News
Daniel Norwood scoops Sport Diver's Photo of the Month and the British Society of Underwater Photographer's Beginner's Portfolio
I am so touched that one of my course guests from earlier this year who came along for a day at my home in Bromley, Kent, has gone on to do so incredibly well in such a short space of time. He shot this incredible portfolio which has just won him the Best Beginner of 2009 Award with a Fuji F50 Compact, Inon Fisheye 165 Lens and a Sea & Sea YS 110 Strobe. Don't forget to come along to the BSOUP Meetings every month at the
Imperial College in the Natural History Museum. They are a really
friendly bunch and it is the best way to learn without getting wet.
For more information visit www.bsoup.org
Ocean
Gifts Online Shop is Open
05/01/2009 00:08
Stuck looking for gift ideas? Why not check out our new online
Gift Shop for our latest range of prints and crystals with prices
starting from just £14.95. Alternatively, why not have
your own favourite photograph printed on canvas or acrylic to make
a stunning gift with a difference. This can be a photo of the
family, a favourite pet, holiday photo or of course an underwater
one. I'll also take out any unwanted blobs, dog leads or
tree branches at no extra charge. All prices also include free
postage & packing to a UK Destination. Orders placed will
qualify for Ocean Points which can be used against future purchases,
or this amount of money can be donated to a favourite charity. Simply
visit the Gift Section for more info. Happy Surfing!
Wishing
you all a Fantastic New Year!
29/12/2008 19:24
Wishing all of my guests, past and new to a fantastic 2009 with lots
of great diving opportunities. Don't forget to fill me in
on how the photo opportunities are going and enter the brand new underwater
photo competition on the Guest Gallery page. Here's a toast
to some fabulous underwater snapping during the next 12 months!
Fintastic
Competition Winners All Around!
20/11/2008 22:41
What a special month! I was absolutely speechless when one
of my guests Jason Starmer contacted me to say that he had been placed
second in October's BSAC Travel Club Photo Competition in the
Newcomber Category, and that I had also been placed second in the
Professional Category with this photograph (which also won Underwater
Photography's competition last month too)! Dave Hayden,
another guest of mine, also had his photo on BSAC's website recently
and of course Mark Harrison was featured in Sport Diver earlier this
year. To add to the icing on the cake, David Kittos, whose beautiful
photo of a lionfish seen above on the right, has just won Sport Diver's
Photo of the Month in December and has been given a huge pat on the
back by his many friends on Divernet. Well done everyone and
look forward to seeing you soon for a celebration toast to much more
success! In the meantime, keep up the fintastic work!
New
Book - Underwater Photography for Beginners
31/10/2008 14:54
From beginner through to advanced, this book will inspire and show
you how to take beautiful underwater photographs in an easy-to-understand
way with gorgeous glossy colour pages to help users with a simple
point and shoot camera achieve professional results.
Chapters include the following:
Choosing the Correct Camera for Your Needs
Understanding Film Speed for Great Underwater Images
Manual White Balance,
Advantages & Disadvantages
Exposure Compensation
Apertures & Shutter Speeds
Advanced techniques and accesories are also covered as well as special
appendices to photograph different scenes underwater. Special
sections are also devoted to choosing underwater subjects which work
as well as composition angles and techniques.
A special Guest Gallery will be included of images taken by my guests
to inspire every compact camera owner that they too can take fabulous
photos.
This is due to be released at the end of March 2009.
Drop me an email to reserve your copy or for more information.
Dive Show 2008 - Birmingham
NEC
14/10/2008 15:08
Come and visit us on Stand 1112 and see our fantastic guest results
with compact cameras at our talk at 11.15 in Seminar Room 23. Also
browse our new display of canvas and acrylic prints as well as beautiful
crystals. The perfect gift for any occasion. Win a weekend break at
the gorgeous Jacobean Mansion of Eynsham Hall in our special competition
and look forward to seeing all past and future friends at the show.
www.diveshows.co.uk
Stanfords Bookshop
14/10/2008 15:11
I am delighted to have been invited by Jonathan Lorie of Travellers'
Tales, the UK's Number 1 company focusing on Travel Writing to
this special evening at Stanfords Bookshop in Covent Garden. Spaces
are limited, so do reserve your space by contacting info@travellerstales.org.
