Meet the Winners: Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017 Compact WINNER

Jenny and her partner Rupert run a boutique dive center, Back to Basics Adventures, in Ponto do Ouro in Mozambique. Jenny has a passion for nudibranches, interweaved with a natural talent for underwater photography. She can help you become a better underwater photographer or give you advice on choosing the right gear based on experience and focus.. Look at the research page for more details on her work and what she is giving back to the community through her passion for photography and the ocean. .

 This is what Jenny had to say about her winning image...

I have shot many whip gobies but this particular shot was taken with the Inon compact bug-eye lens, which added a lot of character to the goby’s eye. The trick was to get close enough without the goby moving away. I was fortunate enough to find a very forgiving goby that allowed me into his private space. I knew I had to get down low and shoot up to include the surface of the water. I shot this scene many times before getting the image I was after. Jenny Stromvoll

For me this was an instant first place. The compact bug-eye lens is not easy to use but Jenny got the better of this tool. I think it was important to create some depth within the image and this has been done so well by opening-up the background water column. Try to imagine this image with a black background! There would have been such little depth, it would have been all about the goby and nothing else. Instead, the blue water background situated towards top left of the frame allows the eye of the viewer to wander back and forth again and again. Martin Edge {Judge's comment} Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017

Jenny has a blog in which she shares her experience of Diving the Magical Cape of Good Hope.  It is a wonderful way for the armchair adventurer to get a glimpse of what it is like,.. Click Here