Page 16 - Australian Photography Feb 2022

WINNER
ANIMAL & NATURE
BLACKWATER
SIMONE MATUCCI
@simone_matucci
Simone Matucci is a PADI Master instructor who discovered underwater photography when he was working as an instructor and deckhand. The images in his series Blackwater were captured in the open ocean at night in Kona, Hawaii.
“There are three primary types of blackwater dives; open ocean, near reef, and bonfire,” he explained.
“We dive at an average depth of 10 metres, and the bottom is at 1500-2000 metres. During the night, thousands of organisms rise from the deep and you need to be lucky and skilled at the same time to find the most rare and beautiful creatures. What I love about this style of diving is that each dive is so different. It’s like flying in dark water surrounded by macro-organisms. Because of their small bodies, fast movement, and their ability to reflect the light, they can be quite challenging to photograph.”
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
TANYA STOLLZNOW: This portfolio of images stood out for a number for rea- sons. Simone has given us a glimpse into the complexity and diversity of the underwater world with every fine detail on display. Strong visual impact has been achieved by photographing these sea creatures against a stark black back- ground and lighting them beautifully to showcase their interesting shapes
and form. These four images together as a portfolio create a narrative that evokes interest and wonder. Overall, this is a unique and expertly executed set of images.
STEVE AND ANN TOON: In wildlife pho- tography the most compelling pictures are those that succeed in showing us something new, intriguing, and wonder- ful about a species or the natural world while at same time thrilling the eye. Simone’s technical and artistic wizardry here delivered a truly ‘out there’ portfo- lio that held us spellbound.
PRIZE: $1000 cash; Epson SureCol- or P906 A2+ Photo Printer valued at $1,995; Nokia X20 smartphone valued at $599.
| 30 | FEBRUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM