The new 2011 showreel from Wetpixel member Jon Shaw’s Sydney-based underwater production company ginclearfilm has been posted onto Vimeo. Shots included in the reel have been from projects shot over the past two years including footage from a recent National Geographic / ABC co-production, which is due to come in September called, “Shark Harbor’”. This documentary will focus on the sharks that live in Sydney Harbor.
The annual British Underwater Photography Championship 2011 was held on Saturday 9 July at Mount Batten, Plymouth, UK. A total of 53 underwater photographers were registered on Friday evening to participate in the event. Each had from midnight until 6.30 p.m. on Saturday to take underwater photographs in the Plymouth area in four categories: Marine life, mankind in the sea, abstract and humorous.
Despite the venue suffering from poor visibility, the judges (one of whom was Wetpixel Associate Editor Alex Mustard) had over 100 entries from which to select the winners. Overall winner was Dan Bolt, who also took first place in the marine life category. Other category winners included, Humorous: Anette Millar, mankind in the sea: Derek Haslam and abstract: Rob Cuss. Congratulations to all the competitors, and it is great to see so many familiar Wetpixel names amongst them. Full results are on the BSoUP site, where there is also a slideshow of the winning entries. (Image by Dan Bolt)
As reported in the forums last month, lens maker Tokina has released a new version of its popular Tokina AT-X 107 AF DX Fisheye 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. Compared to its predecessor, the new lens has had the built-in lens hood removed, and a new coating added. The former allows a wider angle of view, particularly on FX cameras, and allows the lens to be used in a “wider variety of underwater housings”. The latter allows for easier removal of fingerprints or water spots.
The new lens is called the AT-X 107 NH (as opposed to DX), and is available in Nikon and Canon fittings. It is available now at $619.00.
After a few days on the Nautilus Swell during the Wetpixel Alaska 2011 expedition, we wanted to stretch our legs and were curious to explore the local Alaskan villages. We took Inde, our dive tender, to Elfin Cove, a town on Chichagof Island that rarely exceeded 50 people. At 10PM, it was quiet, but one establishment remained open – the bar.
Expedition leader Jason Bradley pushed open the door and noticed an unusual bottle showing: ALASKA DISTILLERY. The bottle was filled with a pink liquid, but it was a bar in Alaska and Jason’s interest was piqued. As soon as he asked the barkeep to see the bottle more closely, a well seasoned, bearded old fisherman, already a couple sheets to the wind lifted his head and said, “Oh, you don’t want to drink that. It’s smoked salmon vodka!” We all laughed…
A charity photo exhibition is being held at the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Hall. Tokyo. The exhibit is open between 12:00 and 20:00 from 6 through to 31 July. Many underwater photographers, including Tony Wu, Hideki Abe , Katsutoshi Itou, Yoji Okata, Tamaki Ozaki and Kyu Furumi have their work on show, and images from the “Smile for All” project are also on display.
Admission to the exhibition is free, but the proceeds from all sales and contributions will go toward helping the people of northeast Japan, who are still suffering as a result of the terrible earthquake and tsunami that devastated the region earlier this year.
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Claudia Pellarini and Leon Joubert have announced the opening on a new dedicated underwater imaging center in the Raja4Divers resort at Pulau Pef. The new center is equipped with climate controlled workspaces, individual set-up and charging stations and iMacs with imaging and editing software.
In addition the couple, in conjunction with the resort, will offer camera and equipment rental, photographic guiding and courses and support for productions.
The San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX) has announced a final call for entries for its 2011 event. The twelfth annual Exhibition will be held at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall in San Diego, California over 9 and 10 September 2011.
Full details of how to enter are on the SDUFEX website, and the deadline for entries is 18 July.
The Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society (LAUPS) has announced that its annual International Underwater Photographic Competition is now open for entries. Now in its forty-ninth year, the contests offers six categories which only accept entries from amateur photographers, namely; macro, wide-angle, behavior, cold water, video raw and video edited. There is an open category for amateur and professional entrants. Prizes include live-aboard and land-based vacations, diving gear, photo equipment and much more.
The competition is accepting entries now, with an initial deadline of 17 September. There is a secondary deadline of 24 September for late entries, with an increased entry fee. Full details and competition rules are available on the LAUPS website.
Housing manufacturer UK Germany has released an underwater housing for the popular GoPro HERO POV cam. It is constructed of machined and anodized aluminum, with an expected depth rating on 100 meters (330 feet.). The housing can be used both under and above water without vignetting. UK-Germany has plans to launch filters that can be swung into place in front of the lens, and a specific lighting system.
The housing will be available soon with a planned retail price of €420 ($598) excluding relevant local taxes.
Underwater photographer Thomas P. Peshak is to speak at the 2011 Wildphotos nature photography symposium. He will be joining many other well-known wildlife and nature photographers including Alex Badyaev, Daniel Beltrá, Michel Roggo, Bence Máté and the keynote speaker is the Pulitzer Prize winning landscape photographer, Jack Dykinga.
Tickets for the event, to be held at the Royal Geographic Society, London, UK, on 21 and 22 October, are now available for purchase.