Kam Arya

Posted on 10/07/2017 by

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of friend, fellow diver and photographer Kam Arya. Kam had been battling with cancer for the past couple of years, but in typical Kam style downplayed his condition. Kam passed away on Saturday 1st July with his family around him, at the Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford.

Tributes received from those who knew Kam were in universal agreement that the world has lost a real gentle man and friend. This is summed up by the following email …

What very sad news about Kam. He was a real gentleman and always so humble. I had a feeling that he downplayed his condition when we last exchanged emails.

I have very fond memories of Kam when in Bali on one of Len’s trips. Kam was sharing a cabin with Bert, next door to myself and Carol. As Kam had brought ‘good’ coffee with him, we persuaded him to make us a cup after dinner and joined them both in their cabin. There was lots of laughter and too many late nights!

I will be away and not able to be at Kam’s funeral, but will be thinking of him, his family and friends that day. A great loss of a lovely man.

Kam was always active whether through swimming, cycling or diving. For his 66th birthday he cycled across America on Route 66, an astounding 2400 miles … quite a feat. Always the optimist Kam had a positive view of life and made friends wherever he went. Kam greatly supported Photosub over the years and served on the committee as Club Treasurer and will be missed by all who knew him.

RIP Kam

Photosub Annual Meal – March 2017

Posted on 19/03/2017 by

The 2017 Photosub Annual Meal at the Farnham House Hotel was attended by 44 club members and partners. As always it was a very social affair, one of the key goals of the club.

Following a fine meal and drinks the annual competition was projected. This competition comprises 5 categories:

Green Water Macro/Close Up
Green Water Wide
Blue Water Macro/Close Up
Blue Water Wide
Prints

There was a good turnout with 147 images across the 4 projected categories (GW-Macro 25, GW-Wide 27, BW-Macro 51 and BW-Wide 44) and 40 prints. Paul Colley, Chairman of BSoUP attended as the judge, accompanied by his wife Vinny.

Comments from Paul are:

Overall It was a great competition to judge, because the image standard was high, including the quality of post-processing. For those interested in process, it was one of gradual elimination: the first cut comprised all images that caught my eye from an artistic perspective and which did not have any obvious technical errors at point of capture or in post-processing; the second cut survived more detailed scrutiny and those which passed this stage received a commendation or higher. Subsequent stages were searches for originality of subject, viewpoint or technique and finer points of artistic presentation. Although this is where subjectivity tends to increase, I do use a formal framework for artistic evaluation.

Technical Although the overall technical standard was impressive, some images had backscatter strong enough to detract (some is natural and acceptable). A few had been cropped to an extent that image quality might have been degraded. And some wide angle images suffered from blown highlights. There were a couple with soft focus or inadequate depth of field. Finally, there were some lighting errors, particularly in wide angle images, which made it too obvious that artificial light was in play. Some images had been over-manipulated, most commonly by heavy boosting of dark tones, which removed too many subtle shadow details in an attempt to improve the overall contrast. Aligning contrast with artistic intent can be a fine line to tread in post-processing.

Artistic Some images had critical amputations of subjects or peripheral objects of high visual weight at the frame edges, which tended to pull the eye off the principal subjects. Viewpoints were generally well chosen and I was impressed with the variety, but in some cases receding subjects or lack of eye contact weakened viewer engagement. A few shots were leaning towards side-on ID style photos which, if not countered by strong dynamics, such as a striking colours, patterns or diagonals, tended to look a bit two-dimensional.

The results are as follows:

Green Water Macro/Closeup

Image 09 (Nudi) First Place – Rob White Viewpoint and lighting give this image a colour and glow that makes shows the subject off to maximum extent. Its habitat is included, but not distracting. There is a light blue glow behind the nudi; either a backlight or a reflection from front light. But the subject was so strongly rendered that I only saw the potential distraction after my third view, so considered it not to be one! A really beautiful image.

Image 02 (Hermit Crab) Second Place – Jane Morgan Very well framed against a pretty background, this crab looks relaxed but still has attitude and it engages the viewer strongly. From a technical perspective, it’s flawless. The feeler crossing the eye is a very minor compositional distraction, but overall a great capture of a cool critter in its environment, reinforced by the pinks inside the shell.

Image 18 (Tompot Blenny) Third Place – Peter Ladell Although side on and not fully engaging the viewer, the combination of good framing and lighting provides striking colour and enough habitat detail to make this image work well. It’s razor sharp and colourful at the critical points, so the viewer gets pulled in to the subject.