I am very much looking forward to seeing you there.
Quite a difference
heh?
09/10/2008 10:35
Just come back from diving with Emperor Divers in Nuweiba and what
a fantastic fortnight my guests had in developing their underwater
photography skills. The Emperor Team were amazing with their help
and as these shots show from David Kittos, we all worked extremely
hard in making blue, blobby photos look simply spectacular and they
all came home with some lovely prizes.
"This was by far and away the best underwater photographic
workshop I have been on over the last two years as my photos have
improved beyond belief."
David Kittos
More info and other special guest photos coming soon ....
New
Onsite Pool is now open
09/09/2008 10:33
New evening mid-week courses from just £75 for 2 ½ hours. Come and
improve your underwater photography with our new composition courses
in spectacular surroundings in a period character home with extensive
lavender gardens with ponds and waterfalls.
Alaska Trip
14/06/2008 15:36
June saw me packing football socks and thermals to go diving in the
spectacular place of Alaska thanks to the kind invitation of Mike
Lever of the Nautilus Explorer. Many thanks to Jane Morgan, JP Trenque,
Gill McDonald, Lesley, Jane, Sam & Tony Bean and Jo Horrocks and
Keith Lyall for their help in putting my new drysuit to the test in
Swanage. The full story will be coming very soon.
BSAC Travel Club Photo
of the Month Winner
24/05/2008 15:31
I was really chuffed that this photograph taken in Guadelupe Island,
Mexico, won the BSAC Travel Club Photo of the Month as I had never
won a photographic competition before. Why not submit your own images
for some great prizes at www.bsactravelclub.co.uk and look forward to seeing your own images up there.
Mark Harrison wins Photograph
of the Month in Sport Diver
25/05/2008 14:36
My photograph was taken at the Kuredu Caves dive site off the Maldivian
Island of Kuredu in the Lhaviayani Atoll last May. It's nicknamed
Turtle airport as there are many overhangs where the turtles take
a rest. Fortunately this turtle didn't mind me getting up close.
They are certainly easier to photograph than fish!
I got into the photography side of diving to show friends and family
the amazing fish life that can be seen underwater but I’ve only
been taking underwater shots for a couple of years and the results
were very hit and miss. My wife, Ali, then bought me a strobe to go
with my Olympus SP350 and I booked on an Oceanvisions photography
course which has certainly helped. At least I now know what I should
be shooting!
This shot was taken in Macro mode with a 1/60th shutter speed
and the aperture set at 7.1.
Action Underwater Studios
- New One Day Course Venue in Essex
22/05/2008 14:36
I am very proud to announce a new venue to teach my popular one day
courses in conjunction with Ocean Optics and Action Underwater Studios
in a brilliant 6 metre deep tank, perfect for those guests who want
to understand and make full use of their flashguns and wide angle
lenses.
This tank is extremely special as it is where many a famous movie
has been filmed, as well as top models Kelly Brookes and Gwyneth Paltrow
amongst lots of other famous names being photographed there.
Kirk Lovell and his friend Steve came along recently for the first
course and had a great time playing with a Giant Squid from Four Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea.
So make a date in your diary and I look forward to seeing you there
very soon for some spectacular wide-angle photo making opportunities.
Whirlwind - Northern
Red Sea Trip
22/03/2008 14:36
I've just returned from another fantastic week on Whirlwind with
Tony Backhurst Scuba Travel to the Northern Red Sea Wrecks & Reefs.
An unbelievable great group of guests were on the boat and a special
thank you to Angela and Tony at the HQ office, Susie & Thomas
our amazing guides and all the guests on-board.
Simon & Dave did a great job putting their Canon Powershots on
a steep learning curve to get some great shots. The full report will
be coming soon!
London International
Dive Show
09/03/2008 14:36
Thanks to everyone who popped past the stand at the London Dive Show.
It was great seeing old friends as well as meeting new ones all interested
in the great results that can be achieved with these little cameras.
Congratulations to Jo Marlow who corrected guessed that out of the
three photos, the one taken with a compact camera was indeed the Giant
Manta Ray from the Socorro Islands in Mexico. Well done to all of
you that got it right, it wasn't an easy one to guess.
