Shutter Box Philippines :: Digital Photography and A Whole Lot More

Entries for AustralAsia Scuba Diver’s inaugural photo competition started pouring in as soon as it was announced in February 2007.

Hundreds of contestants from more than 25 countries entered, with a total number of images in the thousands.

Adrien Uichico is the only Filipino who made it through the finals and won not just one but two awards!

Adrien, 24 years old, bagged 1st place and 3rd place in the Young Underwater Photographer category. This category is only open to photographers who were born after 1 August 1982.

Swimming pygmy seahorse, Bohol, Philippines

1st Place - Young Underwater Photographer 2007

Shrimp on coral, Bohol, Philippines

3rd Place - Young Underwater Photographer 2007

Adrien will receive a Seacam underwater DSLR camera housing worth US$4200 and a 4D/3N dive trip for two at Bahura Resort and Spa in Dumaguete for bagging the 1st place and 3rd place in the Young Underwater Photographer category.

His winning photos appeared at the 2007 China Dive Expo - CDEX (25–27 August 2007) and will also be published on issue 5/2007 of the ScubaDiver AustralAsia Magazineas well as on the ScubaDiverAA.com website.

Adrien manages a dive resort in Mabini, Batangas called Dive Solana. He has been diving since he was 11 years old. He got his first dslr in 2005 which was Canon 350D and later on got a Canon Ixus 400 and decided to get a Canon underwater plastic housing for it.

Adrien recalls that his dad lent him a Reefmaster underwater strobe which got busted because he was using it too much. Fortunately a good friend lent him an INON D2000 strobe which I used for about 4 months. It was during this time that he started talking to Gutsy Tuason and Nonoy Tan, both notable underwater photographers, on getting a n underwater housing for his Canon 350D. He finally got a housing for the Canon 350D and used it for nearly a year until he got a Nikon D200 with an Aquatica underwater housing as per Gutsy’s recommendation.

Taking underwater photographs gives Adrien a chance to share with other people the beauty of the ocean and he really wants people to realize that the Philippines has the best Marine Biodiversity in the whole world. Adrien encourages everyone to learn how to protect what we have.

At the moment, Adrien’s team is engaged in training local dive guides to cater to underwater photographers. They have conducted training seminars in Anilao, El Nido, Donsol,Bohol and Davao. They train the locals not just to be “guides” but part of the experience for an underwater photographer. Ask around and divers will usually have a “suki” divemaster or guide.

Same as photographers by training these locals we aim to help them better themselves and to take pride in their profession, being a guide for fun divers is easy but a guide to a photog or videographer now thats something else. Imagine you have to be part biologist part spotter and usually these divers stay for 1 hour- 2 hours underwater per dive and then they usually dive 3-4 dives a day.

You may want to check out the other winners of the AustralAsia Scuba Diver Photo Competition 2007. You can also see more of Adrien Uichico’s underwater photography work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrienuichico/.

American Photo Images of the Year 2007 Competition

A definitive showcase of the very best of contemporary photography

The annual American PHOTO Images of the Year event is an international competition that is a definitive showcase of the very best of contemporary photography. This juried photo contest offers unmatched exposure to both established and emerging photographers in a wide range of fields, from documentary/photojournalism to cutting-edge commercial work and will provide an unprecedented opportunity for peer review of your work by professional photographers, museum curators, art critics and influential editors. Winners will be selected on the basis of originality and the overall quality of concept execution.

Categories:

• Photojournalism/Documentary
• Commercial Work: Advertising Editorial
• Personal Work
• Student Work
• Portrait/Wedding
• Nature

Deadline:

Entries must be postmarked no later than midnight, September 14th, 2007.
Prizes:

Enter now and you just might win an incredible prize package from our sponsors. One Grand Prize winner and 6 category winners will be selected. The winning imagery will be featured in a special January/February 2008 issue of American PHOTO magazine, as well as at a special event in New York City in December 2007.

Grand Prize:

• Samsung GX-10 Kit / Lenses / Flash / 46″ HD LCD
• Dell XPS 710 Desktop computer with 19″ monitor
• Wacom Intous 6×8 tablet
• Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse
• Microsoft Office 2007
• Adobe Photoshop CS3
• Epson Stylus Photo 2400 printer
• X-Rite Pulse color calibration system
• 2-350GB Maxtor external hard drives
• SmugMug Lifetime Pro account with full customization
• $500 free prints/gifts from SmugMug site
• SmugMug will provide an all expense paid 2008 Photo Workshop in Moab, Utah (October 8 - 11, 2008)

6 Category Winners

• Samsung GX-10 Kit
• SmugMug Lifetime Pro account

Submissions:

The competition is open to work produced from September 2006 - September 14, 2007. All submitted art should be of reproduction quality. We accept color or black and white prints (8 x 10) and digital files on CDs with 8 x 10 printouts. Digital files should be TIFFs or JPEGs, high-resolution RGB, 350 dots per inch and approximately 8 x10 inches. If entering multiple categories, please use a different CD for each category. All entries must include an entry form for each image submitted.

