BTS Contest results

[yahsemtough 0]

Congrats to all who placed and especially My buddy Rand for his Best of Show placing.

 

http://www.beneaththesea.org/

 

Well done all!

 

Todd

[james 0]

Holy cow, lots of other Wetpixel members too!

 

Congrats to Larry for second place behaviour and to Mary Lou Reid from HUPS for second place macro. Linda Cline got the first in the behaviour category. John Gordon got first and third place in the "General" category, and Judy Johnson got a third. Joe B. got second place in marine life and Jimmy Abernethy got an HM.

 

Cheers

James

[kdietz 0]

Wow.....great news for all the Wetpixelers......WTG Rand with BOS

 

Congrats to the winners!

 

Karl

[Rocha 0]

Congrats to all! Here is the direct link to the results:

 

http://www.beneaththesea.org/v2006/photo_contest_2006.html

 

Luiz

[MikeVeitch 0]

Outstanding!!!! Well done everyone....

 

I think Rand is photo contest king of 2005/06.....

[herbko 0]

Congrats to all the winners!

 

Rand's running away with all the contests!

[randapex 0]

Thanks guys. Congrats to Larry, Joe, Linda, John and Judy. Lots of good shots there.

 

I might mention, even though it's not real apparent from the small photo, that I used Alex's magic filter on that shot. It really needs to be seen big to appreciate what it did. Especially for the small baitfish. Anyway, what a thrill.

 

Rand

[Painted Frogfish 0]

Congrats to the winners!

I was wondering about Paul Krupela's shot of the Tiger shark with the housing in its mouth. How on earth did that happen?!

[Alex_Mustard 0]

Congratulations all.

 

But Rand - that is amazing, brilliant, wonderful. I know it sounds totally selfish, but you wouldn't believe how much that means to me that the Magic Filter helped you win the "David Doubilet award for excellence in underwater photography" and be Best In Show.

 

 

I was always a little worried about sharing the Magic Filter and not keeping it for myself. But this is totally brilliant. I am definitely more pleased that someone else won such a big prize with the filter, rather than me. Amazing.

 

:D

 

Alex

[Kelpfish 15]

Hi all,

 

Rand, a big congrats on that feeding bird shot. Those little bastards move fast. That is an awesome shot. Nice work by everyone else as well. Next up...UWIMAGES contest. Good luck to all.

 

Joe

[Alex_Mustard 0]

Just had another look through the gallery of winners. I was a bit disappointed to see the boxer crab image getting through. Boxer crabs don't live on sponges and are rarely found in such neatly arranged pairs - methinks that there has been some manipulation there.

 

Anyone else get that impression from that image?

 

Alex

[yahsemtough 0]

I also found it interesting that not all the placings were awarded.

[Lionfish43 0]

Congrats to all the winners, myself included. I was very happy to place at BTS but from now on I'm going to get someone else to pick my shots for me. Same as last year the shot that won for me was an image that I added at the last minute to fill out the catagories and was the shot that I thought was least likely to win. I had three or four shots that I thought were very strong, that I really liked. None of them did anything. I guess there's no accounting for bad taste....my own no doubt.

 

Great shot Rand - there's no doubt about that one. Linda too.

[mandarinfish 0]

Thanks, and congrats to everyone else too!

 

I know how ya feel, Larry. Why is it that the photos that I think are long shots are the ones that do something? For myself, I think it's lack of objectivitiy when I evaluate my own photos. I do much better at picking winners when I'm looking at someone else's work .. Great nudis, BTW!

 

Linda

[Arnon_Ayal 1]

Congrats all, great shots there.

But the most impresive photographer is the one that hold the camera in is mouth there, what a technick!

[jgdiver 0]

Just had another look through the gallery of winners. I was a bit disappointed to see the boxer crab image getting through. Boxer crabs don't live on sponges and are rarely found in such neatly arranged pairs - methinks that there has been some manipulation there.

 

Anyone else get that impression from that image?

 

Alex

 

In my response to this type of accusation that my first place photo in the General Categories "Tiny Dancers"is unnatural, I would like to inform you that this photo was taken after our dive master pointed them out to me. I never saw anyone move the Boxer crabs or touch them, all I did was focus, compose and shoot. This image was taken in a series where the Boxer crabs stayed together the entire time I can provide additional images and witnesses if necessary. If you reference the book "Indo-Pacific CORAL REEF Field Guide" by Dr Gerald R. Allen & Roger Steene on page 163 you will see a similar pair of boxer crabs together. I know that they were not placed together for this photo I believe paring is natural behavior.

 

As far as the sponge you could reference this website to see that this crab does live on or frequents this type of sponge. http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pag...-1618-2451.html

 

Sincerely

John Gordon

[Alex_Mustard 0]

Thanks for responding, John.

 

Glad to hear that you didn't have a hand in arranging the crabs.

 

The reason I brought this up in the first place was I have seen dive masters in Indonesia pick up boxer crabs and carry them and place on nice clean sponge backgrounds or open black sand - as the rocky terrain that they usually live in is rather unphotogenic. I have also seen DMs coralling them between their fingers to arrange them in neat pairs.

