Press Releases 2007
Wiltshire Photographer Wins Sport Diver Magazine’s “UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2007”
13th September 2007
Warminster based scuba diver and photographer Jeremy Cuff has won the coveted Sport Diver Magazine’s “Underwater Photographer of the Year Award 2007”, announced in the September edition of the magazine.
The competition brief was to “shoot the cover” of the magazine and attracted a great number of entrants. The winning image was taken by Jeremy in Australia on 3rd April 2007, at the Cod Hole dive site on the Great Barrier Reef. It graces the cover of the September edition of Sport Diver magazine, a popular scuba diving magazine in the UK.
The image was taken on a “cod feed” dive which involves the crew luring these huge fish to a large sandy “arena” with a holed container of “bait” – an irresistible concoction of dead fish and chum. Once in the water, the divers assemble in a large circle on the sand and wait for the container to be brought past. Several large Potato Cod remain glued to the container, transfixed by its contents. To add to the spectacle, the crew also hand feed the cod with fish.
Jeremy said, “I was really pleased to win this award, especially in light of the high profile nature of the competition and the number of entrants. The image features my wife Amanda next to a giant Potato Cod at the Cod Hole dive site and makes for a striking image.”
“For photo opportunities, it was a chance not to be missed. What could be better than huge fish in shallow, clear water that are unafraid of divers?”
“When diving with my wife Amanda, we have an arrangement that she’ll model for me when required. This is handy when I’m shooting wide angle or fish eye, as a diver can sometimes add that extra bit of context, composition or visual spectacle to an image. After the feed was over we remained in the sandy area and “worked” the cod. I tried a few things, each time with Amanda in the background, but none of them had that indefinable “wow factor”.
“I noticed that the largest specimen was never more than a foot or so from the container, so I capitalised on it’s obsession by placing my camera in front the object, so that the cod was literally on the end of my dome port. I then gestured Amanda to come in closer and lie by its side whilst I fired away, careful to keep the container out of picture.”
“In the case of my winning image, I think it works on each of the “context, composition and visual spectacle” aspects, and is the result of teamwork between Amanda and myself.”
The prize is an underwater photography trip worth £2500 to either southern Africa or Indonesia, plus a digital underwater camera worth £500.
Jeremy has contributed a number of feature articles to magazines including Sport Diver, Dive, Scuba World, UWP Magazine and the British Society of Underwater Photographer’s “In Focus” Magazine.
Jeremy added “Our photography and writing has grown organically, starting as a simple desire to record our travels and experiences which, over time, grew into a more organised and focused pursuit whereby photography and feature writing is often the main reason for a trip.”
“So far, we’ve developed to the stage where we’re having work regularly published, but now we are seeking more regular and extensive working partnerships with publishers of magazines, newspapers, websites, image banks and books.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Contact: Jeremy Cuff on (01985) 214362 end_of_the_skype_highlighting / 07768 308953/ [email protected] or visit www.ja-universe.com
Dive Photojournalist Jeremy Cuff Wins Sport Diver Magazine’s “UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2007”
13th September 2007
UK based scuba diver, photographer and photojournalist Jeremy Cuff has won the coveted UK Sport Diver Magazine’s “Underwater Photographer of the Year Award 2007”, announced in the September edition of the magazine.
The competition brief was to “shoot the cover” of the magazine and attracted a great number of entrants. The winning image was taken by Jeremy in Australia on 3rd April 2007, at the Cod Hole dive site on the Great Barrier Reef. It graces the cover of the September edition of Sport Diver magazine, a popular scuba diving magazine in the UK.
The image was taken on a “cod feed” dive which involves the crew luring these huge fish to a large sandy “arena” with a holed container of “bait” – an irresistible concoction of dead fish and chum. Once in the water, the divers assemble in a large circle on the sand and wait for the container to be brought past. Several large Potato Cod remain glued to the container, transfixed by its contents. To add to the spectacle, the crew also hand feed the cod with fish.
Jeremy said, “I was really pleased to win this award, especially in light of the high profile nature of the competition and the number of entrants. The image features my wife Amanda next to a giant Potato Cod at the Cod Hole dive site and makes for a striking image.”
“For photo opportunities, it was a chance not to be missed. What could be better than huge fish in shallow, clear water that are unafraid of divers?”
“When diving with my wife Amanda, we have an arrangement that she’ll model for me when required. This is handy when I’m shooting wide angle or fish eye, as a diver can sometimes add that extra bit of context, composition or visual spectacle to an image. After the feed was over we remained in the sandy area and “worked” the cod. I tried a few things, each time with Amanda in the background, but none of them had that indefinable “wow factor”.
“I noticed that the largest specimen was never more than a foot or so from the container, so I capitalised on it’s obsession by placing my camera in front the object, so that the cod was literally on the end of my dome port. I then gestured Amanda to come in closer and lie by its side whilst I fired away, careful to keep the container out of picture.”
“In the case of my winning image, I think it works on each of the “context, composition and visual spectacle” aspects, and is the result of teamwork between Amanda and myself.”
The prize is an underwater photography trip worth £2500 to either southern Africa or Indonesia, plus a digital underwater camera worth £500.
Jeremy has contributed a number of feature articles to magazines including Sport Diver, Dive, Scuba World, UWP Magazine and the British Society of Underwater Photographer’s “In Focus” Magazine.
Jeremy added “Our photography and writing has grown organically, starting as a simple desire to record our travels and experiences which, over time, grew into a more organised and focused pursuit whereby photography and feature writing is often the main reason for a trip.”
“So far, we’ve developed to the stage where we’re having work regularly published, but now we are seeking more regular and extensive working partnerships with publishers of magazines, newspapers, websites, image banks and books.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Contact: Jeremy Cuff on (01985) 214362 end_of_the_skype_highlighting / 07768 308953/ [email protected] or visit www.ja-universe.com