Int'l Photography Awards

Hey Crew,

Have a look at:

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Gallery/winner2010.php

Some wetpixel members scored a mention in the underwater catergory.

What I wanted to discuss was the amount of underwater photos entered in various catergories.

It definantly seems to me that underwater photography is on the rise in the advertising, beauty and commerical sectors.

I find this pretty intimidating as it seems that a growing number of 'regular' photographers are able to pick up a camera and take the plunge for a single project which means a decreased amount of work for underwater togs like me (us).

There are a few dozen underwater photos in the comp - some are amazing and some are very average. Ive sifted through the competition and here are a collection of my favourites.

Zena Holloway - She is just simply amazing. These photos (digital art?) are just jaw dropping

WARNING: NWS contains nudity

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...amp;code=Beauty

Franco Banfi -

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...amp;code=Nature

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...code=Underwater

Ryan Hellard

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...code=Underwater

Yeang Chng - This is a must see!

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...p;code=Wildlife

Underwater wedding shots.....

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...mp;code=Wedding

Ian & Erick Regnard - This ones for Loftus

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...mp;code=Special

Underwater flowers - very cool

http://photoawards.com/en/Pages/Gallery/zo...de=Still%20Life

Bill Phelps - water related

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...code=Fine%20Art

Maggie Rizer

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Galler...ecial%20Effects

Very cool water scene

http://photoawards.com/en/Pages/Gallery/zo...p;code=Other_ED

Some nice pics except Franco's belugas look like the ones that are captive in nets in Solovetsky in the White Sea. We've already mentioned that before here. I'm pretty sure this competition doesn't have rules like BBC Wildlife (aka the captive wolf saga) but a category like Nature should be wild no?

Previous discussion on the captive belugas:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...0&hl=beluga

Thanks for the NWS - completely forgot that

Knowing that the belugas are captive just completely killed the images for me........

I also wonder if the crocodile photo was from the Walindi rental crocodile talked about by several dive mags including this one:

underwater.com.au article on PNG

None of the pics of that saltie have full body shots. So it's difficult to verify without asking the photographers.

It definately seems to me that underwater photography is on the rise in the advertising, beauty and commerical sectors.

 

I find this pretty intimidating as it seems that a growing number of 'regular' photographers are able to pick up a camera and take the plunge for a single project which means a decreased amount of work for underwater togs like me (us).

 

There are a few dozen underwater photos in the comp - some are amazing and some are very average. Ive sifted through the competition and here are a collection of my favourites.

 

Zena Holloway - She is just simply amazing. These photos (digital art?) are just jaw dropping

Well Zena and Franco are both well known and established underwater photographers and I know that there are a number of other 'advertising' photographers prepared to shoot underwater if requested, but suspect that the sort of work they do is often driven by their reputation in advertising agency circles as opposed to their underwater photography reputation within underwater photography circles. This is IMHO a specialised area of photography which requires an established reputation and is about a lot more than the technical ability to shoot underwater. I know some HSE (diving) qualified advertising photographers here in the UK who shoot the bulk of their photography above water, but who can shoot underwater if they need to.

I agree with Paul's assertion that this is very much a rarefied speciality. There are a few photographers who have established strong connections in the advertising industry, and who produce some fascinating work with all the back-up of a professional underwater studio, models, assistants and so on. I've always been a fan of Zena's work - she has a style that is very much her own.

It's interesting to see what sort of photographs studio photographers produce in the open water scenarios most Wetpixel members shoot in. Mentioning no names here, some of the work they produce outside the studio is ordinary at best. For the record, I am not referring to Zena here: her open water portfolio is small, but high quality and very commercial.

Check out her pictures in this competition. It's an example of backscatter (of a sort) enhancing the image. In fact, I get the feeling some of the bubbles/backscatter were added in Photoshop. That doesn't happen often, eh?

Thanks for throwing one in for me there Cal. I think your comment that this is intimidating has merit, but frankly life is intimidating, and no matter what your field is there is always competition, and it's precarious and lonely at the top if you ever get close.

Having said that most people who work in any field, go to work every day, and if they are at all successful they will produce a quality product consistently over time and they will make a living, some being more successful than others. Those who actually get to the 'top' are either just legends in their own mind or if truly at the top got there by hard work, consistent quality, persistence AND usually good marketing. To paraphrase Shakespeare, 'All the world's a marketing scheme". Most of those who get to the top, can't stay there for one reason or another, and a few 'machines' stay there and become true legends. And this applies to any field from photography to medicine.

