinctive features, for example its eyes, gills, skin/scale texture, or teeth. The image should not be so abstract that we cannot determine what the subject is. Please note that the image should be shot with a macro lens. No cropped wide-angle shots allowed.
Submission deadline: March 1st
VIDEO
HAMMERHEAD ACTION – WIDE ANGLE – Show the majestic hammerhead shark in motion, either individually or in schools. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: March 1st
APRIL
MASTERS
INWARD LIGHTING – MACRO – Find and photograph a subject separated or protruding from its background using inward lighting techniques. The correct technique should illuminate the subject, leaving the background dark. Good targets include sea fans, tube sponges, nudibranchs, small fish, and any other objects that allow you to get close. Strobes should be pointed in from the side, towards each other, or even slightly towards the lens.
Helpful links: https://interceptor121.com/2022/10/30/a-deep-dive-into-inward-lighting/
https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/strobe-positions-underwater-macro-photography
Submission deadline: March 29th
CHALLENGERS
OCTOPUS ART – ANY LENS – Octopus create elegant curves and spirals with their arms as they move. Capture an octopus with its arms in a perfect artistic arrangement. The image should be of the whole octopus, not just the eye or only partially visible in a den. (No Octomom!)
Submission deadline: March 29th
VIDEO
LET’S PLAY CATCH! – ANY LENS – Make a video of any creature using its mouth, arms, or any appendage to move or throw objects. Some examples might be a mantis shrimp throwing sand as it creates its burrow, a jawfish throwing rubble out of its hole using its mouth, or an octopus tossing shells away. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: March 29th
MAY
MASTERS
FINE ART COMPOSITION – ANY LENS – Imagine a painting. Think about what makes an impactful and striking composition. Make careful choices about light, placing of elements, color, contrast and/or negative space to produce an image that appeals as a work of art regardless of the subject. The composition may be colorful and have the qualities of impressionism. Or it may be moody, “chiaroscuro” (strong contrast between light and dark), like in an old Rembrandt painting. This shot could NOT be interpreted as an ID or behavioral shot. It would not serve a commercial purpose and is the opposite of documentary photography. It can include models.
Some inspiration may found here:
https://oceanographicmagazine.com/winners-gallery/?winners_category=fine-art
https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art-contest-winners-2023#art
https://oceanographicmagazine.com/winners-gallery/?winners_category=fine-art
Submission deadline: May 3rd
CHALLENGERS
BORED SILLY – ANY LENS – Frogfish, scorpionfish, and groupers give us the opportunity to capture the perfect yawn. Give us your best shot of one of these creatures with its mouth wide open. Other species with their mouths open – to be cleaned by shrimps or small fish, for example – are not admissible.
Submission deadline: May 3rd
VIDEO
BLENNY BEHAVIOR – MACRO – Show us the behavior of some of our favorite and most charismatic subjects. Consider the flamboyant displays of sailfin or pike blennies, how they feed, the way they interact with a mate or their environment, or close ups of their expressive faces. No use of mirrors to provoke behaviors. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: May 3rd
JUNE
MASTERS
POLYP PATTERNS – MACRO – Create an abstract pattern from coral polyps. They may be directly lit, backlit, or silhouetted. The pattern must be created by the polyps, not the larger structure of the coral. No artificial backgrounds.
Submission deadline: May 31st
CHALLENGERS
EPIC REEFSCAPE – WIDE ANGLE – Show us your best shot of the most colorful and vibrant reef with a blue water background. The image should have the entire reef scene as the main subject, not a single large animal such as a turtle or shark.
Submission deadline: May 31st
VIDEO
EPIC REEFSCAPE – WIDE ANGLE/MACRO – Show the vibrance, abundance of life, and animal behavior on your favorite reefs. Give a sense of the variety of creatures found there, from the smallest to the largest, and demonstrate the intensity of color by day or night using good lighting techniques and color grading. Choose appropriate music that helps to create a sense of awe and to structure your sequence. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: May 31st
JULY
MASTERS
TREES IN SNELL’S WINDOW – WIDE ANGLE – Use Snell’s window to feature a plant, such as a tree, in the background. Ideal subjects are shots under mangroves or in the springs in Florida.
CHALLENGERS
UNDERWATER REPTILES – ANY LENS – Show us your best image of an underwater reptile. This includes turtles, snakes, iguanas, alligators, and crocodiles. The subject may be in freshwater or saltwater.
Submission deadline: June 28th
VIDEO
DISCOVER SCUBA – ANY LENS – Make a video that will encourage newbies to dive and take up underwater photography. Convey the experience of an entire dive – setting the scene on the boat or at the shore, descending, capturing images of fascinating marine life or exploring wrecks or caves, and finally ascending. This video may briefly include still shots of your chosen subject, to show the final product. 1 minute maximum. *UPDATE* We are allowing 25% (max. 15 seconds) of above-water footage in this category.
