SEA 2007 Comments

SEA 2007 Winners | SEA 2007 Prizes

SEA 2007 Competition Comments from the Coordinator

Another SEA 2007 International Underwater Photographic Competition has come and gone and again it was a great success! We received many wonderful entries, from all over the world (statistics below). There have been some changes, for the good I think, and there are some things to think about to improve the competition for next year.

First, I would like to thank everyone who helped out with the competition, from all those who volunteer to sort entries, the judging committee, sponsors, and especially our judges;
Berkley White, Rich Todd and Eric Cheng.

There wouldn't be a SEA Competition without all your hard work; thank you!

The competition entries were excellent and the judges had a tough job selecting the winners. Some things for entrants to remember for next year's competition; your entries need to be technically correct (lighting, exposure, sharpness), and compositionally excellent, and the subject clearly defined. The images that were representative of each individual class, i.e. they fit the definition of wide angle, macro, creative etc…did better than those that did not. Although the judges were a little more lenient with the Novice entries the comments above still apply. Be careful of entering an image that fits in the category of an "in camera dupe". There were some images that were disqualified due to their being essentially the same as another image that photographer had already won with. Try shooting that same image in a new way, a new angle, different lighting or background.

Still images need to "pop" out at the viewer; use color, light, contrast. For macro get really close up and show detail. We may be looking at adding another class for images that don't fit in as either Macro or Wide Angle as there seemed to be quite a few of those type of images entered in both Macro and Wide Angle. The images this year that really showed the spirit of wide angle did better than "normal" images. Winning print images were well presented with well cut, matching but not too colorful mats. They were not just a good image printed, but had a presentation that could go right into a frame and on the wall. Print entries are required to be mounted and having a nice mat can make the difference between placing or not.

Winning videos showed a nice mix of wide angle and macro clips, shot with a steady hand, and good framing. The judges commented on the excellent use of picture-in-picture in some of the videos, and good masking effects. Good white balance with no extra red areas was highly appreciated. The judges also appreciated simple good narrative (but not too much or too sappy), and simple background music. They really appreciated the effort that entrants made to find (or create) royalty free music for their videos. They commented also on the fact that text in a video can be distracting, causing the viewer not to see as much of the video as they were too busy reading the captions. Some of the videos would have been better if they were a little shorter. Although the specifications allow up to four minutes, if your video tells the story in less time enter it that way instead of including footage that isn't as appealing. Have someone else watch the video before you send it in and give you constructive comments. This is true with still images also…I know that at NCUPS meetings there are always other members willing to review your images prior to competition submission. Four eyes are better than two.

We received quite a few entries in the Creative category this year. I think this year's winners really show the spirit of creative. In fact Patti Baugh's creative entry was the choice for Best of Show. There was quite a bit of discussion about whether a creative entry should win Best of Show. The judges all liked the image, it was the image that popped out at them, and the competition committee all agreed that if it's the best it should win the prize. I know that many hours of work, in addition to photographing all those nudibranchs went into creating the image. Good job!

The Marine Conservation category was new this year and 15 entries were received, all with a written description of the entry from the photographer. There were many different illustrations of marine conservation and I hope that in viewing the entries, all of which have been uploaded to the NCUPS website, there will be an increased awareness in the education and promotion of marine conservation. Please see the SEA 2007 Marine Conservation webpage on the NCUPS website. The proceeds from the Marine Conservation category are being donated to Camp Sea Lab, a marine science adventure camp for youth ages 8-18, located at the edge of the Monterey Bay.

Entry statistics:
Entries were received from the United Kingdom, Canada, Hungary, Austria, the Philippines, Turkey, the Republic of Dominica, India, Italy, and the United States with the states of California, Florida, Virginia, New York, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, Hawaii, Colorado and North Carolina represented.

Total entrants were 60 with 9 novice entrants and 51 advanced entrants. Total entries were 432 with 63 novice entries and 369 advanced entries. The largest still class was Advanced Macro with 132 entries, and the smallest was Novice Underwater California with 13 entries. The Video entries were 10, down from last year's 16. I know there are more videographers out there...let's get those entries in next year!

Please visit the NCUPS Sponsor page, when you're getting ready to plan your next trip or purchase dive and/or camera gear. We have some great sponsors who donate prizes for NCUPS competitions every year.

Congratulations to all the SEA 2007 winners.

