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DPG and Dive into the Pink are thrilled to unveil the winners of the fifth Think Pink Photo Competition. Organized by Dive into the Pink and hosted by DPG, the contest asked shooters to submit their best photos featuring the color pink into a two categories—Macro and Wide Angle.
The judges had a tough time selecting winners from a large pool of stunning submissions in the Macro category, but they ultimately settled on Simon Theuma’s gorgeous clingfish portrait as the first place winner, scoring him a trip to Crystal Blue Resort in Anilao, Philippines. Enrico Somogyi nabbed second place—and a Backscatter Mini Flash 2 and Optical Snoot combo package—with his unique “wide-angle macro” view of a blenny just below the ocean’s surface. Third place and a $175 gift certificate from Ultralight Camera Solutions was awarded to Daniel Sly for his heartwarming image of a pair of seahorses, one hugely pregnant. In fourth place was Massimo Giorgetta, whose pink-lit portrait of a mimic octopus won him a book by Dr. Alex Mustard. Luis Arpa’s lovely coconut octopus image was also highly commended by our judges, receiving an Honorable Mention.
From a spectacular collection of entries in the Wide Angle category, the judges selected Martin Stevens’ impressive shot of a group of rose-colored jellyfish at the surface as the first place winner, awarding him a trip to Lissenung Island Resort in Papua New Guinea. Jenny Stock came in at second place with her capture of a pair of mating Australian giant cuttlefish under a sunny sky, winning a Kraken Hydra 12000 light. Jules Casey’s haunting shot of a male weedy seadragon carrying eggs underneath a sun-drenched pier captured third place and a $175 gift certificate from Ultralight Camera Solutions. Honorable Mentions went to both Byron Conroy’s Raja reefscape and Dave Hicks’ giant Pacific octopus portrait.
This year’s competition was held in honor and loving memory of passionate California underwater photographer Deanne King, and on a whim, we also decided to select a special image to commemorate Deanne’s sense of creativity. The judges unanimously selected a sublime, perfectly bokeh-ed goby image, captured by Rich Neely in California, for this honor—and a $500 cash prize.
Dive into the Pink founder/president and contest organizer Allison Vitsky said, “I started this competition in 2017 after a late-night brainstorming session with my old friend, Mike Bartick, the photo pro at Crystal Blue Resort. I asked him, ‘What if we tried running an imaging contest as a cancer fundraiser?’ He loved the idea and volunteered a big prize from Crystal Blue, and we gave it a shot. I really thought it might be a one-off! I never imagined we’d have such enthusiastic support from so many talented shooters! The submissions this year were astonishingly beautiful, and they helped us raise nearly $3800, all of which will go directly to funding cancer research.
“Congratulations to our winners, and to all of you who supported us by entering the competition this year, thank you so much. We are deeply honored by your support. I’d also like to thank our generous sponsors, Crystal Blue Resort, Lissenung Island Resort, Kraken Sports, Backscatter, Ultralight Camera Solutions, and Dr. Alex Mustard. Finally, my deepest gratitude also goes to our judging panel, Mike Bartick, Renee Capozzola, and Brandi Mueller, as well as DPG Managing Editor Ian Bongso-Seldrup. Without your dedication, time and expertise, this year’s Think Pink competition would not have been possible.”
The Fifth Think Pink Photo Competition
WINNERS
Deanne King Honorary Image – “Black Eyes on Pink” – Rich Neely
Shooting Location: Monterey, California, USA
Equipment and Settings: Nikon D850, Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens, Nauticam housing, Retra Flash Pro strobes, OrcaTorch D710V video light, f/4, 1/160s, ISO 64
Photographer’s Comment: “When visibility in Monterey Bay is somewhat ‘challenging,’ my favorite way to eliminate the thick particulate in the water is to aim for super-shallow depth-of-field shots of gobies’ eyes. Blackeye gobies can be found perched atop pink coralline-encrusted rocks or on orange sea stars. I’m always looking for contrasting colors and the black against the pink always works for me. Most of the gobies dart away as soon as I—very slowly—lift my camera, but eventually I’ll find a calm, cute little goby-buddy who will let me shoot again and again as I talk to it nicely through my regulator. Here, I tried to include some of the texture of the area around the black eyes and the top of the mouth to ease the transition a little. Also, I only had to remove four bits of backscatter while processing the image!”
