2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year: winning photos announced
(Digital Photography Review)

2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year `Dancing Octopus` Gabriel Barathieu/UPY 2017  The winners of the 2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year compeition have been announced, and the photos are absolutely spectacular. The overall winner was Gabriel Barathieu with his image of an Octopus taken in the Lagoon of Mayotte on Mayotte Island. He says, `In the lagoon of Mayotte, during spring low tides, there is very little water on the flats. Only 30 cm in fact. That`s when I took this picture. I had to get as close as possible to the dome to create this effect. The 14mm is an ultra wide angle lens with very good close focus which gives this effect of great size. The octopus appears larger, and the height of water also. Also, I didn`t need flash because I had lots of natural light.` 2017 British Underwater Photographer of the Year `Out of the Blue` Nick Blake/UPY 2017 Kukulkan Cenote, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico Kukulkan Cenote on Mexico´s Yucatan Peninsula forms part of the Chac Mool system and is noted for the spectacular light effects as the sun penetrates the darkness. I left my strobes behind for the natural light shot I wanted and positioned myself in the shadows of the cavern. Moving my eye around the viewfinder, I could see that the rock outline of the cavern around me made for a pleasing symmetry and I adjusted my position to balance the frame. The light show flickered on and off as the sun was periodically covered by cloud and as it reappeared, I beckoned to my buddy and dive guide, Andrea Costanza of ProDive, to edge into the illumination of some of the stronger beams, completing the composition. My journey from diver to underwater photographer has brought many amazing photographic opportunities and I feel humbled and privileged that this image has achieved such recognition. 2017 Up and Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year `Oceanic in the Sky` Horacio Martinez/ ...