Wetpixel/Under The Jungle Cenote Workshop 2021
Articles
Bruce Mozert: Underwater Florida kitsch from the 1950’s
When considering underwater glamor photography, it is interesting to note that Bruce Mozert was taking pictures of models in Silver Springs, Florida in 1938 and he created some of the most memorable kitsch photography in the era of Florida’s tourism marketing boom of the 1950’s. Mozert started his photography career in New York City, and by the age of 20 was already seen as an accomplished photographer and cameraman. He initially visited Silver Springs as en route to a shoot in Miami, having heard that his favorite actor, Johnny Weissmuller, was filming Tarzan there; he ended up staying for the rest of his life. He built an underwater housing for his still camera soon after arriving, the only one in the world at the time, and spent the next 45 years showing the world how amazingly clear the waters of Silver Springs were. He specialized in trying to recreate the domestic home life in America of the era in an underwater environment, and in portraying the natural splendors that people could see in the springs.
His pictures were the subject of an article in the Smithsonian magazine in May 2008.
Raja Ampat 2011 Park Tag Design Contest is online for public voting!
20 finalists have been chosen to compete in the 2011 Raja Ampat Park Tag Design Contest! We need your help in picking the design or photo that will be printed on 5,000 tags for entry into the Raja Ampat Marine Protected Area. Competition was extremely tough this year, and judges had a really hard time choosing from the pool of excellent submissions.
Public voting starts now and ends at 11:59PM on October 11, 2010. Head on over and pick out your favorites (and send your friends to do the same)!
Video: Under the Arctic Ice, Part 1
For someone with more than forty years of diving experience, the underwater world should hold few surprises—but what I discovered under the ice is another realm entirely. I am not talking about lake ice, but “big ice”—like what you find in the Arctic or Antarctic; and while it is fairly common to see Antarctic imagery and recreational dive trips to the Southern Ocean are common, an Arctic experience is a whole new can of worms.
To begin with, getting to the Arctic is fairly difficult unless you are able to secure space on a military vessel designed to break ice (in the U.S., there are only three Coast Guard Ice Breakers—and one of those is currently out of commission); you’ll need to prove that you are working on some form of science or exploratory venture to get on board. ..
Bahamian Sharks threatened by shark finning
SUNCO Wholesale Seafood Ltd. has announced that it plans to explore the export of shark fin caught in the Bahamas. Sharks have never been commercially fished there before, which helps to explain the healthy shark populations that exist. SUNCO’s CEO James Mackey stated that he was looking into the possibility although he did not yet have permissions from the Department of Marine Resources. The company, which is based at North Mastic Point, Andros has set up with close trading links to the Chinese Shenzhen Fengyuhua Trade Co. Ltd via a shell company in New Jersey and is currently “harvesting” a daily average of 5,000 “furry” sea cucumbers (Astichopus multifidus).
The impact of large-scale shark finning on the Bahamian shark population would be immense. There is currently no protection in Bahamian law for sharks, as there has not yet been a need. In order to try and change this, a petition has been launched urging the government to ban the import and export of shark products.
Zeiss releases compact prime cine lenses in F Mount
Zeiss has announced the imminent release of its CP.2 interchangeable compact prime cine lenses in an F Mount, to suit Micro 4/3 and Sony Alpha cameras. This is in addition to their release of them in a mount for Nikon DSLRs.
The company plans to have the new lenses available by the fourth quarter 2010.
Nikon unveils the P7000 compact camera
Nikon has unveiled a new compact camera, widely touted as a serious competitor for the popular Canon G11.The P7000 has a 10.1 megapixel CCD sensor and the camera will shoot in RAW mode, with built-in processing available if required. It can shoot HD video of 720p, at 24fps, and has an ISO range of up to 2400. Its lens has a minimum focal length of 28mm, giving an equivalent of 35mm on FX, with a vibration reduction (VR) function and a neutral density filter option.
The camera is expected to be available later in September.
Moray Eel hunting at night in 3D
Put on your 3D glasses! (Red/cyan ones.) Eric Cheng shot this video of a moray eel hunting at night during a trip to the Maldives in an anaglyph red/cyan 3D format. He used two Sony CX550V camcorders in a custom BS Kinetics underwater housing.
Light & Motion releases Wetmate 65 lens
Light & Motion has announced the shipping release of their Wetmate 65 degree lens. Designed to fit over the flat port on any of Light & Motions 2010 range of Sony housings, the wet lens adds versatility and function to a housing, allowing the user to go from macro to wide-angle on the same dive. Light & Motion has used low distortion glass on the lens for minimal distortion and has also released a 90 degree version.