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Sea Turtles, any variety – one or more.  Your choice.  You’ve seen them.  You know them well.  Our air-breathing aquatic reptile buddies with the ancient pedigree.

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If you aren’t sure, look it up in your fish ID book or just ask someone you trust for an expert opinion.  If it’s platter-flat, colorful, and pretty, it’s probably what you’re looking for.

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The subjects must be of the same species.  Other things can be in the picture but the main focus should be on the primary subject.  We’re not looking for a whole, vast school so the count needs to be from 2 to 11.

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Again, this is pretty specific but you may need to check your critter ID book if you’re not sure.  Worms can fool you sometimes.  Who would think that something that looks like a colorful Christmas tree ornament could be a worm?

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OK, macro comes in a lot of varieties.  This variety is pretty small.  Limit your subject’s size to things that are up to the size of a typical chicken egg you get in the supermarket.  There can be more than one subject in the frame but try to keep the overall image close and tight.  Wide angle is next month.

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This is where we talk about what we mean by wide angle.  In this instance, it is a picture that is taken with a wide angle lens or a zoom lens set at a wide angle focal length.  You can choose a panorama style or use the close-focus/wide-angle approach.

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Side on, angled views, or face-to-the-camera shots are what we’re looking for.  You can have more than one fish in the shot but be reasonable, keep it to 2 or less, please.  And, of course, we’re talking fish here… not critters.

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An interesting topic and something that true artists use to point the viewer’s eye to the primary “focus” of their work.  Elements within the picture (straight lines, curves, spirals, etc.) should be obvious to the eye.  You can even use interesting negative space effects if they serve the job of attracting the eye to the subject.  Look at your stuff and you’ll find plenty of examples.  Learn to see and create like the masters.

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Some of our favorite tiny guys.  The ones that like to hug the reef, hide out in holes, or build their nests in the sand.  If you aren’t sure if your little guy (or guys) qualify, look it up in your critter ID book or ask the opinion of one or our ID experts.  I have plenty of books to look through and Wikipedia is great when I can’t find it there.

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I suppose that Cute/Funny is in the eye of the beholder.  There aren’t going to be too many disqualifiers, here.  OK, maybe a shark tearing the fin off a turtle might not qualify but Nemo sure does.  Put on your smiles and show us what you have.

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Air-breathers with feet and hands instead of fins.  Yes, those ugly, noisy, clumsy critters that we’ve all come to love and hate… homo sapiens.  Those invaders from above.  The despoilers of the environment.  The ones that love to visit and see the beauty of the world below the waves.  One or more will do.

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Open category for Novice, Intermediate, & Advanced.  Creative category is for all entrants and "anything goes" (3 images maximum per category). Any image taken underwater is allowed in each of the first 3 categories. This includes images that have placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, in this year’s monthly contests. Please note that 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place winners in Best of
HUPS are not eligible for any HUPS contest in following years. Anyone is allowed to enter in the Creative category. It is basically a free ride for your creative juices. Photoshop away (or any other digital manipulation program). Cut-and-paste parts of one image into another, distort, change color or texture, repeat, invert, rotate, etc. The only requirements are that all elements of the image must have been photographed or created by the entrant and the primary focus
should be related to underwater photography. Non-underwater elements are allowed in the images for humor or creative impact as long as you took the photo.