Macro
First Place – “Jewel of the Sea” – Simon Theuma (Australia)
Shooting Location: Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia
Equipment and Settings: Nikon D850, Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens, Sea&Sea housing, Inon +15 close-up wet lens, Sea&Sea YS-250 strobes, f/20, 1/250s, ISO 64
Photographer’s Comment: “I captured this shot of one of my favorite marine creatures—the pink eastern cleaner clingfish (Cochleoceps orientalis)—at my local dive spot in Shellharbour. These little fish, only about three centimeters long, are some of the prettiest in the sea. I call them the ‘jewels of the sea’ because of their stunning, iridescent eyes and intricate patterns. This one was perched perfectly on a pink sea tulip, creating a beautiful harmony of color. To bring out its jewel-like colors and textures, I directed the light from the side to highlight its details. Achieving the right focus took a bit of patience, waiting for the fish to settle just so. This image captures both the delicate beauty of these tiny underwater treasures and my fascination with them, right on my doorstep.”
Second Place – “Blenny’s Home” – Enrico Somogyi (Germany)
Shooting Location: Siquijor Island, Philippines
Equi​pment and Settings: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, OM System 40–150mm f/4 lens, Nauticam housing, Nauticam EMWL with 100° objective lens, Backscatter Miniflash 2 (MF-2) with Backscatter Optical Snoot (OS-1), pink colored snoot insert, f/13, 1/125s, ISO 200
Photographer’s Comment: “This year, I went on vacation to the lovely Philippine island of Siquijor. Directly in front of my resort was a beautiful coral garden, where I went snorkeling every day. One day, I found a little blenny hanging out on a pockmarked rock, which was just below the surface in a sandy area. The next day, I went back with my camera, and after a while, I found the rock and the blenny again. I tried to take a picture of the blenny, but he was initially very shy. Finally, after about 20 minutes, he became more relaxed and came out of his hole. That’s when I managed to get this satisfying shot.”
Third Place – “You’re Pregnant?!” – Daniel Sly (Australia)
Shooting Location: Kurnell, Sydney, Australia
Equipment and Settings: Nikon D500, Nikon 60mm f/2.8 macro lens, Nauticam housing, Inon Z-330 strobes, f/18, 1/100s, ISO 400
Photographer’s Comment: “A pair of pot-bellied seahorses clings to a cluster of pink sea tulips using their prehensile tails. The male, identifiable by his noticeably swollen abdomen, appears to be on the verge of giving birth. Unlike most species, it is the male seahorse that carries the developing young in a specialized pouch. As the pregnancy nears its end, the male’s belly becomes rounded and distended, signaling that he will soon release a brood of tiny seahorse fry. My goal for this photograph was to capture a sense of connection between the two seahorses. I took several shots, but it wasn’t until I patiently waited for the gentle surge to bring them into alignment that I got the moment I was hoping for. The female on the left seemed to gaze directly at the male’s swollen belly, resulting in an almost ‘shocked’ expression that added a touch of personality to the scene.”
Fourth Place – “Mimic Portrait” – Massimo Giorgetta (Italy)
Shooting Location: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Equipment and Settings: Nikon D800E, Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens, Seacam housing, ReefNet Subsee +10 close-up lens, Subtronic PRO160 strobes with color filters for background, Inon Z-240 strobe with snoot for subject, f/32, 1/160s, ISO 160
Photographer’s Comment: “The day began with a dive on a black sand bottom. A small mimic octopus poked his head out of the sand. He did not seem intimidated, and I approached, knowing that if I bothered him, he would put his head under the sand and then try to escape. I patiently approached, and breathing slowly, I took about four or five shots using three strobes—two with color filters for the background and one with a snoot for the subject.”
Honorable Mention – “Sunset on the Reef” – Luis Arpa (Spain)
Shooting Location: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Equipment and Settings: Nikon Z7, Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens, Nauticam housing, MiniGear MS-03 snooted torch, MiniGear MS-03 torch with orange filter, Scubalamp PV32T video light in magenta mode, f/5.6, 1/200s, ISO 200
Photographer’s Comment: “Octopuses are my favorite animals. Growing up on the Mediterranean coast allowed me to enjoy many encounters with these amazing creatures, but unknowingly, I was always limited to one species, the common octopus. As I grew older, I became a diver and a biologist, which only encouraged me to keep learning and pursuing these magnificent animals across the world. Fast forward a few years and I decided to (finally) make a trip to Lembeh, known for having some 20 different species ‘easily’ found in its waters—probably the most common being the coconut octopus. On my very first dive of my very first trip, we found this beauty doing what they do best, using discarded seashells (or coconut shells, hence the name) to build their personal little fortress that they carry with them across the seabed. As I was attending a creative workshop, I wanted to try something different to what I was used to doing. So, I placed two torches on the sand to illuminate different parts of the scene while using a snooted torch to highlight the eye of the octopus. The result reminded me as if the octopus was peacefully enjoying a sunset from his home balcony.”
