News

2019 Digital Shootout Coverage

By Ian Bongso-Seldrup, July 12, 2019 @ 01:00 PM (EST)

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for the last couple of decades, you’ll know that there’s one special event on the underwater imaging calendar that comes around in June: The Digital Shootout. But, despite the name, this isn’t just about underwater photographers battling one another for awesome trip and gear prizes (although that is certainly an exciting aspect and the prizes are definitely of the awesome variety).

No, for the 70 participants from around the world who joined the pros for an intense Event Week (and, for many, a Warm-Up Week beforehand), it was also about doing fabulous dives (courtesy of Little Cayman Beach Resort), getting their hands on some ubercool cameras, housings and other imaging gear (courtesy of joint organizer Backscatter), and above all, learning from some of the best in the business.

Needless to say, the Backscatter team was front and center, letting participants play with some very tasty underwater imaging gear, including:

Still, for many, the highlight came at the end of the Event Week as this year’s judges—Berkley White, Hergen Spalink, Erin Quigley, Joel Penner, Jen Penner, Brett Kotheimer, Cristian Dimitrius, and Dan Baldocchi—agonized over which of the almost 500 images and 11 videos submitted represented the most mind-blowing work created during the time on Little Cayman. Check out the winners below:

Winner: Jim Watt Award – Natasha Hinojosa

Winner: Wide Angle Traditional – Molly Alvino

Winner: Wide Angle Unrestricted – Hannes Klostermann

Winner: Macro Traditional – Patricia Dusman

Winner: Macro Unrestricted – Greg Sherman

Winner: Point & Shoot – Ann Donahue

Winner: Video – Marteyne van Well

Well, only you know why you weren’t part of this fantastic event… Luckily, you have a chance to redeem yourself: The Digital Shootout will, of course, be back in 2020—this time at Divi Flamingo Resort in Bonaire. All you have to do is reserve your spot…