We are happy to announce that the winner of the RSDS Photo Competition for March 2023 has been chosen. Congratulations to Ferenc Lorincz with his photo "Peppered Murena".
Ferenc wins a free stay at the RSDS village of his choice. You can view the winning photo, and all the March participants here.
If you would like a chance to win, simply register on our website and upload your photos from our competition page. Each day we choose a 'photo of the day' from the selection of entries. Anyone can register on our website and vote on photos entered into the competition. At the end of the month our Photo Pro and photography workshop leader, Paul ‘Duxy’ Duxfield, looks at the votes and chooses a winner from the highest scoring photos. Full terms and conditions and prize details are available here.
Congratulations again to Ferenc, and good luck to all those participating in the coming months!
From Paul Duxfield, our competition judge:
Simple,bold and graphic.
These are the words that define and have elevated my two main choices this month to above the ordinary.
This is not to say that the other entries are in any way ordinary.
As a study in intimacy and the inexorable drive towards perpetuating the species, Ruth Wanger’s shot of a pair of Big Horned Nembrothas finalising their copulatory act should maybe be renamed Big Horn(y) Nembrothas instead !
Good observation and execution Ruth.
I also loved Luisa Weinert’s shot of a trio of Batfish at a cleaning station as another example of behaviour rendered in a picture. As was Isabelle Drouet’s shot of a Moray being cleaned by a shrimp.
All great examples of good photo technique and observation of the environment.
My two faves though caught my eye because whilst not showing a particular behaviour they are defined by being very compositionally strong and graphically bold.
Francis Glassup’s dynamic framing and angle on this Dugong, also avoiding getting any bubbles in shot, has made this a very strong entry.
Loved it, nice surface detail, well balanced exposure, and perfect composition.
And my next stand out in the current crop of entries I really loved as it literally bursts out of the frame, with the main subject front and centre, with next to zero clutter as the photographer has opted to use a tube device to shoot through. These things can easily become instant cliches but this shot of a Peppered Moray is raised above the bar by doing so, perfectly framed by the tubes blurring and the strong vignette.
Not exactly a purist Natural History study however it is a great piece of standalone art.
And as I type this I’m realising that Ferenc's shot is my favourite this time.
Well done all and particularly well done to Ferenc.
Duxy has been running escorted photo workshops in Marsa Shagra for the last three years. These workshops are designed for camera users of all experience levels, with any type of underwater camera. Duxy is on hand to share tips and information, troubleshoot individual photography issues, escort early morning and late afternoon dives, and give talks on specific subjects. The Red Sea Photo Camp with Duxy and Alphamarine Photography will be held in Shagra from June 13-20 2023 - full information.