Green Water Macro/Closeup Highly Commended

Image 04 (Velvet Swimmer Crab) – Keith Lyall It’s a busy background, but the lighting and post processing are well controlled to let this crab create its presence. The timing to capture offset claws adds dynamism and this subject always pulls your eyes to his if you get the focus and lighting correct, which the photographer has.

Image 12 (Nudi) – Peter Ladell Lighting, viewpoint and depth of field make the subject positively leap out at you. I think diagonals coming right out of a corner have less impact than those which are offset (landscape photographers will tell you why). And I felt that having one rhinophore out of focus detracted slightly. But well worthy of a highly recommended award.

Green Water Macro/Close Up Commended

Image 19 (Crayfish) – Chris McTernan The central but diagonal composition increases the impact of the crayfish facing up to the viewer and it’s a sharp image. I thought that the lighting was not quite right, but could have been corrected in post processing by pulling back some highlights top right; the eye finds too much detail there too easily. But a good portrait of a creature with attitude.

Image 25 (Nudi) -Cat Briggs This is a subtle and effective composition to show a creature in its habitat. There are lots of curves that lead you in to the brightly coloured and well lit subject. The placement along the lower third works well and helps to ground and balance the image, although I thought it might have been stronger still by using either a classic thirds intersection or a dead centre lower third. It seems to sit between the two, but it’s a minor point; I think this is a great image.

Green Water Wide Angle

Image 04 (Blue Sharks) First Place – Pash Baker The light has worked in this image to set a lovely background for two contra-rotating sharks, each showing a sinuous sweep of body and tail. It’s the kind of image I would hang on my wall and certainly one that makes me want to be in the ocean.

Image 22 (Seal Split Level) Second Place – Gill Marsh The photographer has worked hard to capture interest above and below water, creating a very strong image. The seal’s eyes do not pop out strongly at first and the creature looks a bit wary, but the overall impression is of a beautiful scene that you want to be part of. Top marks for getting this technically-difficult image well executed in tough conditions.

Image 03 (Seal and Diver) Third Place – Nick Blake Although I did not like the diver’s fin being exaggerated so much by the forced perspective of a wide angle lens, the seal’s position and expression is so strong that you cannot help but be drawn in to this image. It tells a story about our photography too. Well lit and nicely timed; a super image.

Green Water Wide Angle Highly Commended

Image 18 (Blue Sharks) – Rob White Although this image lacks a bit of contrast due to the subdued and very diffuse natural light (presumably due to cloud), it is superbly timed to catch the contra-rotation of the sharks, which both have exquisite, dynamic postures. If luck (and light) had been with the photographer, it could have been a stunner.

Green Water Wide Angle Commended

Image 09 (Young Seal) – Gill Marsh The low framing and forced diagonal help this composition, which is well lit. The seal’s eyes do not fully engage the viewer, but there is enough facial interest, especially the teeth, and a few bubbles just burped by the baby seal, to keep people interested.

Image 14 (Compass Jelly) – Rob White The very deliberate choice of viewpoint exploits strong backlight, which really strengthens this image. I would love to have seen it against pure blue; the edge of Snell’s window to the left needed to be stronger or not there at all. As it stands, that and the backscatter ended up as a distraction. But the combination of yellow on blue and strong light makes this image grab the viewer’s attention.

Image 20 (Blue Shark) – Pash Baker The light ripples, a fin cutting the surface and the reflection are all strong compositional elements. There are some minor distractions: a lot of backscatter, a very tight framing bottom left and a perspective forced by the lens that is tending towards the ‘tadpole effect’ when this close in. Nevertheless, it’s a strong image and commended.

Blue Water Macro/Closeup

Image 39 (Goby with parasites on whip coral) First Place – Anthony Holley The orange-on-black, diagonal composition and tack sharp focus with a generous depth of field give this image lots of initial punch. The parasites bring additional interest and a story stronger than many others of this type in circulation. Simple, but very effective use of colour and subject to create high visual impact.

Image 32 (Crab on soft coral) Second Place – Bob Soames Good lighting, perfect depth of field and a square crop all help the crab to pop from its background context, yet still allow enough of the coral to help tell the story. The light against dark heightens the natural contrast and the image is razor sharp. I like the inclusion of a small strip of (dark) water column to the right, which reinforces the dynamics of the image. A well executed picture that was close to the winner in overall impact.

Image 49 (Scallop eyes) Third Place – Peter Ladell There is a strong abstract feel to this image with a sharp focus that brings out the eyes, texture and colours where it matters. I might have reduced the highlights at the edges and perhaps tried a stronger diagonal composition too, but it was great to see something different and with a close viewpoint that drew the viewer right in.

