FISH EYE
Under Bath Water 2021
It ’ s bath time !
One of the most ingenious feelgood campaigns of the Covid era has been Fourth Element ’ s Underbathwater Photographer of the Year competition . Conceived by Fourth Element ’ s co-founder Jim Standing , the contest was intended to give anyone with an underwater camera an incentive to hone their skills during lockdown periods . The first contest captured the dive community ’ s imagination , and the sequel saw ever more creative efforts in the bathroom . Winner of the professional category is a recreation of a polar scene by Mikko Paasi , shot in a hotel bathroom in Jakarta , using child ’ s modelling clay to mould a polar bear and hotel towels to create an ersatz ice corridor . The image was finessed by turning the image upside-down , which helped create the ethereal feeling . The winning amateur image by Barry McGill recreated a lowviz atmosphere , capturing the experience of diving in UK and Irish waters , with some added Lego submersibles . The winner of the Lockdown Lego professional category , ‘ Mocean Images ’, used holes in a black sheet to direct beams onto a dark reef scene , in a photo inspired by the ‘ light and dark ’ of the Mexican cenotes . The ‘ Indoor Animal Behaviour ’ category was won by Pia Bercic , who used diaphanous material to create the impression of an octopus squirting ink . The photos were judged by Alex Mustard , the organiser of the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year competition , Saeed Rashid , an award-winning photographer and lecturer in Electronic Publishing at Bournemouth University , and Jim Standing . The competition was organised by Fourth Element and supported by underwater imaging company Underwater Visions and camera manufacturer , Paralenz .
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