Look forward to seeing you all soon and hearing about your underwater
scuba advetures. Stay safe!
DiverSE 08, Kingston
10/02/2008 14:34
What a great event to get you in the mood for UK diving after the
New Year.
It was busy, busy, busy, lots of great talks, good catch-ups and great
to see past guests as well as meeting lots of new ones and having
fun with our new style competition! It raised a few eyebrows and even
my own at times.
Many thanks to Steve, Darren and Mark from Sea Shepherd for their
help throughout the day as well as Gill McDonald and Colin Doeg from
the British Society of Underwater Photographers for picking the winning
entry from a multitude. I'm looking forward to DiverSE '09
already ....
Nautilus Explorer Trip Report
28/01/2008 14:34
I took a group of guests back to Mexico where I used to live three
years ago to a group of remote, spectacular islands called the Revillagigedo
Islands on the Nautilus Explorer.
These islands are about 250 nautical miles to the south of our leaving
point, San Jose del Cabo, in Baja California.
The week's mission was to have some up, close and personal encounters
with Giant Pacific Manta Rays, but little did we know that Dolphins
with baby dolphins in tow and Sharks, sharks and more sharks - white
tips, tigers, hammerheads, galapagos, silver tips, silkies and even
a whale shark was seen the day after a humpback whale family as well.
All the guests could say after the 8 days was amazing, awesome, fantastic
and lots more adjectives. Jackie Paice said that it was simply superb
and a few more adjectives that are best not put on this site!Sue,
Dean and Jackie were all celebrating their hundreds of dives, Peter
was celebrating getting his camera to finally work,The A Team were
celebrating seeing a whale shark twice with Sue jumping up and down
for the rest of the week in bliss, sleeping with a wide grin on her
face dreaming of big spotty fish and the rest of us were just celebrating
just being in a place with no other boats, no mobile phone reception
or emails for the whole 10 days! ??We were so lucky at Roca Partida
in having great weather for the two days that we were moored there.
The sea was so flat and although the currents were at times challenging
around the pinnacle itself, underwater the view was just like being
in the middle of a Blue Planet movie.
Apart from the Giant Manta Rays swimming majectically around us during
most of our dives, sharks were everywhere, big Galapagos sharks waiting
at 40 metres beneath us to get in, 16 white tip reef sharks all cuddled
together in a wall cave, huge pelagic fish such as tunas and jacks,
trevallys and the like all cruising in big shoals in the blue, silkies
and silvertips amongst them as well as hammerheads cruising above
our heads.
And then came the whale shark …. The story stops here before
you fall asleep reading this!
Awesome crew, spectacular place, challenging diving but boy was it
worth!
If you'd like to share
the adventure in 2009 for a fabulous escorted trip of the different
kind, just drop me an email
to be part of the action! Look forward to seeing you there - it will
be amazing!
"Thanks for organising an amazing trip, it exceeded all my
expectations! The staff onboard the boat were excellent and the divemasters
all very experienced. The Nautilus itself was well equipped and very
comfortable. As far as the diving goes there really is nothing that
compares to the giant manta encounters we had. It was truly an unforgettable
trip. Thanks again." Mel
Date confirmed for 2009 - 31st January
8 nights/6 days of diving for $2,950
Getting Creative with
Your Compact Camera Course
28/01/2008 14:34
The first course was run at the London School of Diving, and was
a great success. Lots of time to play and understand different accessories
for Geoff's and Kei's compact cameras. Their only further
wish was a deeper bathtub so that they could continue practicing all
of the skills learnt during the day!
Many thanks to the London School of Diving for a great venue.
Mexico's First Dive
Show in Cozumel
23/03/2005 09:15
This was a real test for me, giving a presentation on my work and
the diving in my beloved Puerto Vallarta, the pacific side of Mexico
- all in Spanish! Although specialising in Mexico, I had yet to visit
this part, and it lived up to it's promise. The diving was simply
awesome, although I hated not being able to stop on drift dives! All
in all, a top event and the Mexican Government have worked hard to
promote events such as this. Well done - Felicitaciones!