Blue Water Macro/Closeup Highly Commended

Image 9 (Moray) – Cat Briggs Differential lighting, viewpoint and post processing worked very well to make this subject engage strongly with the viewer. It’s a simple but effective picture with the key elements in sharp focus. The foreground symmetry suits the central framing and strengthens the composition. I wondered whether the processing could have left in some subtle hints of the creature’s lair for context, but it’s a minor subjective point. A strong image.

Image 29 (Purple Rhinopia 2) – Martyn Guess The foreground context is more subtle in this image than the previous one of a similar subject, so I immediately felt the full impact of the colour and patterns that comprise this very interesting subject. It is a side-on image, but arguably the subject merits this viewpoint to show the colour and patterns to good effect.

Image 33 (Shrimp on Crinoid) – Mario Vitalini This is a classic thirds composition that exploits good lighting, a great background and a colourful subject looking into the frame; all to wonderful effect. It was the image that first caught my eye when I opened the files. It appears slightly less sharp than those that made the top three, but has high impact.

Image 36 (Cleaner shrimp on Moray) – Martyn Guess At first pass, this image felt a little messy, because the moray’s eyes are out of focus. However, the shrimp is sharp and the moray here is a secondary subject. What works exceptionally well is a nostril being bent down by the shrimp and an apparent lip-curling grimace from the moray. I felt his pain at having his nose tweaked and this image made me laugh. A really good behaviour shot.

Blue Water Macro/Closeup Commended Images

Image 05 (Nudi) – Bob Soames A very striking image from a great viewpoint. The colour and pin-sharp rhinophores engage the viewer. I felt that the elements leaving the frame were sufficiently in focus to pull the eye to the edges, but I liked the overall image.

Image 10 (Nudi) – Bob Soames The viewpoint, depth of field and well-controlled light picking out the colour all help to isolate the subject. A super composition.

Image 26 (Shrimps in a sponge) – Keith Lyall Great engagement with good lighting and focus on the subjects to pick out the fine detail and colour, whilst retaining the overall context. The snoot or post-processing dark vignette was for me a little heavy and gave image a slightly artificial feel. But the subjects pop and it is technically well executed.

Image 30 (Damselfish tending eggs) – Gill Marsh A fine behaviour shot in sharp detail at the peak of the action. Very good composition too, with the diagonal egg-bearing structure crossing the frame edges at the right places. The colours, for some reason, are a bit muted and this is one image that could have stood a little more use of darks and shadows to really accentuate the subject. But a great capture.

Image 38 (Catfish school) – Pash Baker I loved this image and was pleased to see use of a creative technique to try and accentuate movement. The school nicely runs right to the frame edges and the light picks out the important little details like the whiskers. I also liked the diagonal composition.

Image 40 (Purple Rhinopia 1) – Sue Guess The photographer nicely isolated a very cool subject with good lighting to reveal the dominant aspects of the composition; shape and colour. The green foreground is part of the context, but a little distracting and it might have benefited from some subtle (additional?) reduction of competing contrasts in that bottom part of the frame.

Blue Water Wide Angle

Image 34 (Hard Coral) First Place – Rob White Whilst the second and third place images were higher impact through the use of colour, they were both achieved through conventional approaches. What grabbed me about the image that I placed first was its simplicity and relative originality. Not many people try it, but I’m guessing it’s a night or dusk wide angle that helps to isolate the beauty of a natural feature. The overhead viewpoint is well chosen to let shadows cast by the strobes define the shapes of individual corals. With some subtle hints of colour, it’s a peaceful image and almost abstract. The framing at the bottom is a bit tight, but I give high marks for originality of approach to achieve a striking image.

Image 31 (Diver in Cenote) Second Place – Nick Blake A very high impact simple image exploiting natural light to beautiful effect. Tack sharp, a strong frame-within-frame and a sense of scale and place with lots of mood. An image I want to have on my wall.

Image 19 (Red Sea Split) Third Place – Rob White Well controlled dynamic range and depth of field to create an iconic Red Sea picture telling the story of beautiful coral gardens below rock and sand. Really well captured colours.

Blue Water Wide Angle Highly Commended

Image 04 (Diver in Cave) – Mario Vitalini Simple, but atmospheric, this image exploits natural light to great effect. The diver is beautifully framed and his torch beam gives nice positional contrast to the light beams streaming from above. Excellent use of light.

