We need your help to decide the monthly photo competition winner of June. To help you make your choice, our Photo Pro, Paul 'Duxy' Duxfield, has narrowed it down to two entries and we would like to involve you in the final decision by voting in our Facebook poll!
Here is what Duxy had to say:
So for the lovely month of June, which is one of my favourite times underwater in the Red Sea where there’s a sense of
building excitement, with fish starting to school, I’m going to pass off the final decision of this months winner to a public vote again.
I know it isn't universally welcomed by you all but it’s good to mix things up a bit, as we can get too comfortable with the usual way of doing things.
So I’m picking two from a strong group of finalists, and then it’s up to you good folks.
Ok, first and foremost I have to say I love the simplicity of Sandor’s great shot of a shark - maybe a Silvertip? at, i'm assuming, Elphinstone?
It’s simple, beautifully composed and exposed.
The arc of the Sharks body looking into the picture and the negative space has signalled to me that Sandor has taken his time to not get over excited by the subject matter, kept his cool and taken the picture at the decisive moment.
Elphinstone is, of course really easily accessed from the Marsa Shagra location, and can be done early morning and you're back home for breakfast.
My next choice isn’t a dramatic high status beast like a shark, but in no way does this diminish from the end result.
I'm talking about Keith Sheldon’s portrait of a Lionfish, which is one of the most regularly encountered Red Sea creatures, but in my opinion one of the most photogenic.
Although they're a very common creature, they’re not always the easiest to get a great shot of, particularly a head on view, displaying the feathered and spiky shape of the Lionfish that Keith has patiently waited for here.
Again I think he’s kept the composition simple, and not succumbed to placing the fish dead centre and kept some of the out of focus reef in the background at the left.
So now it’s over to you, which do is your favourite of these two simple well executed shots?
