Bonaire Digital Shootout 2005: Daily Webcast 
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Author: Eric Cheng ( echeng )
Event Dates: 23 Jul 2005 - 30 Jul 2005
Event Venue: Bonaire Digital Shootout 2005
Welcome to the Bonaire Digital Shootout 2005 daily webcast, by Eric Cheng
The Digital Shootout directors are Dan Baldocchi and Berkley White, and staff this year includes Berkley and Dan, plus Jim Watt, Jason Bradley, and Wetpixel's Eric Cheng.
Coming up: Palau Digital Shootout: April 1-9, 2006. Details will be posted at theshootout.org, or you can e-mail for more information.
Splash into the world of underwater digital photography at the fourth annual underwater Digital Shootout in Bonaire, which is being held July 23-30, 2005!
With daily dives and seminars with some of the world's most knowledgeable underwater photographers, you'll be sure to head home with your heads stuffed with new photographic techniques, for both above and below water. We are also hosting a photo contest with over $10,000 in prizes!
July 23-24, 2005
The shootout staff arrived a few days ago; we've been spending our time familiarizing ourselves with the local diving, and setting up evening presentation area and the classroom (we have a projector, screen, tables and chairs for 50, printing stations, and photos on the walls). Bonaire is the most diver-friendly place I've ever been to, with dozens of marked shore dives easily accessible by car or boat (and the popular resorts all seem to have very nice house reefs). If you don't know where Bonaire is, go here and start zooming out until you recognize something. :)
By now, nearly all of the Digital Shootout 2005 participants have arrived and taken their first couple of dives into Calabas Reef, Divi Flamingo's healthy house reef. Squadrons of reef squid hover above the bright, white sand, and not far from the pier is a jawfish with a huge brood of eggs in its mouth (its location was described by Rogier, a local here in Bonaire). There seem to be cleaning stations everywhere, and a continuous stream of fish wiggle by, stopping momentarily for a quick check-up.
In the afternoon, Berkley White gave engrossing seminars on focus and basic Photoshop techniques, which were followed by open office hours, where all of us staff members were available to answer individual questions. In the evening, we had the second of our nightly slide shows. Last night, we featured an "inspirational" slideshow of photos taken by Dan, Berkley, Jim, and me. Tonight's show featured images taken by participants, which we (the judges) critiqued for the entire group. The nightly slideshows are extremely useful; not only do they show people what other folks are shooting, but they have always demonstrated obvious improvements in image quality over the course of the week.
Underwater Photos (by Eric Cheng unless otherwise noted)
 Jawfish with eggs (photo: Jim Watt) |
 Lizardfish portrait (photo: Jim Watt) |
 Eel portrait |
 A jawfish with a brood of eggs in its mouth |
 Frogfish (photo: Jim Watt) |
 Damselfish eggs -- early stage |
 Lizardfish |
 A jawfish spits sand out of its mouth |
 Grunts hang out |
 Coral detail |
 Cute little red triplefin |
 Reef squid detail |
 French Angelfish portrait |
 A tiny blenny hides in a brain coral |
Topside Photos (by Eric Cheng unless otherwise noted)
 Eric Cheng and Jim Watt |
 Cheers! (Jim Watt and Greg Bang) |
 No trip is complete without little kids loading beer into your rental car. |
 Berkley doesn't feel right without his stuffed animals |
 Berk and Dan hang out with a Subal ND2 housing |
 Jim Watt at breakfast |
 Jason and Dan ready the fleet of Tetra 5050 loaner housings |
 Berkley White with a six-pack of beer |
 Dan, Jason, Berk, and Jim set up Quicktime |
 Dan goes over a Tetra system |
 Dan goes over a Tetra system |
 Veterans Greg Bang and Erik Moon already know how to set up their systems |
 Gear setup |
 Greg Roll with his Subal ND70 |
 Dan helps out with a Light & Motion Mako housing |
 Jason shows me his butt |
 Dan, at the registration booth in the Flamingo's Nest |
 The registration booth in the Flamingo's Nest |
 Ready for Berkley's talk and our staff slideshow |
 Dan and Jason at the registration table |
| << return to wetpixel home | next day >> |
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Comment(s):Eric say hi to Greg Bang and Watty! Great guys. Dove with Greg in Indonesia and well you know the Watt story.
Have a good one.
Todd
Posted by yahsemtough on 07/25 at 07:21 AMReally enjoying the reports, Eric. Keep ‘em coming! Alex
Posted by Dr. Alex Mustard on 07/26 at 02:40 AMWish I was there....I love your Jawfish spitting sand shot....what a catch
Karl
Posted by kdietz on 07/26 at 12:54 PMGreat results over there and what a storm. Did it even dry up that day?
Posted by DuikKees on 07/26 at 11:11 PMWhoops! Shouldn’t “In her day, the Alice H was an old cargo boat” be “In her day, the Hilma Hooker was an old cargo boat”?
Looks like you guys are having a blast! :)
Posted by NitroLiq on 07/28 at 06:40 AMThe ‘DID YOU KNOW...GUESS WHO IT IS’ insert question was way too easy. The photo of those rippling biceps was a dead give away of Berkeley’s former football career. Maybe you guys can take up a collection and get him some new booties. The picture of him going down the ladder (naked toes and all) still hurts my eyes.
Posted by dmoss on 07/28 at 01:04 PMWow- Pauline’s underwater photo looking up at the dive boat bow is excellent!
James
Posted by James Wiseman on 07/28 at 01:28 PMI so wish I was there! Great shots, looks like a lot a fun....
Posted by Reefkeep on 07/28 at 04:37 PMWe have the world’s best photographers all right here on one website and I am glad to be a part...if we could all be together for one meeting, we would definitely need a bigger island!! Great stuff here kids, keep up the good work....john
Posted by carib-blu on 07/29 at 04:46 PMp.s. thanks for the purple crown sea goddess Pauline!....have only seen one other here in cayman!Good find!
Posted by carib-blu on 07/29 at 04:54 PMthat group shot of everyone and their gear is probably a crooked TSA/AA baggage persons wet dream! no wonder we dont have a shootout in miami or san juan.
Posted by nitteo on 08/01 at 01:56 PM
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