Please note that SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE RETURNED and that American PHOTO magazine does not accept responsibility for any lost or damaged prints, or disks.

Entry Form:

Click here to download the entry form you will need to fill out and enclose with your submission.

Entry Fee:

• Single Entry: US$25
• Series: US$40
• Student Work: US$10

An entry can be either a single image or a series of images. A series includes multiple images or pages that make up a cohesive related story. A series is limited to a maximum of 10 images. To enter the student work category you must currently be enrolled in classes.

Payments:
Payments can either be made online or by sending a check or money order.

NEW!! Online Payments:
Now you can use a credit card to pay your entry fees. Simply print your receipt and enclose with your entry. Click here to visit our online fee payment site.

Check or Money Order:
A check or money order should be sent along with your entry and entry form to the following address:

American Photo Images of the Year Competition
American Photo Magazine
Hachette Fillipacchi Media, U.S.
1633 Broadway, NY, NY 10019

Judging/Winners:

The judging will be done in two stages. The initial stage will be done by the American PHOTO staff. The second stage will be done by a jury of outside experts.

The criteria for judging will be threefold:
• Originality of concept
• How well the concept fits the category
• How well the concept is executed

Winners will be notified via email or mail. Winners will be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, grant of rights, and a publicity and liability release within 14 days of notification, or alternate winners will be selected (alternate will be next highest entrant).

Contact:
Please contact Alex Cooper at acooper@hfmus.com if you have any questions.

Terms and Conditions:

Consent agreement: If I win in any of the categories, I agree to allow HFMUS to use my name, city and state, voice and image in connection with the publication of my winning entry and for promotional purposes (void where prohibited), without review, notification, or approval. I further represent that it is my own work and that by publishing it will not violate the rights of any person or property owner whose image or property may appear in the work. I agree that you may publish this work and reproduce and distribute it in connection with this publication/contest at any time in any current or future media, in special editions, on Websites, and in promotions.

The editors of Popular Photography & Imaging have named Marc Aviles from San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines, the 2007 Photographer of the Year. He will receive the $5,000 cash prize and the prestigious title of “The Best Shooter on the Planet.”

The self-taught photographer, who is in his late 30s and works in the information-technology field, has been shooting for five years. This is his first time competing in a Popular Photography & Imaging contest. “I’ve been following the Photographer of the Year contest since the beginning,” he says, but I always missed the deadlines before.”

Aviles said that competing in this year’s Shoot-Out allowed him to exercise his imagination. “I find competitions very exciting because there’s a lot of great photographers out there and I’m learning a lot,” he says.

Check out the gallery of 2007 Photographer of the Year Marc Aviles’ work from all rounds of the competition.

The July 16-19 online Shoot-Out was the biggest in Pop Photo history. The hundreds of shooters in this intense, three-day competition came from all over the world, including Bosnia, Bangladesh, Russia, and Brazil. Thousands of photos were uploaded each day to the PopPhoto.com site as the photographers took on assignments ranging from the challenging to the bizarre (photograph a unicorn, anyone?).

After selecting more than 35 finalists, the editors compared each contestant’s body of work across all three assignments and narrowed it down further to a final few. The decision was difficult, as front-runners included Jodi Esplin from Spring Creek, NV, Matthew McKenzie from Foothill Ranch, CA, defending champ, 2006 Photographer of the Year Roberto Soares Gomes of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and 2005 Photographer of the Year, Michael Soo from Cupertino, CA.

Each shooter had his or her strong suit — “Esplin’s creative name construction was a stand-out from Assignment 1 (Your Name),” said one editor. “But her workplace documentary for Assignment 3 (the Creative Documentary), didn’t tell a complete story, and looked more like a well-executed environmental portrait.
The slick, high-fashion style of McKenzie’s work caught all of the judges’ eyes, but some felt his second assignment did not hold up to the others. Soo’s portrait for Assignment 2 (Rock, Paper, Scissors Portrait) was a clear favorite of the judges, and his other assignments were well executed, but didn’t exceed the judges’ expectations the way Aviles’ did.

It was Aviles’ versatility that won him the title. Each shot from all of the assignments demonstrated his technical ability and creative drive. One editor called the shot of his name created from sticks “spellbinding,” and the entire panel marveled at his pitch-perfect execution of Assignment 3’s documentary.

