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