Tag: NUDI

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Underwater

3 Things I Learned from Joining an Underwater Photography Competition

jayvee fernandez diver

Above: Lighter moments during the competition .. a #selfie below the boat.

Boom.

Froth.

Into the deep. You literally step in.

Then you sink.

Then sort of float up to the surface. Someone hands you the camera from the boat. And off you go.

Ah, photography. But underwater. The agony and the ecstasy of it are what contributes to the addiction.

Imagine the work it takes to set up for a shoot on land — lugging all your reflectors, lights, backdrops and what have you and set it all up on set. Now imagine having to bring all of that down with you into the deep. With SCUBA gear.

Imagine how it feels using a snorkeling mask to look into your camera’s viewfinder (I shoot with a DSLR). And it’s not just the mask that makes it harder — it’s the protective housing that keeps your camera waterproof that adds to the inches between the viewfinder and your eyes. Roughly put, it’s about a total of 3-4 inches of shooting distance between what you see in the camera and your eyes.

Now imagine doing all this while you’re running out of air.

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Mostly Everything

My green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) photo featured at the Tubbataha Reef 25th Anniversary Exhibit

jayvee fernandez green sea turtle

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Tubbataha Reef’s declaration as a world heritage site. I consider myself proud and honored to be one of the contributing underwater photographers participating in a roving photo exhibit around Ayala Malls.

Above is my photo of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) taken during my 2011 Tubbataha charter trip on board the HCA. I would like to thank WWF Philippines and the Tubbataha Management Office for this honor.

Tubbataha Reef 25th Anniversary Photo Exhibit Album

The Tubbataha Reefs is considered one of the best dive sites in the world, and is one of the most biologically rich and diverse areas within the Coral Triangle, Earth’s epicenter of marine life.

With the support of Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. and the Ayala Malls, WWF-Philippines and the Tubbataha Management Office formally opened the exhibit on Monday at the New Glorietta Activity Center.The exhibit will continue to run from April 10 to 13, at the Ground Level of Glorietta 3.

Through the photo exhibit, WWF and TMO aim to promote the Tubbataha experience and highlight the importance of protecting our Tubbataha Reefs and help raise funds to build a new Tubbataha Ranger Station, which will better protect this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Categories
Underwater

Wide angle reefscape shots of Anilao

Over the weekend, I flooded my camera. Thank heavens I was able to save everything. Luckily it happened when I dunked the system into the freshwater basin to check for leaks and when I saw the flashing red light on the moisture sensor, I immediately pulled the housing out, set it down on a towel and opened it.

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Categories
Underwater

The Underwater Photographer

An inside look how serious enthusiasts and pros endure the most arduous of conditions just to take that perfect underwater shot. Poisonous marine life, sweeping currents, unpredictable water visibility, limited bottom time juxtaposed high risk to expensive photo gear & self are just some of the variables which make underwater photography one of the most difficult yet highly rewarding branches of photography.

Photos and Video by Jun Lao.

I joined my first underwater photo competition last week. There were a total of 82 participants from the Philippines and beyond and it was a literal breath-taking experience. I did a total of 5 dives over the weeek end, two spent in San Agapito Reef with some of the strongest currents experienced by man. It was so strong, we had to abort one dive because we got swept away into the blue.

Categories
Mostly Everything

Hello I’m Jayvee: All Around Geek, Diver, Photographer — and I’m Joining SNUPS!

Hey guys, back to reality! This post is long delayed. Sorry about that. If you want more real time updates, I’m almost always online on Twitter (@jayvee) and Instagram (@jayveef).

Anyway, we’ve been working on a huge event — it’s basically Year II of SNUPS, the biggest underwater photo competition in the Philippines. Now, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to join. There are categories suited for beginners as long as you can bring a camera down 2 feet with tupperware (you’ll be amazed with the things you can find — after all it’s the Philippines!).

In this case, we took the iPhone 4s down. Have a look at the video and share it with friends who may be interested! =)

Dates:

Cebu
April 20-24 2012

Anilao
May 4-8 2012

Hello I'm Jayvee