Image 18 (Reef Shark) – Martyn Guess Great technique to bring movement into this image and it’s well lit with the vital bits sharp. I could not decide whether the wreck blurring at the bottom added or detracted. It’s part of the real context, but I had to dwell on it to work out what it was and so wondered whether a completely clean background (more upward angle from a lower viewpoint) might have allowed the viewer to feast eyes on the beautifully captured main subject. A strong image.

Image 40 (Hammerhead and Friends) – Martyn Guess A very graphic high impact shot. Eyes, snout and teeth are all there and the light uses shadow to both isolate the subject and emphasise myriad detail in this charismatic big animal. The secondary subjects (small jacks and remora) make it an even stronger image.

Image 43 (Oceanic White Tip Head On) – Pash Baker These are hard-to-get images. I’m not sure if it’s a pseudo wide angle using a long lens or a cropped wide angle, but the result has impact. The pectorals and dorsal make a classic Mercedes shape and I like the tail sweeping out left to add movement, reinforced by the trajectory of the pilot fish. Getting some light on the snout picked out face detail. It’s unlucky that the bottom right pilot fish merged with the pectoral. Good work.

Blue Water Wide Angle Commended

Image 03 (Anemone & Fish) – Gill Marsh This type of image is quite common, but still well executed with accurate framing, focus and lighting to give a lot of colour and impact. Nicely done.

Image 05 (Schooling Jacks and Diver) – Martyn GuessThis is a very well framed and timed shot. The contra- rotation of diver and fish keep it tightly composed, with the diver adding both sense of scale and part of the story. It’s very well lit and I only wondered if the highlights on the right hand side and around the edges could have been reduced just a bit to really centre the viewer’s eye on the action; my eye did wander to the brighter edges. A lovely image only a whisker off the final cut.

Image 13 (Oceanic White Tip and Pilot Fish) – Pash Baker I like the more distant viewpoint here that brings in a sense of the upper open ocean that defines the habitat of this pelagic species. But it was also close enough to get some light coming into the camera sensor from the shark and the pilot fish, telling the story with colour and detail. A good image of a predator in its habitat.

Image 26 (Dolphin) – Gill Marsh There’s quite a bit of noise in this image, but the timing and framing is spot on. The diagonal adds a dynamic, as does the downward tail beat creating the puff of sand. There is a lovely sense of depth perspective created by the animal and its shadow. If post processing rules had allowed, I would have toned down the shadow on the right hand edge of the frame about one third up from the bottom; it’s a minor distraction. If this was shot in portrait, full marks. If it was a crop from horizontal, it might explain the noise and loss of detail, but the image has impact.

Image 30 (Manta Train) – Mario Vitalini The water column through which the photographer shot this image both adds and detracts. It adds aerial (depth) perspective, reinforcing the reducing relative size of the mantas, but also strips out some detail, slightly reducing the contrast. But the moment is captured and I loved the train looming out of the distance, with lots of dynamics from wing positions and overall shape of the train. A most enjoyable image. I wanted to be there.

Image 35 (Turtle and Remoras) – Mario Vitalini A super image that catches a not-so-common separation of one remora from its turtle host and with almost perfect timing. The diverging lines set against pure blue, with the surface in sight and the hint of yellow and orange adds colour contrast to already- well-defined shapes. Seeing the upper parts of the remora and lower parts of the turtle adds to the perspective and dynamics of the image. If only the outer turtle wing had been lower…that little bit of luck could have turned this great shot into an absolutely fabulous one.

Prints

First Place (Wreck of the Ulysses) – Peter Tatton

Second Place (Squid) – Gill Marsh

Third Place (Cardinal fish & Eggs) – Gill Marsh

Prints Commended

Ocean Whitetip – Pash Baker

Clownfish – Wendy Eve

Dolphin – Mario Vitalini

Aircraft Wreck – Mario Vitalini

Clownfish – Martyn Guess

Seal – Jane Morgan

Moray – Cat Briggs

Dolphins – Ken Sullivan

Frogfish – Martha Tressler

Jellyfish Selfie – Anthony Holley

Clownfish – Cat Briggs

The Len Deeley Trophy

Following the death of club founder and driving force Len Deeley, a new trophy was created by Pash Baker and Jo Horrocks in memory of Len. This trophy will be presented on an annual basis at the annual dinner. It will be classed as a “floating trophy” and while on some occasions it will be presented based on a competitive basis defined by the committee, on others it will be presented to a club member who has supported the club and promoted its aims and goals.

Following the sudden death of Len Deeley in 2016, the committee decided that the first recipient should be Len & Pat Deeley to recognise the unwavering and steadfast support provided to the club since its inception. The trophy was presented to Pat Deeley by Paul Colley, Pash Baker (left) and Jo Horrocks (right).

