Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Wetpixel member Gyula Somogyi announces Ships of Darkness DVD

Wetpixel member Gyula Somogyi’s (Jules Helioxfilm) award-winning The Ships of Darkness artistic film and One of us documentary have recently been released together on DVD. Filmed in the Red Sea, they show the audience the “flooded chambers, broken masts, exploded walls and windows hardened into stones [that] make up the surroundings of a wreck-dive.”

With the DVD is a 16-page booklet containing “factual information regarding the wrecks’ GPS position, basic data, and a short history so it can be used for dive-trip planning.” For a limited time, buyers of the package receive a $5 discount on Wetpixel Quarterly subscriptions!

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

David Doubilet joins judging panel for UnderwaterCompetition.com

We are very proud to announce that legendary underwater photographer David Doubilet has joined the esteemed judging panel for the 4th annual Wetpixel & DivePhotoGuide International Underwater Photo Competition, in association with Our World Underwater.

The addition of Doubilet to the judging panel will come as no surprise to those familiar with the competition series, which boasts significant media coverage and industry support, and awards one of the largest prize pools of any competition in the world. All of the judges for the competition are established professional photographers, cinematographers and magazine editors. Remember, the deadline for entry is January 15, 2008!

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

X-Ray Magazine issue 27 available for download

X-Ray Magazine issue 27 is now available for download. This issue features articles on Bali, White Whales in the Russian Arctic, an interview with diving legends and eco-warriors Ron and Valerie Taylor and ideas for last minute holiday shopping.

Are the Puget Sound Orcas starving, why are sharks capable of swimming so fast and where do the jellyfish invasions come from?

Download the latest free issue of X-Ray Magazine with these stories and much more.

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Last call for Beneath the Sea 2009 photo competition entries

December 31, 2008 is the last day for submitting entries to the 2009 Beneath the Sea Worldwide Underwater Photo/Video Competition. The winners of the competition are announced at the Film Festival the weekend of Beneath the Sea’s Dive and Travel Exposition, March 27th, 28th and 29th, 2008, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey.

Continue reading for more details about the awards and entry instructions…

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Wetpixel members become new management of NAD-Lembeh Resort

Congratulations to Wetpixel moderator Mike Veitch and regular forum contributor Simon Buxton (Scuba Si), two underwater photographers who have recently taken over the management of NAD-Lembeh Resort in Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

To celebrate the launch of the brand new website for the company, they are offering a free 5 night/11 dive package at the resort for one lucky winner. For full details and instructions, visit the website - the deadline for entry is March 31, 2009!

Monday, December 15th, 2008

Review of “Shooting Magic” DVD

Alex Mustard and Peter Rowlands have teamed up to produce a must have 90-minute guide to underwater imaging using their Magic Filters. I had the opportunity to review the first copy to come to the US and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have never used one of the Magic filters and Alex thought it would be good to have a member of his target audience take a look.

The DVD is structured around six dives with Alex in his underwater studio that give you the feeling you’re along for the fun. After each dive, the video follows Alex back on the boat to review the images shot and you’re looking right over his shoulder as he critiques and tweaks the images. We are taken along for dives on a shallow reef wall in the Red Sea, the wreck of the Giannis D and the famous Ras Mohammad site…

Sunday, December 14th, 2008

Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Macro lens review

Ever since I first purchased a Canon back in 2005 I’ve been looking for a replacement for the excellent Nikkor 70-180 macro zoom. The Nikkor is fantastic on a DX cropped camera, zooming from around 1:3 to 1:1. I purchased the Tamron lens for use on my full-frame Canon camera, and took it on the two-week Wetpixel staff trip to the Philippines back in May.

Topside without a diopter the optical performance is superb. Topsides when used with a single element diopter, the performance is terrible, however when an achromat diopter like the Canon 500D the performance is excellent!

Continue reading for the full review and sample images…

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

NOAA Coral Reef Watch releases Q1 2009 coral bleaching outlook

In the latest projection by NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch, the outlook for warm water coral bleaching looks to have widespread effects in the major coral areas of the Indo-pacific and Western and South Pacific areas. As February 2009 approaches, the areas for severe bleaching will hit many of the great diving area in the Southwest Pacific and even the Great Barrier Reef spreading down to the Southern Pacific areas like Tahiti as well.

I believe this is going to be a bad upcoming year for corals. Join the discussion in the forums with your own predictions…

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Wetpixel Quarterly Collector’s Edition shipping now…

Wetpixel Quarterly Collector’s edition boxes are shipping now, but we have decided to extend the pre-sale through Friday…order now to get the sale price! We have an extremely limited quantity of the pre-stuffed boxes left, so get them while you can. Makes a great holiday gift for the underwater enthusiast!

This archival, anodized aluminum box, with laser-engraved artwork, will store and show off your first four issues of WPQ in style. The WPQ Collector’s Box features lift-off lids, are fully archival and feature finger notches on the sides to facilitate removal of the lids. Issue #3 is already officially sold out and issue #2 is running dangerously close, so this is now your only way to get them!

Wetpixel Collector’s Boxes and Team Wetpixel t-shirts are available from our new Merchandise and Swag page.

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Shawn Heinrichs in CNN feature “Killed just for their fins”

A story by Wetpixel’s Shawn Heinrichs is featured on the home page of CNN today, recounting his first encounter with shark finning and following with his views on the importance of sharks and the devastating impact of the practice.

Shawn recently teamed up with CNN’s Anderson Cooper team to help them uncover and expose the gruesome realities of the shark fin trade. His work will be included in their award-winning documentary Planet in Peril this year which examines the conflict between growing populations and natural resources. The full two-hour documentary airs tomorrow night, December 11, at 9pm EST on CNN.

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