Mermaid
Friday, September 11, 2026 7:30pm - Dive Into the Art of Underwater Portraiture!
In-person at Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo (Monterey) and online by Zoom
Join us for this month’s NCUPS meeting featuring the incredibly talented Kateryna Terets (Kate UA Photography)! Based right here in the SF Bay Area, Kateryna’s work masterfully captures emotion, beauty, and personality beneath the surface by blending artistic vision with careful lighting.
In this exciting session, she’ll be sharing her story and diving deep into her approach, including:
- Creative lighting strategies for underwater environments
- Tips for working with and directing subjects
- The complete creative process behind her compelling, intimate portraits
Whether you're looking to improve your own underwater photography or just want to be inspired by stunning aquatic art, you won't want to miss this!
In-person:
Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo
225 Cannery Row, Monterey, California
Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 873 6681 6446
Passcode: 061494
Mini Competition
Some big changes here too. Read the full details on our website on the competition page. But the quick big ticket items:
Still Photo and Video competitions each month. Enter either or both!
Competition will be judged with comments provided instead of the old voting approach.
NEW DEADLINE for entry. Since we’re using judges, we need to get images to them and give them time to actually do the judging. So, going forward, please submit your images via the link below (or on the the competition page) by the 15th of the prior month. So, for October, you would submit by Sept 15.
All of the minicomp themes are on our here with convenient upload links. You can upload your picture for any month at any time UP UNTIL the deadline.
September Minicomp
September’s theme is School. Those images were due by 8/15. October’s Minicomp theme is Ambient Light. Those are due by 9/15. Get them in on time, please! Please name your files like this 06YourName.jpg. Upload October entries here.
And remember, entering is a good idea. For 2026, we have 2 BIG annual prizes:
Best Photographer. $100 prize for the person with the highest cumulative score during the year.
Best Shot. Another $100 prize will be awarded to the best photo of the year (based on the first place winners during the January to November time frame).
NCUPS Background
The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society (NCUPS) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that promotes interest in underwater photography. The club has been active since 1957, sponsoring educational events on both underwater photography and video while promoting awareness of the underwater environment and pertinent ecological issues. NCUPS serves the greater San Francisco Bay area, including Silicon Valley. FEIN 94-3278015