Wide Angle
First Place – “Jellyfish Hangout” – Martin Stevens (UK)
Shooting Location: Falmouth, Cornwall, UK
Equipment and Settings: OM System OM-5, Olympus 7–14mm f/2.8 Pro lens, Isotta housing, Sea&Sea YS-D3 Mark II strobes
Photographer’s Comment: “Mauve stinger jellyfish are a common sight in parts of the Mediterranean but relatively rare in the UK. This summer, there had been an usually large number of sightings off Cornwall in the far southwest, but I had not yet seen any. Then one day in early autumn, we went down to photograph creatures on the shore and came across hundreds of jellyfish washing up that had been brought in by strong winds the day before. I dashed back home and grabbed my wetsuit and mask to where many of the jellyfish were swimming about in some lower shore pools. I lay snorkeling in the pool and captured a set of them all together against the seaweed lining the rock pool—while at the same time watching my fingers for the powerful stinging tentacles.”
Second Place – “The Cuttle Cuddle” – Jenny Stock (UK)
Shooting Location: Whyalla, South Australia
Equipment and Settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Nauticam housing, Retra Flash strobes, f/18, 1/200s, ISO 400
Photographer’s Comment: “Shooting the annual cuttlefish mating season in Whyalla is one of the most bizarre and fascinating experiences. In courtship, cuttlefish embrace tentacled heads and mate whilst swimming together. I was lucky enough to see this pair copulating in their underwater Eden, backlit by the rays of the sun. Learning about their reproduction process is just as fascinating. Cuttlefish mate head-to-head with their tentacles wrapped around each other’s faces. Once locked with a female, the male uses a special tentacle to insert sperm sacs into a receptacle chamber near the female’s mouth. He may also try using jets of water to remove the sperm of rival males who have previously mated with the female. Female cuttlefish store their eggs in a separate chamber and are able to decide which male’s sperm she wants to fertilize her eggs if she has more than one source in her pouch, by ejecting the rejected mate’s sperm.”
Third Place – “Daddy Day Care” – Jules Casey (Australia)
Shooting Location: Flinders Pier, Victoria, Australia
Equipment and Settings: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, Olympus 8mm f/1.8 fisheye lens, Isotta housing, Kraken Sports KRS-02 strobes, f/9, 1/125s, ISO 250
Photographer’s Comment: “A male weedy seadragon displays his fresh, vibrant pink eggs along the underside of his tail. My 8mm fisheye lens allowed me to capture the subtle sunrays streaming through the pier as the pylons perfectly framed the weedy seadragon. The weedy seadragon looks directly into my lens as if he is proudly showing off his brood. The incubation period for weedy seadragons is eight weeks, when up to 250 eggs will begin to hatch. The babies measure about 2.5cm, while an adult weedy seadragon measures 45cm. Weedy seadragons are listed as ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).”
Honorable Mention – “Biggest Fan” – Byron Conroy (UK)
Shooting Location: Misool, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Equipment and Settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens, Nauticam housing, Inon Z-240 strobes, f/8, 1/100s, ISO 320
Photographer’s Comment: “The sea fans of Misool are incredible, but it’s hard to photograph them in a way that does them justice. I wanted to isolate them from the reef a little bit, and the best way to do this was to shoot up. I was lucky to find these fans that were hidden away a little in an overhang and could light them in a way that only lit the fans and the face of the model, creating a natural black silhouette style image separating the magic of the fans from the surrounding reef. It was a dive that was a little later in the day, making the surface light manageable and allowing me to get plenty of strobe light onto the fans.”
Honorable Mention – “Cold Comfort” – David Hicks (USA)
Shooting Location: God’s Pocket Resort, Browning Wall, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Equipment and Settings: Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24–50mm f/4–6.3, Nauticam housing, Nauticam WWL-C water-contact optic, Inon Z-330 strobes, f/16, 1/160s, ISO 800
Photographer’s Comment: “One of God’s Pocket Resort’s signature dive sites is Browning Wall, famous for its extensive coverage of colorful soft corals, sponges, and critters on a deep vertical wall. As we descended to 80 feet, my wife Rebecca and I spotted a giant Pacific octopus in the open! This is a rare treat: A subject like this on this sort of background is exactly what makes Browning Pass known as one of the most beautiful diving locations on the planet. I took a few photos of it and then backed off and let other divers have a chance to photograph this amazing creature. Once they departed, I moved back into position and captured the octopus from multiple angles and got one of my favorite photos of the trip. This frame was actually the last of many shots I took.”
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