YOUR PATH TO GLORY
NIGEL EATON, EDITOR

EVERY TWO OR THREE YEARS HERE AT DIVER, we get a bit of a treat. For more than 30 years, we have run a series of biennial or triennial contests for underwater photographers and film-makers. And when it comes to judging the thousands of entries sent in by divers from all over the world, we are unfailingly amazed and inspired by the quality of the images that we see.

So what does it take to produce an award-winning underwater photograph? Such images differ from the documentary-style shots that appear in diving magazines to illustrate articles. Rather than helping to tell a story, they must generally stand alone, encapsulating a moment in time in a fresh and compelling way.

They must, of course, be of an adequate technical standard. In the case of colour slides, for instance, good-quality duplicates are OK, but otherwise excellent images can be rejected because, when viewed under the glass, they lack sharpness or suffer from extremes of contrast, with vital areas either burnt out or filled in.

Overused subjects such as clownfish, gobies and moray eels are generally best avoided. But don't believe that finding an unusual underwater subject is all that's necessary: an imaginative take on a familiar scene may actually be more interesting.

Whether you opt to emphasise dramatic impact, or concentrate on factors such as light, colour and composition, is up to you. Some judges will be swung by the one approach, some by the other.

Finally, remember that certain subject categories, such as People and Scenery and UK Waters, attract far fewer entries than average. Concentrate on these, and you just might make a name for yourself.

If we had to opt for a single guiding principle, what would it be? Graphic simplicity. It's not what you put into a piece of work that counts but what you leave out of it!

The closing date for entries for Image 2003 is 29 September. So you have all summer to plan your diving, perfect your techniques, take your pictures, and present the best of them for judging.

Incidentally, if you want to improve your technique for photographing fish, you can find advice in the first article in a new series by top underwater photographer Kurt Amsler. And in this month's Diver Tests, John Bantin gives his views on the pros and cons of going digital.



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