The Natural History Museum, London, has opened entries for the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 competition. Now in its forty-seventh year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned by two UK institutions that pride themselves on revealing and championing the diversity of life on Earth: The Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine. The competition this year features specific categories for animal behavior, the underwater world and black and white images, and there is also a specific category for young photographers.

Full details, rules and procedures are now available, and the deadline for entries is 18 March.

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Sony has announced the release of the CLM-V55 external monitor that can be attached to a DSLR or camcorder. The high-resolution WVGA (800 x 480) (5”) LCD panel is attached to a hot or cold shoe on the camera, and receives its signal via HDMI cable. Powered by an optional battery pack or AC adapter, and has pixel magnification and peaking functions to assist with focusing.

Prices are not yet confirmed, and it is due to ship in March. It should be relatively easy for manufacturers to build housings for underwater use.

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The deadline for entries to the sixth annual Our World Underwater Competition is fast approaching. This competition has become one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world and celebrates and highlights the art of underwater photography as well as the beauty of the ocean.

It is open to all underwater photographers, from novices to professionals, and offers over $75,000 of prizes. Additionally, Best of Show will receive an additional cash prize of $1,000. Deadline for entries is very soon; 17 January or next Monday!

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Issue ten of Beyond Blue is now available and the theme for this issue is predators. Among the articles are “Killing the Killers” by Christopher Bartlett which is an account of a scientist’s battle against Crown of Thorns starfish; “This Slug is a Fighter” by Yara Tibiriçà about the under-rated nudibranch predators, and “Great Whites Hit the Beach” by Oliver Jewell featuring a look at tracking white sharks into the shallow waters around South Africa.

Beyond Blue is free and available as a download in pdf format, or in an online interactive format.

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BBC Human Planet Ocean: Into the blue will go to air in the UK on 13 January. Filmmakers Scubazoo were heavily involved in the filming of the episode including providing footage of the Pa’aling fishermen of the Philippines and the Bajau Laut sea gypsies who spend most of their lives afloat. In the latter, a fisherman named Sulbin performs an incredible two and a half-minute freedive. Videographer, Simon Enderby comments:

“As I bobbed around on the water’s surface, in full scuba diving kit and with my underwater camera, I couldn’t help but be amazed as I watched Sulbin take a last few deep drags of his hand rolled cigarette, pull off his shirt and shorts, affix his wooden goggles over his eyes and take a few big breaths before slipping off his hand-made wooden boat and into the watery depths. I filmed as he descended to the 20m deep-sea floor where he began to walk along the bottom as if on a gentle Sunday morning stroll. After 2 minutes of searching Sulbin finally selected his desired fish, lined up his antiquated wooden speargun, and fired. Successful, Sulbin pushed off from the seafloor and returned once more to his boat with his family’s next meal leaving me bemused and bubbling away with my high-tech scuba gear.”

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