Submission deadline: June 28th
AUGUST
MASTERS
DOUBLE EXPOSURE – ANY LENS – Plan an impactful shot created from two exposures, combined either in camera or in post processing. The images may both be shot with the same lens or different lenses – for example, a macro subject with a wide-angle background.
Helpful links:
https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-techniques/article/double-exposures/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn-Vcfof8Dk
Submission deadline: August 2nd
CHALLENGERS
FEELING BLUE – MACRO – Most macro shots feature the subject against a black background. But in this case, present an image with a macro subject framed against a blue background. The best subjects for blue water macro are those elevated in the water column. To achieve this effect, open the aperture a little or slow down the shutter speed. No artificial backgrounds, or creation of the blue background in post processing.
Helpful links:
https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-techniques/article/double-exposures/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn-Vcfof8Dk
Submission deadline: August 2nd
VIDEO
SHORT STORY – ANY LENS – What can you convey in 30 seconds or less? Grab our attention and tell us a story about the behavior of any creature in a short space of time. Must be in a vertical format – aspect ratio 1:1 to 9:16. Pay attention to what makes a good vertical composition – whether filming vertically or cropping a wider scene. 30 seconds maximum.
Submission deadline: August 2nd
SEPTEMBER
MASTERS
ONE STROBE – ANY LENS – Use of a single strobe (not-snooted) to produce an image featuring hard unidirectional lighting from either the right, left, or underneath – but not above. The lighting must be obvious with part of the subject in shadow. For example, the single strobe could highlight texture in a coral or create a moody scene by lighting up just one side of a fish.
Submission deadline: August 30th
CHALLENGERS
PROTECT WHAT WE LOVE – ANY LENS – Show us an image with a great conservation message. Highlight behind-the-scenes of a cleanup dive, a diver eliminating an invasive species, a Good Samaritan taking fishing line or hooks off a creature, coral planting or treating for disease.
Submission deadline: August 30th
VIDEO
CONSERVATION – ANY LENS – Make a video that inspires marine conservation. Show how the marine environment we love is being threatened. Highlight efforts being made to halt this threat, restore particular ecosystems, or protect certain species. This video may include voiceover. 1 minute maximum. *UPDATE* We are allowing 25% (max. 15 seconds) of above-water footage in this category.
Submission deadline: August 30th
OCTOBER
MASTERS
NUDI BLING – MACRO – Show us your most vibrant yet tasteful use of an artificial background with a nudibranch as the subject. Any type of background may be used to create the shot in camera, but not in post processing. There should be no harm done to the environment or the animal to achieve this shot.
For creative artificial background ideas, watch Byron Conroy’s presentation for SFUPS. CREATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY
Submission deadline: October 4th
CHALLENGERS
WHAT DO YOU MEME? – ANY LENS – Give us your most “memeable” image; a humorous image with a caption enhancing the joke. The image caption will be included in the judging process. Keep it PG-13! Of course, we are still looking for a great-quality image! The caption can be positioned over the image itself or just submitted as the title of the image.
Submission deadline: October 4th
VIDEO
HALLOWEEN HORROR SHOW – ANY LENS – Create a spooky or eerie video capturing subjects that have a menacing or grotesque appearance. This might include predatory behavior, night shots, or other dramatic lighting. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: October 4th
NOVEMBER
MASTERS
ILLUMINATED WRECKS – WIDE ANGLE – Use the strategic placement of off-camera video lights or slave strobes to illuminate parts of a shipwreck. The shot can be taken from the inside or outside, by day or by night. Composite shots are allowed to create dramatic images of larger structures.
Learn about wreck photography from Tobias Friedrich in his presentation for our sponsor, the Underwater Club. https://theunderwaterclub.com/events/
Other helpful links: https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-techniques/article/guide-wreck-photography-interiors/
https://shearwater.com/blogs/community/nine-top-tips-to-improve-your-wreck-photos
Submission deadline: November 1st
CHALLENGERS
BACK TO SCHOOL – WIDE ANGLE – Find and photograph a tightly packed school of fish. It can be in color or black and white, in saltwater or freshwater.
Submission deadline: November 1st
VIDEO
SCHOOLS AND AGGREGATIONS – WIDE ANGLE – Capture the synchronized and mesmerizing motion of schools of fish, or the scale of larger shoals or aggregations. This might include schools of spadefish, snappers or grunts, bait balls, or grouper aggregations. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: November 1st
PRINTABLE .PDF
For a printable version of this years contest subjects, click here:
VIDEO CONTEST RULES
Click here to view or print the video contest instructions:
PHOTO CONTEST RULES & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Photos must be taken underwater by the entrant. No aquarium or pool shots.
Each month the contest is divided into two categories – Masters and Challengers, each with different subjects to promote participation by all SFUPS members of all skill levels.
A maximum of 2 images per person may be submitted per meeting.
NOTE:
If you are uncertain about what qualifies in a category, please consult a reputable guidebook such as Humann/DeLoach’s reef set. If still in doubt, contact Eleanor Hornberger well before the contest. She will be happy to clarify a potential submission to confirm if it fits the category.