Awards Presentation

Rob White & Paul Colley (Green Water Macro Winner)

Jane Morgan & Paul Colley (Green Water Macro 2nd Place)

Peter Ladell & Paul Colley (Green Water Macro 3rd Place)

Pash Baker & Paul Colley (Green Water Wide Winner)

Gill Marsh & Paul Colley (Green Water Wide 2nd Place)

Nick Blake, Green Water Wide 3rd place was unable to attend the meal

Anthony Holley & Paul Colley (Blue Water Macro Winner)

Bob Soames & Paul Colley (Blue Water Macro 2nd Place)

Peter Ladell & Paul Colley (Blue Water Macro 3rd Place)

Rob White & Paul Colley (Blue Water Wide Winner & 3rd Place)

Nick Blake, Blue Water Wide 2nd place was unable to attend the meal

Peter Tatton & Paul Colley (Print Winner)

Gill Marsh & Paul Colley (Print 2nd & 3rd Places)

Thanks

Our thanks to Paul Colley for judging the competition, and to his wife Vinny for attending the meal and competition evening.

These events cannot run without the help of a number of club members. Thanks to Bob Soames for acting as master of ceremonies, Keith Lyall for organising and running the competition, Pat Deeley for providing the balloons and table place tags, Bert Lee for providing the display stands (assembled with the assistance of Ken Sullivan, Mike Maloney and Chris McTernan), to Sue Guess for laying out the prints, Jo Horrocks for setting up the trophy table, Rob White for helping with final projection setup, Peter Ladell for taking the winners photographs, and to Martha for arranging the tables and doing the other logistical stuff in the background that people are not aware of.

Photosub AGM – 2016

Posted on 21/02/2017 by

The Photosub 2016 AGM & Social Meeting was held at Martha and Anthony’s home near Southampton. There were 14 of of us in total, enjoying some lovely food and puds, recent images and a slightly longer than usual AGM – we had a bit more to cover than usual.

Some great projected images were provided by Martha, Anthony, Joss and Cat Briggs, a visitor to Photosub and hopefully soon to be a new member. It’s hard for me to put my finger on exactly what happened, but as the evening moved on, so the meeting evolved into a somewhat boisterous, rebellious and irreverent affair. Wholly enjoyable, and a great evening!

My thanks, as ever, to everybody for coming along and to those that brought images to share. Particularly thanks go to Martha and Anthony for hosting the evening for us and for feeding us so well (with the help of some unnamed pudding providers).

The key points from the AGM were:

It was agreed that subscriptions for full members remain at £15, and we have added a second membership category of Social Member at £8. This is for people who were diving members but can no longer dive. This is because about half the club’s outgoings are for meeting costs and this was agreed as a fair arrangement. 2017 subscriptions are now due. Electronic payment to the Photosub bank account if possible please (HSBC; account # 61212605; sort code 40-27-07).

It was agreed that the Splash-In has a competition period of approximately four weeks, as it did in 2016, timed to allow images to be judged for the BBQ meeting. The area to be dived will remain anywhere in UK or Irish waters. For 2017 the competition period will be the month of July with a deadline for images to reach Keith by midnight 31 July.

As part of the Splash-in event, Pat will be scattering some of Len’s ashes at Selsey on Sunday 23 July. We hope as many club members as possible can be there. Timing and details to be arranged.

Other 2017 plans:

Godfrey and Judith will host the BBQ on 12 August
Roger and Wendy will host the May meeting, date tba
Joss will host the November meeting, date tba

And a reminder to let Bob Soames have menu choices for the annual dinner on 18 March and send payment to the Photosub bank account, letting Kam know.

Photosub Open Digital Images Competition 2016

Posted on 20/11/2016 by

Club members met on Saturday 19th November for the annual Open Digital Competition. The evening was hosted at Martyn and Sue Guess’s house, near Cranleigh, and attended by 25 members. Congratulations to all who navigated successfully to the venue, and for braving the inclement weather.

After the usual socialising and excellent food (thanks to Sue), 32 images were projected. The winners had been pre-judged by Simon Rogerson, Editor of SCUBA magazine. Unfortunately Simon could not attend but provided a set of notes which were read out at the meeting.

Thanks to all at Photosub for entrusting me with the task of judging your competition. Sorry I can’t join you tonight; anyone unhappy with my decisions will have to hurl your buns at me from longer distance than usual. There were plenty of lovely photos this year, and I did agonise over the placings before making my final choice. Take-home lessons? Beware of oversharpening, watch out for digital noise and if you’re entering a relatively common or ‘easy’ subject, the key to success is originality. Well, that’s enough pontificating from me. Have a great evening and if you didn’t win or get mentioned, don’t worry about it. Competitions are silly things… almost as silly as judges. Big love, and have a great Christmas.

