Didier Noirot is an award winning cinematographer whose long list of credits include the BBC’s Blue Planet and Planet Earth series and also the principle cameraman for the “padrino” of underwater films, Jacques Cousteau, until Cousteau’s death in 1997.
Wetpixel’s Drew Wong met Didier in San Diego and South Africa for this interview, to give Wetpixel readers an insight into one of the top underwater cinematographers in the world…
Reef Check Australia has begun accepting entries for the Photography Competition 2007. The overall winner will receive a Canon A630 digital camera and underwater housing kit and a weekend sail trip on a yacht, and the winners of categories including “Icons of the Reef,” “Animal Behaviour,” and “Creative Visions,” will each receive a Sea & Sea MX10 underwater camera kit.
Photographs are not required to be taken underwater, and there is a special prize for the best submission from the under-18 age group. Entry to the competition is free, but the deadline of August 31, 2007 is quickly approaching. Continue for the full press release detailing Reef Check Australia’s mission and the motivation behind the photo competition, or submit entries now...
On August 9, 2007, the New York Underwater Photographic Society (NYUPS) will host a presentation of “Saving The Dragon,” a documentary by Rick Morris about the efforts to establish a marine park in the Komodo Island region of Indonesia. NYUPS President Jason Heller will also feature “Planning Your Shot & Shooting to Win,” with tips on “how to create images versus simply taking pictures.” Attendees can submit their underwater photos to be randomly selected for review and discussion at the meeting.
The event will be held at 6:30PM at the Rock Theatre in Manhattan, NY. While admission is free, seating is limited and an .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is required. To learn more or confirm your attendance, read the full press release…
Our good friends at Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures have a few spots left on a revolutionary exploratory Gulf Stream Drift and Bahamas expedition this coming August 21-27, 2007. Each day, the M/V Shear Water liveaboard dive vessel will drift along the ocean surface of the Gulf Stream in search of rare and unique creatures (both day and night!). If you’re uncertain about the outcome of such an exploratory drift, don’t worry: you will only be a couple of miles from Tiger Beach and beautiful Bahamian reefs, so you’ll be sure to see lots of sharks, as well. The price is $2340 USD per person.
For more information, contact JASA and let them know you found out about their trip on Wetpixel.com.
Please join me in welcoming Cor Bosman and Julie Edwards as the newest Wetpixel moderators (see all)! Cor and Julie are both fantastic shooters, specializing mostly in macro critters in the South Pacific. Their work can be see on their webpage at underwa.ter.net, and Julie has both the cover and a portfolio in the current issue of Australasian Scuba Diver.
The Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society (LAUPS) has announced a call for entries for their 2007 International Photo Competition. Wetpixel members have done very well in previous years, and should be interested to see the new “Behavior” category, as well an expansion of the “Cold Water” category - the deadline for entry is midnight on September 21, 2007.
The society is also celebrating its 50th anniversary at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on August 25, from 6PM-10PM. Formed in 1957 with early membership by Zale Perry, Mel Fisher, Ron Church, and Stan Waterman, LAUPS is one of the oldest underwater photography clubs in the world. Learn more about the event and attend to meet some of the past members…
Although it is nice to come back from a dive with pretty photos of underwater subjects, there is often nothing as satisfying as capturing animal behavior.
Jason Heller of DivePhotoGuide and I are working on an upcoming IMAGES column for Sport Diver magazine about how to photograph the behavior of underwater animals. Do you have a favorite tip or two you’d like to share? If so, head on over to our forums and let us know! We’ll be pulling from your quotes and images for the sidebar of the article.
The results are in from the 2007 Layang Layang Underwater Photo Shootout in Sabah, Malaysia. The winners, whose photographs were judged by Stephen Wong, Kurt Svrcula, Settimio Cipriani, and Wetpixel’s own Mike Veitch, received prizes including trips to Borneo and the Maldives, Nautica sports watches, Oceanic dive computers, and Nikon cameras.
Continue for the full press release and the winning images…
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa recently lifted the ban on the sale of shark fins. During the ban, the sale of shark fins was punishable by up to two years in prison, but under the new laws, fins from sharks caught “accidentally” may be legally traded.
Wetpixel member Mark Harding (writepic) has started a petition protesting this lift on the shark fin ban. In addition to showing the petition on Ecuadorian TV this Friday, Mark will be flying to Ecuador to present the petition in person to President Correa, the Minister for Tourism, and the British and American Ambassadors in Ecuador.
Mark is asking for your help - he has posted a sample letter in the Conservation and the Environment forum, and is requesting that people supporting the ban sign up to add their name to the list - sending an email takes less than a minute and requires only your name and e-mail address.
Eco Divers has been selected by Asian Diver Magazine to host the the 2007 Ocean Odyssey Digital Photo Shootout. The competition will be held at both the Tasik Ria Resort, from November 26 - December 1, 2007, and Kungkungan Bay Resort, from November 30 - December 5, 2007.
Featuring standard categories, but open only to entries from digital cameras, winners can receive prizes including Mares regulators, Citizen dive watches, and liveaboard trips. The winner of ‘Best Portfolio’ will receive a Nikon D80 camera kit and housing. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend seminars and learn from judges Rod Klein, Mathieu Meur, Wolfgang Pölzer, Stephen Wong, and Takako Uno. Continue reading for the full press release…