See you next year!
Kathy Mendes
SEA Coordinator


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Events Beach Dive SEA Int'l Competition DEMA Bob Commer Award MiniComps	SEA 2007 Winners \| SEA 2007 Prizes SEA 2007 Competition Comments from the Coordinator Another SEA 2007 International Underwater Photographic Competition has come and gone and again it was a great success! We received many wonderful entries, from all over the world (statistics below). There have been some changes, for the good I think, and there are some things to think about to improve the competition for next year. First, I would like to thank everyone who helped out with the competition, from all those who volunteer to sort entries, the judging committee, sponsors, and especially our judges; Berkley White, Rich Todd and Eric Cheng. There wouldn't be a SEA Competition without all your hard work; thank you! The competition entries were excellent and the judges had a tough job selecting the winners. Some things for entrants to remember for next year's competition; your entries need to be technically correct (lighting, exposure, sharpness), and compositionally excellent, and the subject clearly defined. The images that were representative of each individual class, i.e. they fit the definition of wide angle, macro, creative etc…did better than those that did not. Although the judges were a little more lenient with the Novice entries the comments above still apply. Be careful of entering an image that fits in the category of an "in camera dupe". There were some images that were disqualified due to their being essentially the same as another image that photographer had already won with. Try shooting that same image in a new way, a new angle, different lighting or background. Still images need to "pop" out at the viewer; use color, light, contrast. For macro get really close up and show detail. We may be looking at adding another class for images that don't fit in as either Macro or Wide Angle as there seemed to be quite a few of those type of images entered in both Macro and Wide Angle. The images this year that really showed the spirit of wide angle did better than "normal" images. Winning print images were well presented with well cut, matching but not too colorful mats. They were not just a good image printed, but had a presentation that could go right into a frame and on the wall. Print entries are required to be mounted and having a nice mat can make the difference between placing or not. Winning videos showed a nice mix of wide angle and macro clips, shot with a steady hand, and good framing. The judges commented on the excellent use of picture-in-picture in some of the videos, and good masking effects. Good white balance with no extra red areas was highly appreciated. The judges also appreciated simple good narrative (but not too much or too sappy), and simple background music. They really appreciated the effort that entrants made to find (or create) royalty free music for their videos. They commented also on the fact that text in a video can be distracting, causing the viewer not to see as much of the video as they were too busy reading the captions. Some of the videos would have been better if they were a little shorter. Although the specifications allow up to four minutes, if your video tells the story in less time enter it that way instead of including footage that isn't as appealing. Have someone else watch the video before you send it in and give you constructive comments. This is true with still images also…I know that at NCUPS meetings there are always other members willing to review your images prior to competition submission. Four eyes are better than two. We received quite a few entries in the Creative category this year. I think this year's winners really show the spirit of creative. In fact Patti Baugh's creative entry was the choice for Best of Show. There was quite a bit of discussion about whether a creative entry should win Best of Show. The judges all liked the image, it was the image that popped out at them, and the competition committee all agreed that if it's the best it should win the prize. I know that many hours of work, in addition to photographing all those nudibranchs went into creating the image. Good job! The Marine Conservation category was new this year and 15 entries were received, all with a written description of the entry from the photographer. There were many different illustrations of marine conservation and I hope that in viewing the entries, all of which have been uploaded to the NCUPS website, there will be an increased awareness in the education and promotion of marine conservation. Please see the SEA 2007 Marine Conservation webpage on the NCUPS website. The proceeds from the Marine Conservation category are being donated to Camp Sea Lab, a marine science adventure camp for youth ages 8-18, located at the edge of the Monterey Bay. Entry statistics: Entries were received from the United Kingdom, Canada, Hungary, Austria, the Philippines, Turkey, the Republic of Dominica, India, Italy, and the United States with the states of California, Florida, Virginia, New York, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, Hawaii, Colorado and North Carolina represented. Total entrants were 60 with 9 novice entrants and 51 advanced entrants. Total entries were 432 with 63 novice entries and 369 advanced entries. The largest still class was Advanced Macro with 132 entries, and the smallest was Novice Underwater California with 13 entries. The Video entries were 10, down from last year's 16. I know there are more videographers out there...let's get those entries in next year! Please visit the NCUPS Sponsor page, when you're getting ready to plan your next trip or purchase dive and/or camera gear. We have some great sponsors who donate prizes for NCUPS competitions every year. Congratulations to all the SEA 2007 winners. See you next year! Kathy Mendes SEA Coordinator
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