The results were as follows:

1st Place: Rhinopias by Martin Guess

This is an object lesson in backlighting – a dramatic subject approached from the optimal angle and highlighted with multi-directional light. Some of the success of the image is simply finding the subject and this strong angle, but I have to say the execution is faultless, especially with the backlighting illuminating the ridge of the fins. I may be wrong, but I think there is a touch of front lighting here, all that is required to show off the amazing colouring.

2nd Place: Cleaner shrimp on moray eel by Joss Woolf

The flowing form of the eel’s head compliments the cleaners as they dance across its neck. The precision of the lighting and the elegant, natural composition made this a close contender. It’s impossible to get every detail in focus, but the softness of the eel’s eye was, for me, a slight imperfection that detracted from the overall effect.

3rd Place: Grey Seal by Gill Marsh

A popular subject, quality and originality is key to competition images of grey seals. In this case, it’s all down to the photographer’s success in capturing a wonderful mid-water pose. I wasn’t sure about the black and white, but it does have the effect of concentrating your attention on the subject. Always ask yourself: why does an image merit the B&W treatment… does it really reveal more about the subject?

Commended

Seahorse by Martyn Guess

A subtle and intimate portrait, with muted directional lighting. Shows similar photographic precision to that of the winner, but it’s been done so much the effect is diminished.

Squirrelfish and sponge by Joss Woolf

With its strikingly original lighting, I found its skewed symmetry memorable, but slightly disconcerting.

Hammerheads by Pash Baker

From the hue of the water and the lack of parasites on the sharks, I’m guessing this is Red Sea, where getting any sort of a photo of a hammerhead is an achievement. The image is sharp and nicely balanced, but what a shame the sharks can’t be persuaded to swim in a more attractive formation!

The Len Deeley Trophy

In memory of Len Deeley, founder and driving force behind the Photosub club, Pash Baker and Jo Horrocks have created a trophy which will be presented on an annual basis. The basis for the award has not yet been decided, but ideas so far include “valuable contribution towards the club”, “photo of the year”, or a criteria which could change on a year by year basis. Ideas from members are welcome and should be sent to the current chair, Bob Soames.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all those who took part for making it such a successful competition; to Simon for taking the time to judge the images, to Martyn and Sue for their hospitality, and to various others who helped leading up to and during the evening.

Photosub 25th Anniversary Exhibition (Update)

Posted on 01/10/2016 by

To commemorate 25 years of Photosub, the club successfully held an underwater photography exhibition at “The Brew House”, Guildford. Underwater images from many club members were on display, and feedback from the public and staff has been very positive.

A big thank you to all who prepared and provided images. Thanks to Martha, Anthony, Kam and Bob for setting up the exhibition. A particular thanks and recognition needs to go to Bob Soames who worked tirelessly to bring the exhibition to life. Bob took over from the initial preparatory work of Len Deeley and provided considerable effort and organisation to ensure the exhibition was successful.

Below are a few images from the exhibition room, and in particular the fitting tribute to Len Deeley.

Len Deeley

A selection of Len’s image on display at the 25th Anniversary Exhibition

A few panoramic shots from the exhibition room are below …

A Guest Book was available in the exhibition room for feedback and comments. The following comments were left by club members and other visitors.

Photosub 25th Anniversary Exhibition (2016)

Posted on 05/09/2016 by

To commemorate 25 years of Photosub, the club is holding an underwater photography exhibition from Sat 17th September to Sat 1st October 2016 at “The Brew House”, Guildford. Underwater images from many club members will be on display. Entry is free and there is a cafe on site for refreshments.

Times: Mon to Sat 10.00am-4.45pm, Sun 11.00am-3.45pm

Location: The Brew House, Guildford House, 155 High Street, Guildford GU1 3AJ

Tele: 01483 444 751

Photosub BBQ and Splash-in Competition Results 2016

Posted on 07/08/2016 by

A most enjoyable evening was had last night by about 35 club members and guests at the Photosub BBQ, which was hosted by Keith and Jo. The weather was dry and sunny, the food was great and it was an opportunity to meet up with friends. So special thanks to Keith and Jo, with grateful help from Pash, Rob, Jan and Linda.