“Each of his five photos from Assignment 3 is technically excellent, visually engaging, and dramatic in their own way was a single photo,” remarked one judge, “and when combined, they tell a perfect visual narrative.”

“This year’s Shoot-Out was a terrific success,” says Popular Photography & Imaging’s Editor in Chief John Owens. “It was exciting to see so many talented photographers from all over the world compete so enthusiastically in all of the assignments.”

To see all of the finalists’ work, check out the finalist gallery, and to see photos that caught the judges eyes throughout the competition view the Best of gallery.

Here’s what we put the shooters through:

Day 1 Assignment: Use your first name in a photo creatively. You can find or create the letters any way you wish. Composites are fine, but you must capture them with a camera — no creating the letters with software.

Day 2 Assignment: Take a portrait of a person incorporating the three elements: rock, paper and scissors.

Day 3 Assignments: Capture a day in the life of any job (though not an office job) where you live. And, as a bonus assignment, photograph a unicorn.

Congrats Marc!

Source: PopPhoto.com

Thanks to Zymon Bumatay for the heads up.

UwP is a FREE bi-monthly web based magazine published on or around the 1st of January, March, May, July, September and November. The magazine aims to give a platform for existing and new talent in underwater photography.

UwP Issue 37 is for July/Aug 2007 and contains 52 pages (approx 6 MB)

You have to subscribe with a valid e mail address to download the latest issues.

Grab a copy of Underwater Photography Issue # 37.

CITY Magazine is an award-winning luxury lifestyle magazine that celebrates living the good life in the big city. Focusing on travel, fashion, design, food, and city life, CITY celebrates the modern urban experience and serves as your personal concierge to the best of what the world’s greatest cities have to offer. 

The ONE CITY, MANY DESTINATIONS™ travel photography competition boasts the ultimate grand prize: CITY Magazine’s cover shot. Amateur and professional photographers from around the world are invited to submit images for juried competition and a chance at landing on the cover of CITY’s Fall ‘07 Travel issue, on sale September 25, 2007.

Photographers are asked to submit images that best capture the essence of a city or other travel destination.

A jury of six internationally renowned photography and travel aficionados will pick one winning image to appear on the cover of CITY’s Fall ‘07 Travel issue.

The grand-prize winner will also receive a prize package, which includes:

• A LEICA M8 professional camera with a Leica Elmarit 28mm f2.8 lens
• A 4-day, 3-night stay at any W Hotel in the continental U.S. or Canada (*see Official Rules for Terms and Conditions), including round-trip airline tickets for two.
• A $500 gift certificate to Calumet Photographic

All 15 runners-up will also win a LEICA C-LUX 2 compact camera.

The work of 16 finalists, including the grand-prize winner, will appear in a special travel photography portfolio inside CITY’s Fall ‘07 Travel issue.

All entries must be travel-related and must be submitted as digital files. One person may enter numerous images that best capture the essence of a city or other travel destination.

All entries must be a genuine photographic image that is recognizable and not a completely created image. Digital retouching is allowed though restricted solely to simple color correction and cropping. Digitally manipulated images will be disqualified. For size specifications, see the Official Rules.

Don’t forget, your image is contending for the cover, and you should allow for the CITY logo at the top! (But please do not add it yourself—we’ll take care of that if you win.)

Contestants must affirm that submissions are their original work and that they are the holder of the copyright or that they have the right to copyright any and all photographs submitted to this contest.

Click here to see the complete official rules.

Due to overwhelming demand, the deadline for submissions for the ONE CITY, MANY DESTINATIONS™ competition has been extended until 11:59 p.m. EST on JULY 31, 2007! Finalists will still be selected by August 20, 2007, and notified soon thereafter. Only Finalists will be notified of results. The grand-prize winning cover image will be unveiled at a special event in New York on September 19, 2007.

A jury of six internationally renowned photography and travel aficionados will judge the contest, with some administrative assistance from the CITY Magazine editorial team.

Send an email to photocontest@city-magazine.comCheck out their website for additional information and updates:
www.city-magazine.com/photocontest

 PBase Magazine Issue #10 is now available!

Grab a copy of PBase Magazine Issue # 10 in PDF format.

Don’t worry if you missed the previous issues. Just drop by http://www.pbase.com/magazine and grab a copy of the current as well as all the previous issues.

This issue’s cover photo was taken by Dr. Erwin Lim of Cebu.

Inside, you will find the latest info on various Point and Shoot Cameras available in the market today. Plus, tips about Rim Lighting and Buying Studio Lights. This month’s featured photographers are Manny Goloyugo and Napoleon Taas.

