Got these in the post today. Over the years I’ve received my fair share of awards but I have to say having the highest scoring image from the UK’s entry in the 2023 World Photographic Cup is right up there. Happy days :-)
Manta Madness
in Underwater
I’ve just come back from ten days in the Maldives photographing Reef manta rays - it was spectacular!
Reef mantas typically have a wing span of around 3.5m, so they certainly make an impressive sight, but it’s the way they swim which makes them so hypnotic to be around. They glide gracefully through the water using their wings in a rhythmic “flying” motion - it really is beautiful to watch.
Our location was the reef at Hanifaru Bay. The bay is like a funnel and from May to November prevailing winds and currents result in plankton getting trapped here and it’s this heavy concentration of plankton that attracts whale sharks and schools of manta rays. On the best days there could be over a hundred mantas and several whale sharks feeding here - it’s the world’s largest feeding station known to exist. We didn’t get to see that many but certainly enough to keep us happy.
Photography was tough because the volume of plankton in the water makes it very murky, so these are never going to be super clean shots. But to be honest just being there was enough… it really was a fabulous experience.
Sea Lions in the Times Last Week
in Press
My Sea lions made the Times last week :-)
Gannet Image Chosen by Renowned Wildlife Artist
in Press
David Miller (www.davidmillerart.co.uk) creates the best paintings of fish in their natural habitat I have ever seen. I have one of his prints of a common carp on my studio wall (I can’t afford an original!) and I love it.
David often gets his inspiration / the source material on which to base his paintings from underwater photographs, because he’s an underwater photographer too. Given this common interest we’ve had several email exchanges - he’s really helpful and generous in sharing information. If you look for him on Instagram you’ll see videos of him building up the original paintings - for a non artist it’s facinating.
You can imagine my delight when he asked if he could use one of my gannet images as a possible starting point for a painting. Now he must have 100s of alternatives to start working on at any time, so it might never happen - but just the possibility is fine by me :-)
The one he chose is below.
Two Images in the RPS Summer Exhibition
in Awards
I was delighted to find out that two of my images (shown below) have been selected to appear in the Royal Photographic Society Summer Exhibition.
The exhibition showcases photography by members of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) and is selected from an open call to all RPS members. The 2023 exhibition will feature a total of 80 images, reflecting a diverse range of photographic styles, genres, and techniques including analogue, digital and experimental image making and covering subjects including landscapes, portraits, documentary, science and fine art.
The 2023 exhibition is on show from 1 July to 28 August at RPS House in Bristol, UK, and is free for everyone to visit. Visitors to the exhibition will get the chance to see the finest photography from RPS members, learn more about photography and connect with others who have a passion for taking photographs.
EXHIBITION INFORMATION:
Open: 1 July to 28 August 2023
RPS House, Paintworks, Bristol, UK, BS4 3AR.
Website: https://rps.org/se
Entry: Free
Sea lions, La Paz, Mexico
Homage to Nature, Cabo Pulmo, Mexico
Printing with an 8mm Border
in Printing
I mount all my prints in pre-cut Pinnacle mounts with a black core and leave an 8mm white border around them (see photo 1 below). I’m often asked how I do this; it’s super simple and saves you hours of work (assuming you cut your own mounts).
Step 1. In the Develop module of Lightroom crop the image in the ratio 1:1.454 (see photo 2)
Step 2. For an A3 print, in the Print module of Lightroom set the print size to 384 x 264mm (see photo 3). This size will give you an 8mm white border around the image.
Step 3. Use Pinnacle pre-cut mounts (A3 Standard White, Black Core are the ones I use). I think the narrow black strip sitting against the 8mm white border (the white is just the unprinted paper) really sets the image off.
Print with an 8mm white border. Details of the mount can be seen at the top.
Crop to the ratio of 1:1.454
For an A3 print set the print size to 384 x 264mm