LAUPS International Competition -- Our 49th Year

[bvanant]

Press Release – LAUPS International Photo and Video Competition

For Immediate Release

The Los Angeles Underwater Photo Society (LAUPS) is pleased to announce the 49th Annual International Photo and Video Competition, one of the oldest competitions in the world. For the first time this year, professional photographers are invited to enter the new Open category.

This year there will be 5 categories for amateur photographers: Macro, Wide Angle, Behavior, Cold Water and Photo Essay; two categories for amateur videographers: Video Raw Footage and Video Edited Footage; and a single Open category for any photographers, including professionals, that can be any type of underwater photograph. Visit our website (LAUPS 49th Annual International Competition) for a complete description of the categories and the rules for this year’s competition. The deadline for entries will be September 17, 2011.

Bill

[sam miller]

1) Congrats to you and LAUPS!

You indicate the current event is "the 49th Annual International Photo and Video Competition, one of the oldest competitions in the world."

I was a charter member of UPS and one of the founders of OCUPS, so have been around a while and have a certain amount of history with both LAUPS & OCUPS.

My records indicate that UPS began having flim festivals in 1957/58. The first published FF program was for the 1959 event (December 4&5 1959) which honored the great Hans Hass as the photographer of the year. The previous honorees were JY Cousteau, 1957 and Lamar Boren (Bottom Scratcher & Sea Hunt) in 1958


"For the first time this year, professional photographers are invited to enter the new Open category."

In 1961, on January 6 &7, Victor De Santis (Italian) was the honoree and for the first time there was a commerical division,with the gold going to Ski n Dive, a long gone SoCal dive operator.

I also recognize and was at John Anson Ford park the night all the assets and records of the UPS was "aquired" by 2 members of UPS to form the "International UW film festival," and UPS was religated to a simple club..

So you can consider 1957 as the beginning of the LA UPS, which is inexcess of 49 years, and the first and oldest underwater film festival in the world.

Hope this information in some small way gives you some of the history of UPS. As I review my FF programs I am surprised at the many who are now clicking away in that big reef in the sky..All those good and great pioneering years are gone, but the memory lingers.

2) You and your wife's photos are outstanding! Very well presented, good composition, great lighting, wonderful subject matter.

We (me) used a variety of UW cameras..started with home made plastic units, then a few commerical units, the 2-1/4 X 2-1/4 Rollei Marine (Marshall Ross UPS member was the rep), finally a Caylpso, then the Nikonos. For movies it was the 16 mm Sampson with a few Bolexs. With ASA of 10, then 25, even with flash bulb(s) or lighting it was very difficult to even obtain an image All antiques... in this new digital world.

3) Fred Roberts, member of LA UPS & co founder of OCUPS produced the world's first UW Phography magazine, titled what else? "Underwater Photographer."

I have a set of that historical publication in mint to new condition which I am considering selling, and this just might be the place to start.

The first issue was April 1973, the final issue was vol 7, number 3, july 1979, it documents the cameras and lighting systems of the past and that era via articles and pictures. A very rare valuable one of a kind historical document. At this time I have not established a price which would be acceptable to me and the purchaser.

I would appreciate if you would put the word out about the "Underwater Photographer."

Cheers from CenCal,

SDM