SanDisk RedSea 2007 - Report & Results

The SanDisk Red Sea 2007 Competition took place last week, on the 12th-17th of November, in Eilat, Israel. Over one hundred and twenty underwater photographers from all over the world, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Swiss, Argentina, Costa Rica, Israel and more, arrived to Eilat especially to attend this prestigious event.

This is the third year this competition takes place in Eilat, and it seems that as the years go by, more and more photographers choose to participate in this competition, more journalists arrive to cover the event, the more organized the competition is and more valuable prizes are awarded for the winners.

The competition consisted of two main categories. The first was called Images of the World, in which photographers submitted their underwater photographs from all over the world. The second was called the Eilat Shoot-out, in which photographers who arrived to the competition had three days to shoot their winning images in the calm and clear water of the Red Sea.

This year a few new prizes were added. In the Images of the World category, prizes were also granted for the best wreck and the best humoristic images. In the Eilat Shoot-out category, a prize was also granted to the best amateur photographer. Another innovation in this year's SanDisk competition was the addition of the Eilat's Video Clip Category, in which video photographers had three days to shoot and edit their winning underwater video clip of up to ninety seconds.

Day 1

The first day of the competition was the registration day which took place in the Manta diving center in Eilat. I personally find this day thrilling at least as the competition itself. Well known underwater photographers arrive from all over the world, and unlike the following days, in which participants have no spare time to catch up with each other, we all had time to discuss life (that is, underwater photography of course).

Various gifts were handed over to the participants as they singed up to the competition, including a 4 GB SanDisk memory card, t-shirts and Ruby Project sunglasses for those who signed up early enough.

Day 2-4

The three following days were dedicated for the Eilat Shoot-out competition. This was the most intense part of the competition, and a real stunning view. The diving center was very busy day and night, underwater camera systems of all kinds were spotted everywhere, photographers spent long hours underwater and many journalists were running around.

I found the atmosphere among competitors this year very pleasant and cooperative. Photographers consulted one with the other, went diving together, shared images and ideas, assisted with equipment errors and encouraged each other. Whether one was new to this competition or an experienced SanDisk Red Sea competitor, the mood of equanimity and support was well stated.

However, there were also some less glamorous moments during these days. Noam Kortler and Yonatan Nir, which both traveled together in Papua New Guinea, found out that they had submitted a very similar photo for the Best Wrecks category. One can only imagine how frustrating it is when only one of the two photos is chosen to be displayed on the big screen...

Another issue, a significant drawback of participating in a three days competition, is that you have no room for error. Dany Weinberg, a well appreciated Israeli underwater photographer, was sick on the first day and had only two days left to shoot his six winning photographs. Gyula Somogyi could only make it to Eilat on the second day of the competition, and had to shoot a 90 seconds edited video in the two remaining days. Another photographer had lost his strobe in the water and had to immediately purchase a new one, disregarding the fact it cost him twice the price he would have bought it for in any other situation. One of the participants DSLR Housing had some serious electronic problems, and we spent several hours to disassemble his housing and replace his sync port with a new one.

Although this year was the first for the Eilat Shoot-out Video Category, there were quite a few videographers who took part in the competition. Gyula Somogyi came up with a very creative idea, and decided to tell the story of the Moses Rock, which is one of the most popular diving sites in Eilat, in his video. He managed to integrate remarkable shots of underwater life with produced shots of the Moses Rock biblical story. Amotz Tal created a film of ninety seconds a free diver spends underwater, integrating shots of a very photogenic free diver with spectacular underwater living creatures.

On each day of the competition, a "Happy Hour" was announced in the afternoon, in which free beer was poured to all competitors. This was a great opportunity for all photographers to take a break and to relax a little before their scheduled night dive. Those who got carried away with the beer, skipped their night dive, and were more cautious with the following day's Happy Hour… It was also the right moment to try and figure out what your fellow photographers have been shooting. A photographer that usually keeps his work in secret is a one big goldmine after three beers.

Throughout the week there were several events which accompanied the competition itself, including an opening cocktail party in the Red Sea Marine Park, a shoot-out party at the Dolphin Reef, a digital photo seminar with the well-known photographer (and judge!) Kurt Amsler, and a very interesting lecture by Christian Patron, the photographer of the "Titanic" and "Big Blue" movies. These events created an opportunity for photographers which took part in the competition not only to show their skills, but also to gain some new ones.

Day 5

The fifth day of the competition was dedicated for judgment. The judges, who worked very hard during the week to decide upon the winners of the Images of the World category, now had to discuss the different winners of the Eilat Shoot-out category. Since underwater photography is a growing discipline, as more and more photographers join this domain, amateurs become professionals and creative ideas evolve. Each and every year being a judge in the SanDisk Red Sea competition becomes a more complicated duty. The judges spent the whole weekend behind closed doors, and whenever any of them exited the room they were swarmed by competitors. However, it seems like the judges have well practiced their "poker face" back home, since none of us seemed to successfully predict who will be the lucky fellows called up on stage during the winning ceremony.

Roni Soffer, head of the judging panel, stated that this year the judgment process was the most organized one. Judges worked with clear criterions, spending enough time on each image and making decisions based on numbers rather than only taste. He was very pleased with the results of the competition and felt that they reflect the objective and thorough judgment method he had conducted.

Day 6

The winning ceremony took place on Saturday evening, and everyone agreed that it was a very prestigious and exciting event. Over three hundred and fifty people attended this ceremony, all curious to find out who's going to take that ten thousand US dollars check back home, among other valuable prizes. A slideshow was displayed on a huge screen near the stage, presenting a collection of marvelous underwater images taken by the competitors, including the nominees and winning photographs, which were obviously the most marvelous of them all.

Called up on stage were the Mayor of Eilat, Mr. Meir Itzhak Ha-Levi, SanDisk representatives and of course the man behind the scene, Mr. David Pilosof, which we all know as "Pilo".

The tension was well built up during the ceremony, as smaller prizes were granted first, and the biggest prize of all, a ten thousand US dollars check along with a diving vacation for two in Papua New Guinea, was left for the end. As if that wasn't enough, a nice local Jazz band was invited a few times during the ceremony to play on stage, increasing the tension even more.

The lucky winner, who won the first prize for the best 5 images portfolio in the Eilat Shoot-out category, was Arthur Telle Thleman from Spain. He got up on stage with the biggest smile his face probably ever featured and was photographed holding that humongous check that clearly states: TEN THOUSAND US DOLLARS.

As soon as the ceremony was over, everyone crossed the street to the Bar Beach location, where the last SanDisk Red Sea 2007 party was thrown. There we met Arthur and his beautiful lady again, who both were dancing and singing so graciously that no doubt was left that they are totally entitled for that prize. We also met Dany Weinberg, who won the Judge's Prize with a terrific macro blennies photo, and was very thankful for it. Noam Kortler, on the other hand, was a little disappointed that he only won the Portfolio on the Images of the World category. I'm sure, though, that as soon as he got home, he cheered up with his three thousand dollars check, and the great recognition he was awarded due to his hard work and exceptional photos.

As for me, I got to touch the ten thousand US dollars huge check for a moment, while passing it on from Pilo to Arthur, and I'm telling you guys… It sure feels good!!

• Final call for Celebrate the Sea 2008 Competition
• SanDisk Red-Sea 2007 Competition Invitation
• SanDisk RedSea 2007 photo and video competition
• SanDisk RedSea Underwater Photo Competition 2006 Live Webcast