First Place Award in Ocean Art 2022 Competition
Underwater Photography Guide announced the winners for their underwater photography competition and they awarded me with 1st Place in their Underwater Art category. This competition is the largest in the world of its kind so it is a great honor to be recognized alongside so many amazing, talented photographers.
Story of the shot: Underwater performer, free diver and four-time World Champion Synchronized Swimmer Kristina Makushenko and I worked together to get this colorful, fun-spirited image. Balloons can be difficult to work with underwater, but we are both underwater enthusiasts who appreciate a challenge! The trick to working with the balloons is achieving a nearly neutral buoyancy. To do this, you must fill them with the right water-to-air ratio which is mostly water and just a tiny breath of air.
It took two sets of balloons to get the balloons just right. The first set was negatively buoyant and Makushenko had a difficult time getting them in the right position. We were successful with the second set of balloons when I left a little more room for air. Makushenko was then able to achieve the playful pose and look we were aiming for with just several submersions.
Post-production on this image included enhancing the colors to make them "pop", removing the tile border and cleaning up the pool debris (as there had been a heavy tropical storm just the day before!). While it might be a slightly "ordinary" image above water, we were ecstatic to bring this concept to life in the water - our preferred medium that always adds a touch of magic, whimsicality and unpredictability!
Location: Private Residential Pool, Miami
Equipment Used: Canon 5D Mark IV, Sea & Sea Housing, Canon 16-35mm Lens
Camera Settings: ISO 400, F13, 1/250 sec
A special thanks to all of the sponsors of the competition. Over $100k worth of prizes were awarded and I am ecstatic to have been gifted a 10 day live-aboard trip with SMY Ondina in Indonesia – what a dream come true! 🤩 🤿
I hope you enjoy "A Happy Bunch" and the following photos from this series.