 

Here is a photo I took of boxercrab that had been moved from its shallow, rocky natural habitat onto a sponge:

 

If you type boxer crabs in google images can see them on plenty of different backgrounds - including corals and sponges. Although I strongly doubt all of these are natural.

 

I am sorry that my comment was inaccurate about your image. And thank you again for clarifying that there was no subject manipulation in your image. Certainly there are plenty of small sponges in the natural environment that boxer crabs are found. And certainly crabs need to come together to mate etc.

 

So on your word I retract my previous doubts and offer you congratulations - it is a very captivating image.

 

Alex

 

p.s. I am off to do some subject manipulation myself next week - when we will be feeding fish to get sharks arranged as we want them.

[yahsemtough 0]

So now that we see Alex's overexposed Boxer and know he does not always take inspiring photos...

 

I am curious on peoples thoughts on whether contests should award all placings or not. Should they stipulate the number of shots needed to be received in order to award all placings. I only ask as I see Rands wreck photo got a HM but no placings were awarded above that. I like his shot. (I entered no wreck photos so this has no personal bearing, just curiousity or discussion sake)

[echeng 0]

Todd -

 

Sometimes the entries are so weak that judges cannot justify awarding all placings! It should perhaps be a fine print issue, especially if money is required for entry, but I believe that the final call should be up to the judges.

[Lionfish43 0]

BTS has done it in the past but not to the extent that they did this year. Maybe they decided to award the top 20 pics regardless of category.

 

The thing that I find most curious - and I'm suprised that no one else has picked up on it - is the fact that BTS seems to have disregarded categories entirely. Clearly, John Gordon's images do not belong in the general category. Here's BTS's own definition of the general category "A. General: Wide or medium shots of divers, wrecks, reef environments, etc." John's images are beautiful but they are macro shots. Unless it's just a typo on their site, it seems kind of wierd.

 

John,

I'm not dumping on your images - they're great - just making an observation.

[jgdiver 0]

Clearly, John Gordon's images do not belong in the general category. Here's BTS's own definition of the general category "A. General: Wide or medium shots of divers, wrecks, reef environments, etc." John's images are beautiful but they are macro shots. Unless it's just a typo on their site, it seems kind of wierd.

 

Lionfish, I think you are correct in your observation, my files for the competitions I labeled these images for entry in BTS as "C" for the macro categories I'm not sure what happened as I entered five major competitions and the rules for each were quite different. In my effort to comply I found it necessary to re-edit and size for each competition multiple times perhaps, if I made a mistake on the entry form. I cannot find any defining evidence on my end showing which category they were entered in to for BTS. This is the first year I have sent entry's so I could have made a mistake. My apologies if the mistake was mine.

 

John

[yahsemtough 0]

You may want to contact BTS to verify and let them know John. Errors can occur innocently, on either side.

 

Todd

[Lionfish43 0]

This is the first year I have sent entry's so I could have made a mistake. My apologies if the mistake was mine.

 

John

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No need to apologize to any of us. I wouldn't worry about it too much. After all. a first place prize is usually pretty substantial. If BTS screwed up. it's not your problem.

[Slippery-when-wet 0]

Just had another look through the gallery of winners. I was a bit disappointed to see the boxer crab image getting through. Boxer crabs don't live on sponges and are rarely found in such neatly arranged pairs - methinks that there has been some manipulation there.

 

Anyone else get that impression from that image?

 

Alex

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'd have to go with this assumption too, but I'm not going to appologise afterwards.

Boxer crabs are almost always found singularly and the dive guides go collect them and arrange them for the photographers on that sponge.

To state that they were pointed out by the diveguides as is, would be grossly misleading. To say there are witnesses too, frankly I'd rather believe the second coming was yesterday.

Manipulating wildlife is a big no-no supposingly in competitions and if this image is allowed to take the prize (in the wrong category) it shows that it's all lip service and really anything goes.

It just shows how inexperienced judges can be with regard to the natural habits of creatures. Just one of these latest phase creatures wit a cute persona.

So if you want your witnesses to purger themselves too, post their comments here.

[cor 0]

I'd have to go with this assumption too, but I'm not going to appologise afterwards.

Boxer crabs are almost always found singularly...

 

The key word being 'almost'. There is always a chance that an image that looks like it just cant be true, is actually natural. For that reason I think one should be really careful in publically attacking someone. If you cant actually proof anything, id give anyone the benefit of the doubt. (*)

 

It just shows how inexperienced judges can be with regard to the natural habits of creatures. Just one of these latest phase creatures wit a cute persona.

 

I think what it shows is that some diveguides and/or resorts will do almost anything to please a customer, and unless you say something about it right then and there, its not going to change. But, before I get any comments about that, I know there are plenty of guides and resorts that are very conscious of the environment.

 

Cor

 

(*) unless ofcourse its so obvious there is no other way, like that image where both the foreground and the background are sharp, but the middle isnt.