This year rather than a splash-in weekend, images were allowed from any time in July, up to and including Sunday 24th of July; in addition images could be taken anywhere in the UK. This allowed for more members to participate and help get around the usual issue of the British weather preventing diving. Initially Peter Tatton was looking to have made a clean sweep of prizes as the only entry, but in the end we had 7 members contributing 21 images.

In keeping with tradition we had a well respected non-diving photographer to judge the competition. We were joined by Tony Riley and his partner Maggie. Tony judged the images in advance and provided the results prior to the meeting so that a results presentation could be prepared. Following an introduction from Bob Soames, the current Photosub Chairperson, all images were projected followed by results announced in reverse order, including a number of Commended and Highly Commended images. Tony provided narrative comments as to his selections and also showed screenshots of some processing as to how he thought some images could be improved.

So the results:

1st place Tompot Blenny, taken under Selsey Lifeboat Station, by Pash Baker
2nd place Leeches Spidercrab taken under Selsey Lifeboat Station, by Jo Horrocks
3rd place Farne Island Seals by Peter Ladell

Highly Commended Goby taken at Swanage by Bob Soames
Highly Commended Jellyfish tentacles by Peter Ladell
Highly Commended Black Goby taken under Selsey Lifeboat Station, by Keith Lyall

Commended Tompot Blenny, taken under Selsey Lifeboat Station, by Keith Lyall
Commended Tompot Blenny, taken under Selsey Lifeboat Station, by Jo Horrocks
Commended Tompot Blenny & Leeches Spidercrab, taken under Selsey Lifeboat Station, by Rob White

The photographers of all 3 placed images were presented with a trophy and a copy of “Ultimate Diving Adventures” by Len Deeley which was apt given his recent death.

Congratulations to the winners and also to all that participated. At the end of the day we had a good quality competition.

Thanks for Martha and Anthony for providing the audio visual equipment, to Kam for collecting the money for the evening, and Bob as master of ceremonies.

1st Place – Pash Baker

2nd Place – Jo Horrocks

3rd Place – Peter Ladell

Highly Commended – Bob Soames

Highly Commended – Keith Lyall

Highly Commended – Peter Ladell

Commended – Rob White

Commended – Jo Horrocks

Commended – Keith Lyall

Photosub Splash-in Date Change

Posted on 02/07/2016 by

The dates of this year’s Photosub Splash-In competition are being extended to include THE FIRST 4 WEEKENDS IN JULY. This will give as many members as possible the chance to get in the water and take some pictures, hopefully avoiding other commitments and the worst of whatever the weather has in mind for us.

So, eligible images must have been taken anywhere in the UK or Ireland between the 1^st July and 24th July 2016 inclusive.

( Just for clarity, Photosub members’ images taken on Whirlwind in the Red Sea WILL NOT be eligible!!! )

This is a projected image competition and, if you choose, manipulation software can be used without restriction. You may enter up to 3 images into the competition. Full rules are on the Photosub web site.

The Photosub Splash-In is a unique competition because we always ask an experienced non-underwater photographer to judge the images for us, and this can result in some interesting and unexpected results!

Your competition images need to be sent to Keith Lyall by Friday 29th July at the latest.

Photosub Summer Meeting 2016

Posted on 02/07/2016 by

Photosub held a social meeting last Saturday night, very kindly hosted by Joss at her house in East Finchley. Despite the inclement June weather, seventeen members and guests attended and enjoyed the usual informal socialising, excellent food and company, and sharing of projected images.

The projected image subjects were Nudibranchs and Shoals, as chosen by Joss, and about half a dozen of us treated the gathering to some excellent images. It has to be said that there were some interesting interpretations of the subjects, including a ‘shoal’ of fish in the tentacles of a jellyfish and some fish-like nudibranchs. However, all good and entertaining stuff! Thanks to everyone who brought images along.

I am sure you will be aware that this was our first meeting since learning of Len’s death. This has been shocking and unhappy news, and we took some time to reflect on it, share our thoughts, express our feelings for Len and Pat, and to recognise Len’s fantastic contribution to Photosub, to underwater photography generally and to the enjoyment we have all had from our hobby.

We reflected on the great success Len had made Photosub into, and the desire we all have to ensure this continued. And we agreed the need for some ongoing recognition of Len’s role and achievement in establishing Photosub and that the committee would look into this.

It is impossible to replace Len, his loss to the club is huge. Some changes to the running of Photosub are now required to ensure its continued success. We agreed that a few volunteers are needed to work with the committee to make these adjustments and to help with activities and events. My sincere thanks to Martha and Keith for your offers of help, they are very much appreciated.