I think it was an Australian PM who uttered the truth and said 'Life isn't fair' just before they voted him out of office.

And then you can be like me, I still dream, but know that it's back to my 'job' tomorrow, so today I'll have some fun.

Here's a quick worksafe edited version of what I was doing yesterday. I'll post a few in the gallery section once I have edited some in the next day or two.

Gorgeous shot Loftus!

Thanks Paul and Simon - I completely agree that establishing a reputation with advertising agencies/photography agencies is the only real way to get a decently paid underwater photoshoot. Its something that I've been working on for a while now but its obviously a very difficult uphill battle without a decent 'topside' portfolio to compliment my underwater work. That being said, I've had positive contact with most of the major agencies in Australia and commericial work is starting to trickle in (albeit not a great amount).

Heres a basic scenario - an advertising firm gets a contract to shoot something underwater - do they hire the underwater specalist who've they've never worked with before or hire their regular, commerical photographer? I think they'd go with their regular guy every time.

"Having said that most people who work in any field, go to work every day, and if they are at all successful they will produce a quality product consistently over time and they will make a living, some being more successful than others"

Loftus - Great words of wisdom! Luckily, i'm fuelled by the pure awesomeness of youth and enthusiasm and an amazing ability to survive off a diet of boiled rice and soy sauce........

Heres a basic scenario - an advertising firm gets a contract to shoot something underwater - do they hire the underwater specalist who've they've never worked with before or hire their regular, commerical photographer? I think they'd go with their regular guy every time.

I think you have to start with the end in mind - advertising agencies have one goal, to sell a product or service. So you have to establish yourself as an accomplished 'commercial' photographer first. Your angle is of course your ability to do underwater better than anyone else. If you look at a guy like Schatz who has become one of the most sought after advertising photographers in New York City, albeit in his sixties, he proved that he could do anything well, whether it was topside - outdoors and in the studio, or in the pool. But, his meticulous attention to detail and discipline which he enforced on himself in the pool, can be seen throughout his portfolio. And he just works it, and works it, a man possessed! And then he has built the marketing and production machine of his studio (with the help of his wife) around him, and don't discount how important this 'business' side of the endevour is to the whole. In fact I'd say it's the most important part to making it more than just a hobby.

................................and don't discount how important this 'business' side of the endevour is to the whole. In fact I'd say it's the most important part to making it more than just a hobby.

At risk of going off-thread......

A hobby is indeed to be enjoyed/indulged as the heart sees fit, something to spend excess cash on as and when required. Running a business is an altogether different matter. Done properly, a "business" can feel like you are not really "working" but the risk is still carried and rewards due. This applies to anything....... its no coincidence the word "photography" is absent from the posting.

Now back to the thread....

Zena's work is truly remarkable. The creative eye meets commercial needs, expressed in a way words cannot.

Zena's work is truly remarkable. The creative eye meets commercial needs, expressed in a way words cannot.

Personally as much as I like Zena's work, I find there's a lot of stuff out there on sites like Model Mayhem that I think is very similar, like the work of Albereich and others. Particularly her early work, I think was photographically fairly crude, particularly when compared to Schatz's work which was always technically impeccable. Her more recent work relies too much for my taste on computer graphics for effect. Schatz's stuff, even when computer manipulated and incorporating graphics etc always leaves you spellbound with the obvious quality of the original image.

Just my opinion of course.

Howard Schatz is in a league of his own when it comes to studio-based underwater photography. I suspect being in his sixties is a benefit rather than a hindrance.

Schatz work makes my headspin. Its just incredible. He's definantly my number 1 inspiration when it comes to the technical side of photography.

I do love Zena's work as well, but like Loftus said, Its almost all just brilliant photoshop (not that theres anything wrong with that).

Ironically, I just got an interview for an agency today! Woohoo! Its in 2 weeks in Sydney which means I have to now go and get a 'book' put together of my best prints. Good printing is a pain in the ass. I usually get 2-3 test prints of each quality print I display.

Some nice pics except Franco's belugas look like the ones that are captive in nets in Solovetsky in the White Sea. We've already mentioned that before here. I'm pretty sure this competition doesn't have rules like BBC Wildlife (aka the captive wolf saga) but a category like Nature should be wild no?

 

Previous discussion on the captive belugas:

 

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...0&hl=beluga

Not wanting to drag this off topic - gorgeous shot, Jeff.

But there has been a long running debate about how wild the captive white sea belugas are, and then I finally saw some photos of their net on FB the other day - which makes it pretty clear what the case is:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4123...p;ref=fbx_album

and http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1415...100001146848020

Alex