We are happy to announce that the winner of the RSDS Photo Competition for October 2023 has been chosen. Congratulations to Marieke van Tienhoven with her photo "Dolphin love".
Marieke wins a free stay at the RSDS village of her choice. You can view the winning photo, and all the October 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 Marieke, and good luck to all those participating in the coming months!
From Paul Duxfield, our competition judge:
Two of my favourite pictures from this months selections were actually taken from above the water.
George Turner’s beautiful shot of a Gecko nestled in a cactus, just proving that you don’t necessarily need to enter an underwater shot to be in with a chance, I love it, great composition, showing that there’s wildlife everywhere if you choose to look especially when you're right amongst it on the fringes of the desert.
Keith Sheldon’s picture of a dolphin riding the bow wave making eye contact with the viewer is also a very emotional and exciting picture, good framing and with the sun in the frame too.
A macro picture made my final choices too, with Omar Osmans shot of a Coral Goby aggressively but artfully cropped to see it’s eyes and the translucent nature of it’s body.
Another strong field of pictures with no real weak ones, the standards definitely are being raised month upon month, but don’t think you’re not in with an opportunity to win. You’ve got to be in it to win it, to trot out that well used but apt phrase, so keep them coming people, you never know.
My final choice though was a beautiful monochrome study in simplicity, with the perfect storm of behaviour, framing and an artful interpretation by Marieke van Tienhoven of a pair of mating dolphins. Beautiful but it only just won out against my other choice the topside shot of a Gecko in the Cactus by George Turner.
So well done Marieke and commiserations George it was a close run thing this month.
Don’t forget that I'm running Fotofest 24 at Marsa Nakari next year, in conjunction with Sarah O’Gorman, for six days of talks, photo clinics and many chances to get underwater photography help and one to one tuition from the 15-20th June here’s the link for further details and to book yourself a place.
It’d be great to see you there in June 2024.