If any other members would like to help with the running of the club or its activities, please could you let me know by return, it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

In closing, I’d like to thank everybody that came along and, especially, those who made the meeting happen. To Joss as a great host and for treating us to some lovely food. To those kind people (I’m sorry I didn’t find out who) who provided some very nice puddings. And also to Martha and Anthony for providing and operating the projection equipment for us. Thank you all very much.

Our next meeting will be the annual BBQ and Photosub Splash-In Competition results meeting at Jo and Keith’s house on 6^th August.

Len Deeley FRPS

Posted on 26/06/2016 by

It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the death of our friend, fellow photographer and diver, Len Deeley. Len was taken ill on Wednesday evening 15^th June 2016, with aortic dissection and was operated on at St Georges, Tooting but suffered a massive stroke. Len passed away on Thursday 16th June 2016. Our condolences and thoughts are with his beloved wife Pat and family this sad time.

Len began diving as a member of 562 Para Sqn. T.A. back in 1970 with BSAC London Army 328 Branch. When Len left the T.A. in 1975 he joined BSAC East Ham Branch 604. However, Len really settled into serious diving when he became a member of the Billericay Sub Aqua Club (1620) in 1980 when it formed.

In 1981 Len joined the British Society of Underwater Photographers, where he got to know many underwater photographers, some of international status. This was an invaluable part of a learning process, which helped him develop his underwater photography.

In 1986 Len moved from Essex to Surrey and joined Cranleigh Sub Aqua Club and Godalming Photographic Club, with whom he developed an interest in other forms of photography and printing techniques. This led to his own darkroom and, latterly, digital imaging. Len also joined The Royal Society of Photography (RPS) and earned an ARPS distinction in the Applied Category using underwater images taken with slide film. This was followed in 2006 when Len achieved a Fellowship distinction with the RPS in the Nature category with digital prints.

Having the right type of diving is so important for underwater photography and that is unlikely to be found with a normal diving club. In 1988 therefore Len formed Photosub Underwater Photography Club. Our club, with a membership of circa 50 people, provided the backdrop for much of his diving. Len was the heart, sole and driving force behind the success of this highly social club, organising many events including meetings, competitions, presentations and the annual meal. Len and Pat opened up their home on so many occasions as the venue for regular club meetings.

Len had been on the lecture circuit of the Surrey Photographic Association since 1993 and regularly give talks, slide shows and lectures, including photoshop technique and how to produce digital audio visuals.

Len regularly organized diving trips for underwater photographers to locations worldwide, such as Red Sea, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Galapagos, Cocos Islands, South Africa, Mozambique, Philippines, Cuba, etc.

By building up successes with entries in various British Photographic Exhibitions affiliated to the BPE Crown Awards scheme Len achieved the BPE1 award certificate in March 2007, BPE2 in April 2007 and BPE3 in May 2008.

In 2009 Len was commissioned with a dive friend Karen Gargani to produce a book. The book, called Ultimate Diving Adventures, was released in UK in October 2009 with world wide publication thereafter. In March 2011 Len was awarded AFIAP distinction with the Federation Internationale Del’Art Photographique, and Len was awarded EFIAP distinction in May 2015.

Len was Chairman of Mid Thames AV Group and a regular attendee and entrant of AV Festivals. He was well known for his incredible underwater photography. His most recent success were for ‘Thistlegorm Remembered’ in the 2016 Peter Coles IAC International and for ‘A Compasionate Man’ in the 2014 Great Northern Festival. Both sequences received Special Judges Mentions.

Len was a big man in all ways and will leave a large hole in there lives of those who were fortunate enough to know him. We will all miss you Len, rest in peace.

Final Goodbye

On Sunday 23^rd July 2107, about 30 members of Photosub joined Len’s family at Selsey slip to remember Len Deeley, and to be with Pat when she scattered Len’s ashes in the sea.

It was an emotional occasion, with Godfrey Bevan and Bob Soames remembering Len with a few words before Pat scattered Len’s ashes, and some rose petals in the waters at the shoreline.

It was a fitting tribute to Len, and East Beach, Selsey was a very appropriate place for his ashes to be scattered. Len enjoyed diving on the Mulberries at Selsey and last dived there 2 years ago.

The assembled group then retired to The Lifeboat Inn, public house for refreshments. The weather was kind to us on the day, with a mixture of sunshine and clouds and a south-westerly breeze, keeping the first drops of rain until most of us had departed for home again.

Pat Deeley supported by family and friends

The gathering at Selsey slipway

Bob Soames leads the tributes …

… followed by long time dive buddy Godfrey Bevan

The final farewell …