See Dazzling Underwater Pictures That Received The Ocean Art Photography Contest

Simon Temple took “Grey Seal Contact” within the fleeting second between when this photogenic seal surfaced to breathe off the coast of southwestern England and when it started its descent.

Simon Temple

Simon Temple has taken numerous photographs of seals whereas scuba diving off the coast of southwestern England. But he’s captured a few of his favourite seal pictures whereas snorkeling.

“It’s the light near the surface that transforms the scene,” the underwater photographer says. “In the top couple of meters, color and contrast are stronger, giving the images far more impact.”

Those visible components converge in his fascinating close-up of a seal gazing immediately into the digicam because it surfaces for air, its extensive, darkish eyes and fanned whiskers framed by the water’s light-speckled floor skimming the highest of its head. The picture exudes a relaxed curiosity, and it simply gained honorable point out within the Cold Water class of the annual Ocean Art Underwater Photography Competition. The contest aims to highlight extraordinary moments from beneath the floor that often go unseen.

Wojtek Meczynski gained third place within the portrait class for “Home Alone,” which captures a pregnant Denise’s pygmy seahorse in a quiet second in Indonesia’s Lembeh Straight.

Wojtek Meczynski

Photographers from 90 nations submitted 1000’s of photographs this yr, with winners throughout 14 classes introduced on Friday. The pictures seize a spread of fascinating underwater sights — a sea snake tying itself right into a knot whereas shedding its pores and skin within the Philippines, a mated pair of Sargassum crabs in Florida, a seahorse giving beginning in Japan, and a trapped moray eel in Italy showing to ask for assist (happily, the photographer freed the creature after taking its image).

The contest is sponsored by the Underwater Photography Guide, which gives ideas, tutorials and equipment evaluations, amongst different steering. This yr’s winners netted greater than $60,000 in prizes, together with dive cruises and underwater pictures gear.

“These images are the result of obsession, patience and exploration,” Nirupam Nigam, editor-in-chief of the Underwater Photography Guide, mentioned in a press release. “Many of this year’s winners spent weeks, or even years, chasing moments most people will never witness.”

One such winner is Steve Kovacs, who took first place within the Blackwater class, in addition to the coveted best-in-show prize, for his whimsical picture of a monkfish in Japan showing to yawn. Kovacs knew he wished to shoot such a fish, one among his favourite topics, and at last noticed one after practically two weeks of nightly looking whereas diving within the deep waters off Kumejima, Japan.

See a sampling of the competition winners under. You can browse all the winning photos right here, and be taught extra about how the photographers captured them.

Best In Show, First Place

After spending a while watching this monkfish, Steve Kovacs was lucky that it opened its mouth in what gave the impression to be a yawn whereas going through the digicam. He calls the picture “Tired fish.”

Steven Kovacs

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Wide Angle, First Place

Byron Conroy captured these surface-patrolling silky sharks at sundown in Cuba’s Jardines Del Reina marine park calling the picture “Last Light.”

Byron Conroy

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Macro, First Place

Tucked deep inside coral polyps above the black volcanic sand of Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait, this pughead pipefish revealed itself for a quick second that Daniel Sly was thrilled to catch.

Daniel Sly

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Marine Life Behavior, First Place

In Jeon Min Seok’s picture “Beautiful Birth,” a child seahorse comes into the world in Japan. The photographer used a 35mm macro lens with a large subject of view and a steady taking pictures perform.

Jeon Min Seok

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Portrait, First Place

While sea snakes have been recognized to twist themselves into knots to shed their previous pores and skin, the conduct has hardly ever been captured on digicam. Galice Hoarau documented the sight throughout a dive within the Philippines.

Galice Hoarau

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In “One Way Out,” a diver glides by way of the water beneath the frozen Lake Huron. “My goal was to capture the freediver as though they were suspended between two worlds,” the photographer says.

James Ferrara

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Underwater Digital Art, First Place

For this summary swirl, Michal Štros created a fractal of a pufferfish’s head utilizing the Fractalius plug-in, then additional edited the picture with smoke brushes in Photoshop.

Michal Štros

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Compact Wide Angle, First Place

“I instinctively captured this moment, highlighting the peaceful connection and coexistence between the marine life and the human observers,” Haemi Cho says of this picture taken throughout a dive in Indonesia.

Haemi Cho