24 hour Dive Challenge,
Mencap
21/05/2005 09:14
The 19 th June, the longest day of the year and was a fantastic day
to hold such a brilliant event as Mencap's first ever Dive 24
Round-The-Clock Challenge! This event was held at the Sundridge Park
Leisure Centre, near the Golf Course, in Bromley and although we ran
out of people after a whopping 12 hours, a great time was had by all
and over 600 pounds was raised for a superb cause.
The Traveller's Handbook
14/02/2006 09:11
This book is the Insider's Guide to World Travel and features
everything any traveller needs to consider and know before going away
on their trip of a lifetime. This book featured an article by myself
on Underwater Photography and is on sale at all branches of Waterstones
and Borders.
Gran Cayman with Cathy
Church
14/01/2006 09:11
A trip of a lifetime awaiting me here to spend time with Cathy and
her great team as well as Mike, Dee, Max and the wonderful Sunset
House Team at Gran Cayman. Anyone who is there has to visit her beautiful
gallery and great team. A very special thank you to them all for their
kindness and help. And don't forget her book, it's a must!
Scuba Trust's 10th
Anniversary Year
11/03/2006 09:11
This year is the 10 th anniversary of the Scuba Trust, a charity
set up to help disabled people experience the magic of their underwater
world. I feel really blessed to be able to be with such a lovely
group of people and their achievements are amazing to watch.
Don't forget to visit them at the Birmingham Dive Show and you
can enter a prize draw to win a fantastic Suunto D6 Dive Computer
to show off to your friends!
Sport Diver
26/04/2006 09:10
Saw an article written by myself on the first ever underwater photographic
trip designed for divers with compact cameras featured in Sport Diver
which was in conjunction with PADI and Emperor Fleet.
Deep Blue Scuba, Edinburgh
21/06/2006 09:09
July 2006 saw me and my artificial reef board an Easyjet flight to
Sunny Scotland to have a fantastic day with Deep Blue Scuba in Edinburgh.
Getting back wasn't easy, but it was well worth it with a great
day had by all!
Dive 2006 in Birmingham
11/11/2006 09:08
Dive 2006 in Birmingham was a great success and it was fantastic
seeing everyone and thanks to all who entered the competition. I look
forward to seeing you again soon and happy shooting in the meantime.
Visions 2006 Underwater
Festival
11/12/2006 09:07
Visions 2006 Underwater Festival held by Ocean Optics proved to be
as inspiring as ever with Amos Nachoum, Martin Edge, Charles Hood,
Peter Scoones and many others giving exciting and inspiring lectures
during this weekend event.
Tamworth's BSAC Club
16/01/2007 09:05
January 2007 saw Tamworth's BSAC Club come along for an underwater
photography course at Eynsham Hall. It was a really special day and
a great time was had by all.
Destinations Travel
Show 2007, Earls Court
01/02/2007 09:04
Phew, what a great start to the year launching our brand new courses
for the year on Travel & Wildlife Photography.
It was great meeting everyone and catching up with guests. Thanks
to all who visited and I look forward to hearing all about your future
adventures
Oregon Coast
11/02/2007 09:02
This month took me for four amazing days at the Oregon Coast Digital
Centre in Portland, USA where Jack and Sue Drafahl have taken 35 years
of their photographic experience and designed a work environment to
help students better understand the digital realm and provide personalised
Photoshop intstruction with small groups. Based on their renowed books
Digital Imaging and Adobe Photoshop for the Underwater Photographer,
lots of different tips and techniques were learnt and both Jack's
and Sue's enthusiasm and hands-on experience proved to be invaluable
and well worth the journey to get there.
Visit www.jackandsuedrafahl.com
for more information on their workshops and seminars as well as Jack's
Cool Toys page.
London Dive Show
10/04/2007 09:01
What a fantastic show! It was great seeing you all and to meet so
many people at the seminars interested in photography. Thanks to you
all for coming to visit and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Eynsham Hall, April
11/04/2007 09:01
Gavin Parsons, an award winning photojournalist whose work has appeared
in many magazines including Diver and who works very closely with
British Divers Marine Life Rescue came along to Eynsham Hall's
U/W Photo Course in April to cover the course for an article in Outdoor
Enthusiastic magazine. Both him and the course guests had a fantastic
day and even Gav learnt new techniques about compact cameras that
he never even knew about!!!
