The BBC reports that the President Obama has signed a memorandum to create the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Wetpixel wrote about the plan back in June, which is now signed into law. It bans “commercial fishing, deep-sea mining and other extraction of underwater resources” in an area 200 nautical miles (1.2 million sq. km) around seven scattered Pacific islands, atolls and reefs between Hawaii and American Samoa.
Jennifer Penner of newmediasoup posted this stunning image of a diver entitled “Ripples and Rays” onto the Wetpixel Facebook Group. It was taken in in the Sugar Bowl, Taj Mahal Cenote, Yucatan, Mexico. Please follow the link through to see the full image and for her back story about capturing it.
As reported during our ADEX 2014 coverage, Inon has designed a specific “semi-fisheye conversion lens” and a so-called “wide close-up lens” for the GoPro HERO3 and 3+. Takuya Torii of Inon reports that “the lenses are designed to bring optimal performance of camera itself even underwater and to get as wide an angle of view as on land and boost the camera’s usability for macro shooting.
Adobe has announced new version of their Photoshop and Premiere Elements software. These offer basic and guided photo and video editing and are aimed at people that “don’t always have the time or the know-how to get the results they desire”. In Photoshop Elements 13, there are new selection tools, Facebook oriented editing layouts and mono conversion processes. In Premiere Elements, there are new trimming tools, titling options and anti-shake functions.
A comprehensive manta tagging program has begun this month in Indonesia to gather information on manta ranges and habits to support their recent protection in these waters. 30 tags are set to be attached to reef and oceanic manta rays in locations throughout Indonesia.
The 2014 Ocean Art Contest is calling for entries. They are seeking entries in 12 categories, including NoviceDSLR and 3 compact camera ones. Entries are open now and the deadline is 19 November 2014.
Boinx has released a significant update to its Photomagico slideshow creation software. Version 4.5 has added been optimized for 4K. It can now be viewed at 4K resolution on suitable monitors or UHD TVs. It also has export presets for 4K.
Think Tank are celebrating their ten year anniversary and a long time favorite of many underwater photographers, the Urban Disguise 60 shoulder bag, has been updated and refined in a new Classic version. The bag has enough capacity for a camera body, several lenses and two strobes, as well as accessories. The Classic version has leather accents and panels, and now features separate compartments for a laptop and a tablet.
Kurt Amsler has posted an amazing sequence recording the actual birth of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) on Facebook. He describes it as being the “greatest experience I ever had, in 45 years of underwater photography”.
An enormous, and potentially devastating, red tide is now forming off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. The area where the algae is blooming is approximately 60 miles by 100 miles.