The Epson Red Sea 2008 underwater photography competition has ended last Saturday with an impressive ceremony, almost resembling a little “Oscar” awards theme.

130 photographers from 27 countries
7 Judges
3 photography days
over 80,000$ estimated prize value
Thousands of great images
2 fines for harmful behavior towards the natural reef

On the surface, this event could have been perfect, but I have left the competition with mixed feeling. On one hand the whole event was composed of five days filled with great dives and experiences, social evenings and lots of learning.
On the other hand, the competition which has officially stated that preserving the natural environment is not only a core issue, but also part of the rules and regulations- did not disqualify two photographers which were clearly to blame with blunt disrespect to the natural environment they feed their images from.

On the issue of underwater photography and preserving the natural environment I will detail further in an specific article. Until then, here are some of my own photos from the Epson red sea 2008.

The full list of the Epson red sea 2008 winners and their photos can be found at the Digideep website.

The first day of the Epson red sea underwater photography competition is over. For me at least.

With a total of exactly 180 minutes underwater today (3 separate dives), I did not manage to produce and serious contenders to this competition. The level is really at its highest ever, and the presence of the photographers is well noticed in and out of the water.

As through the day people still arrived to Eilat, the serious work really begins tomorrow as well as the official opening event.

Another interesting category opened is the “atmosphere” series. This is an optional series consisting of 10 images showing the city of Eilat, the sponsoring hotel and “behind the scenes” of the competition. Attending to this category requires both times and a bit of a “mental switch” as there is a need to move back to a 2 dimensional world and have people as objects.

With not much more to add, I’ll sign off with one of the ultimate models of the red sea- a clown fish.

The international underwater photography competition is taking place in Eilat (Israel) for the 4th consecutive year. This time with Epson Israel replacing Sandisk as the main sponsoring body.

On 2005 I’ve participated in the first competition, back then rather small with about 70 photographers, and did much better then expected.
2006 was not very successful on my side, and while planning to attend the 2007 event, I eventually had to call it off due to work.

For the 2008 Epson red sea underwater photography competition I have arrived as ready as can be- armed with my old and dependable Olympus C-8080 and a matching PT-023 underwater case, as well as a good friend as my dive buddy.
This is still a challenge which is in principle over my skills, as I registered for the professional category facing around 150 underwater photographer from Israel and all over the world, some definitely top level and highly experienced . From past lessons though, not only that the results can sometimes be surprising- this is simply the best underwater photography school you can ever find, and I still have much to learn.

Starting November 11th (tomorrow), I will keep daily updates with some impressions from the events- results will be published on Saturday evening, November 15th.

Check out The wide lens for daily updated and get more details at the official competition website.

Day 1 summary is here.

Here’s another great example of a well taken snapshot. Granted, the Kinkakuji golden temple in Kyoto, Japan, isn’t your everyday regular location, and still- you need a good photo to emphasis even some of the most lovely places.

Cindy Spelt took this one with her point and shoot Canon Ixus digital camera, and did a splendid job. Well composed, well timed (notice those little ripples on the water)- just as good as it is simple.

“What I can remember was the light - the sun and the gold together was fantastic - almost blinding your eyes… ”

In 1397 construction started on the GoldenPavilion as part of a new residence for the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Kinkakuji was converted into a Zen templeafter Yoshimitsu’s death in 1408. It has been burnt in 1950 and rebuilt in 1955, and has a 24 karat golden leaf cover.

Photography is often all about being an opportunist. I’ve caught on my camera this sight of a woman feeding about 30 street cats, when I was never expecting it, but the sight and its results are touching.

Old Jaffa is a tourist attraction and generally an interest point worth visiting, ancient history, narrow alleys and an assortment of art galleries. It’s proximity to the beach and to the city of Tel-Aviv (they actually belong to the same municipality) ads to it some coffee shops and restaurants to rest at, when you’re just about tired of exploring.

My exploration of the old city and its sights was interrupted- for the better- when I stumbled upon an alley full of cats, patiently waiting for their daily meal.

Street and stray cats are a very common sight in the cities of Israel. This lady has made herself a habit of feeding the street cats of the old city of Jaffa on a daily basis for the past 15 years, no less. “Some need much more love and attention than food“, but there is definitely no need to spare in that department as well.

Each cat has its own name and is invited to its plate by that name, except for the ones very recent to this culinary arrangement. With 30 cats or so, one cannot but appreciate the attention. A line of clean plates is placed against a wall, and then a two course meal is served while the cats wait patiently to their turn. Those don’t get an assertive comment from the chef, as there is “more then plenty for everyone“.

Society in a way got us used to consider people feeding cats obsessively as being odd and lonely, but if you ever walk around the alleys of old Jaffa in a late afternoon, look for the woman feeding the street cats there. You just might be charmed enough to confuse strange and odd with compassionate and rare.

Have you photographed a touching/interesting interaction between people and animals? send your story over