British Society of
Underwater Photographers
21/04/2007 08:59
I felt extremely priviledged by being asked by Gill McDonald, Colin
Doeg and J P Trenque of BSOUP to give their first talk on Underwater
Photography with Compact Cameras at their meeting at the Imperial
College in London. It was a very special evening and definitely one
of my main highlights during the past year.
Gerald Rambert
10/05/2007 08:57
I am very proud to introduce Gerald Rambert from Mauritius who has
taken spectacular photographs with his compact camera, a Canon Powershot
during his time in his home country, Mauritius. Gerald's work
has been featured on many a front cover of Diver Magazine, as well
as numerous other magazines and the book "Going Down" -
Reflections of a Reluctant Diver with his girlfriend Amanda Ursell,
an award-winning journalist, author and TV presenter. Gerald will
be helping with the underwater photography courses this year and a
new course for Advanced Compact Camera Techniques will be launched
very shortly. Welcome Gerald - your photos are simply awesome!
Visit www.geraldrambert.com.
Latest
11/05/2007 17:25
This month was just as busy as last with four journalists visiting
me in the last four months! This month saw Brendan O'Brien visit
to write a feature for Diver Magazine at Eynsham Hall. It was another
fantastic day had by all at this beautiful venue with all the guests
looking forward to their new learning curve! Here is a picture of
me (yikes!) with Trevor Edmunds, one of the guests on the day.
Poland
20/05/2007 17:25
This month saw me take my first holiday in over three years to Poland.
Although it was just a four day break with no diving involved - it
proved to be just as spectacular as some of my diving trips with the
amazing mountain scenery to the southern area in Zakopane, and of
course the amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site of Krakow with its'
stunning architecture! A beautiful country full of wonderful surprises
which is definitely worth a visit.
Wanderlust Travel Magazine
20/06/2007 17:25
Wanderlust Travel Magazine, voted as one of the world's best
travel magazines, featured an article on the wonderful world of underwater
photography, whereby part of it was written by yours truly. Another
very special moment for me, as I remember buying the first ever copy
of Wanderlust and since then the magazine has continued to be an excellent
resource for any traveller.
Presentation at Ocean
Optics with Gerald Rambert
10/07/2007 17:25
Another amazing day meeting lots of new faces interested in learning
how to improve their photos using their compact cameras. Gerald gave
a fantastic couple of talks on the thought behind taking an image
as well as advanced ways of making pictures with a compact camera.
Visit his website on www.geraldrambert.com
for more info.
BSOUP Splash-In Event
20/07/2007 17:25
This was held at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth and was
a truly spectacular day with beautiful blue skies to be enjoyed by
all. BSOUP did an amazing job to hold a wonderful event with many
people taking part. The winner of the Best Beginner Portfolio was
Jim Drake with a beautiful close up photo taken on his D70. Keep your
eyes posted for next year's event, it promises to be just as special!
Whirlwind
10/09/2007 17:23
This month took me on an amazing voyage with a group from Tony Backhurst
Scuba Travel as well as Diver's very own John Bantin to explore
the Northern Wrecks & Reefs of the Red Sea. A fantastic group,
great company, fantastic dives and quite simply can't wait to
get back in the water again. What a great trip!
Safaga - October 2007
08/10/2007 17:21
A special trip to Safaga to see Emperor Divers' new diving centre
and to explore their local House Reef. I have never found so many
different varieties of fish, eels and even 4 seahorses in such shallow
water, all less than 5 metres deep. Laila, the Dive Centre Manager
there was brilliant and struggled to get me out of the water after
two fantastic days
Dive Show - Birmingham
NEC
09/10/2007 17:21
Busy, busy, busy - that's the only way that I can describe it!
It was really nice seeing so many familiar faces as well as many new
ones to welcome to the wonderful world of underwater photography.
And congratulations to Sarah Hambley who won Accommodation for Two
at Eynsham Hall as well as a course of her choice! Look forward to
seeing you all at London on 8/9 March 2008 for some very special surprises
Visions Festival -
London
10/10/2007 17:21
Ocean Optics put together a special event packed with stellar speakers
from around the globe on Underwater Photography such as Tony White,
Thomas Peschak, Alex Mustard and many more. Colin Doeg, the co-founder
of BSOUP, received a special surprise at the event. I still can't
believe that he too dives with a compact!