Don’t forget to check out the winning photos in the Photo Challenge of the Month.

i-mag Photography Vol. 1 No. 8 is now available for only Php175 in leading bookstores and magazine stands nationwide.

The American Photo Magazine released their annual guide to this year’s best new products in photography.

It happens every year, but it’s worth repeating that there are more products and product categories than ever in this year’s Editor’s Choice. All that coverage required a bigger-than-ever team of experts. In addition to regular AP contributors Jonathan Barkey, Aimee Baldridge, Steve Pollock, and Jack Howard, the group included several trusted colleagues from Popular Photography & Imaging, including Dan Richards, Debbie Grossman, and Pete Kolonia. Their combined authority makes this year’s Editor’s Choice the go-to guide for buying your photo equipment.  

Check out the list at American Photo Editor’s Choice 2007 at PopPhoto.com

A couple of noteworthy photography news, updates and info that I missed that might interest you:

• TESDA Certification for Photographers - TESDA, in cooperation with the FPPF and Manila’s top Photographers, is working on certification and qualification standards for Photographers.
• Everydaylife in the Philippines - Anton Sheker’s latest photoblog
• The Philippine Wedding Congress 2007 - Schedule of activities posted
• Wedding Albums by In Prints Inc. - Book Photographer’s Sampler Kit, Book Photo Cover Albums, Book Magazine Style Albums and Illustrado Albums
• Silent Auction at Silverlens Gallery on June 6, 2007 - The proceeds of the auction will go the medical treatment of photojournalist Mon Acasio.
• National Geographic Asia’s In the Womb Twins Contest - Twins, Triplets & Quads submit your photos and stories now
• KKK: Photographs by Kidlat, Kawayan & Kabunyian De Guia - Silverlens gallery invites everyone to celebrate Independence Day 2007 by visiting the exhibit which will open on June 12, 2007 at 6pm
• How Cameras Work - if you want to take better pictures, knowing our tools - and how they work - is an important step.
• Quick Shots 101 - a primer on sports photography

The waiting is finally over as the winners of Cebu Pacific’s Smile Photo Contests are out! The response was overwhelming – as was the quality of the entries.

The competition was launched to celebrate 11 years of Cebu Pacific Air – and as our destinations have grown, so have the sources of inspiration for our entrants, an incredible 2,300 photographs were submitted.

Competition judged by:

• Madeleine Ensor – Smile Editor
• John Chua – Legendary Filipino photographer
• Terence Goh – Creative Director, Ink Publishing
• Lester Ledesma – Photo Editor, Ink Publishing

The top ten entries each win a flight with Cebu Pacific to a domestic destination of their choice.

Here are the winners:

Entrant: Estan Cabigas
Title: Flower Girl
Taken during the 2007 Sinulog festivities in Cebu.

Entrant: Jolan Antonio
Title: Smiling tarsier
Don’t cringe at the sight of this creature peering at you! It fits comfortably in a human hand.

Entrant: Joey P. Claravall
Title: Rustic scene
Rice threshing is a break from the traditional seaside scenes of Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Entrant: Walter Villa
Title: Havin’ a ball in Camiguin
Kids play in the fast running river, more commonly used by whitewater rafters

Entrant: Ann Margarette Francisco
Title: One Last Look
Sunset in Puerto Princesa is something locals are very proud of

Entrant: Ulf Gervelmeyer
Title: Kids!
Taken at Albasan beach in Numancia, Aklan

Entrant: Rosemarie Razon
Title: Faith
This photo was taken during Sinulog. It shows the faith of a child, who has braved the crowd to be part of the Santo Niño festival

Entrant: Mike Plana
Title: Rest In Fish
Parrotfish are not a common sight in the wet area of Mambajao Market, Camiguin

Entrant: Alex Empedrad
Title: Stimulating Springs
Sulfur-rich hot springs in Maco, Compostela Valley, Davao, are believed by the locals to possess healing properties

Entrant: Gep Pascual
Title: Boracay… welcome to paradise…
A boatman guides his vessel to shore

And the winner is…
Name: Chi Busque
Title: Girl’s Smile
Taken during Davao City’s Kadayawan Festival last August. I was lucky enough to get the girls attention with the smile while she was performing in the dance presentation.

Chi Busque will get an international return flight to any Cebu Pacific destination!

Congrats to the top 10. Special shout out to Ann Francisco, Walter Villa and Chi Busque! Those are awesome photos guys!

Thanks to Walter Villa for the heads up on this.

Check out the photos at Cebu Pacific’s Smile Magazine Online