Read the August 2010 LAUPS Newsletter here.

View the LAUPS July 2010 Newsletter!

The July meeting will have two competitions. For still photographers, the category is “California” - enter up to 3 wide-angle and 3 macro images of California subjects at the competition upload page before 11:59pm Tuesday July 20.

For video, this month is the 2-minuted edited competition. Please bring your movie on miniDV or DVD.

View the LAUPS June 2010 Newsletter!

June Speaker - Wednesday, June 16th at 7:30pm

Kurt Lieber will be speaking this month about Ocean Defenders Alliance, a local marine conservation group that he started.

Ocean Defenders Alliance does some amazing things locally with respect to removing nets off wrecks, removing abandoned fishing gear, etc. which is a HUGE help to our local marine life. Kurt has organized a protest in front of the Santa Monica restaurant that was serving whale meat, personally visited the gulf oil spill disaster, is on the board of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and is involved in many other marine conservation related activities.

June Competition - Portfolio

For our competition this month, please submit up to 8 images (OPEN entrants), or 5 images (NOVICE entrants) that will make up a portfolio. Your portfolio could show off a particular style, a favorite subject, a recent trip, or any other theme you choose.

Please submit your images using the upload form.

May Meeting - Wednesday, May 19 at 7:30pm

Our May newsletter is now available online here - or stop by our booth at the SCUBA Show in Long Beach and pick one up in person!

Our speaker for this month’s meeting is Keri Wilk, on taking unique underwater photographs. Keri Wilk is an engineer and underwater photographer with 15 years of experience exploring the world’s oceans. His photo credits include many international awards and publication in magazines, scientific journals, books, and field guides. He currently designs new products and leads underwater photo expeditions for ReefNet.

No upload form for this month’s competitions - it’s print time! Photographers may enter up to two prints each (size 8×10 to 16×20), with no category restrictions.

April Newsletter

The April 2010 edition of the LAUPS Newsletter is available here!

April Meeting: Wednesday, April 21 7:30pm

Speaker: Bill Wilson, California Wreck Divers

Bill Wilson has been President of the California Wreck Divers and started scuba diving in the 1950’s. He became a commercial diver and later used his diving skills in the military. He became a certified diving instructor in the 1960’s. In the early 1970’s Bill became a founding Charter Member with the California Wreck Divers Inc. and has held all offices of the corporation. He is an avid wreck diver not only on the California Coast but also around the world. It’s his love of history and preservation of the past that inspires him to keep diving.

April Competition

This month, we’ll judge entries from the first boat shootout, held March 20. Enter up to three images or short video clips using the upload form.

Entries must be received by 11:59pm Tuesday, April 20. Exceptions will only be made for technical difficulties.

View the LAUPS March 2010 Newsletter!

March Speaker

We’re having a great speaker this month - Marc Shargel will talk about his coffee table book on California images created for the MLPA process -  ”Wonders of the Sea”, which has images from many professional underwater photographers.

Marc will also give a workshop on creating a book and/or notecards - costs, how to get it printed, selecting paper/print quality, etc, and distribution. This is his second book. He will also have copies for sale.

http://www.livingseaimages.com/

March Competition

For our competition this month, please submit up to 5 images.  Members will vote on which images are to be submitted to the Heal the Bay Gallery.

Please submit your images using the upload form.

Our speaker for the February 17 LAUPS meeting is Berkley White, professional photographer and founder of Backscatter.

Underwater photo and video with DSLR cameras:

The latest batch of digital SLR cameras have not only dramatically improved underwater photography quality, but have added the luxury of full 1080p high definition video. Professional photographer Berkley White of Backscatter will share his latest tips and tricks for getting the best results with these new cameras in our specialized underwater environment. Berkley will also bring a selection of the newest DSLR and Point & Shoot systems for a hands-on session after the lecture. If you’re a new shooter or a seasoned pro, don’t miss this opportunity to learn tips from a world renowned pro shooter and get your hands on the latest gear.

About Berkley White:

Berkley White is the founder of Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo, a specialized underwater imaging equipment distributor with locations on the east and west coasts of the US. Berkley is also a regular author and photographer for international diving magazines and runs a full schedule of photo safari trips for new and advanced shooters. For more information about Berkley please see: Gear: http://www.backscatter.com
Travel: http://www.underexposures.com

The SCUBA Show, America’s Largest Consumer Dive Expo, will take place May 15-16 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. This is the 23rd year of this popular event. The show will consist of 76,000 square feet of diving related exhibits including new and revolutionary dive gear, travel pros (many offering show discounts), and diving experts. Several exhibitors also offer free drawings for valuable prizes. The first 1,000 people in attendance on Saturday and Sunday will receive complementary tote bags, and door prizes will be taking place through out the day.

Highlighting the exhibit hall will be a personal appearance by world famous artist Wyland. On Saturday he will be interacting with attendees while painting a new piece of art and on Sunday will be painting with over 200 children who have pre-registered in advance.

Legendary underwater filmmaker Stan Waterman will be headlining a weekend of seminars that include some of the most popular dive experts around. Some of the presenters include Jack and Sue Drafahl, Bruce Watkins, Dale Sheckler, Ken Knezick, Ken Kurtis, and many more. Subjects covered include underwater photography and video, marine life, dive travel, and more.

A continuous underwater film festival will be running in the exhibit hall on a three-story high screen and will feature films from around the world by over a dozen underwater imaging experts.

Saturday night will feature a Casino party benefiting California Ships to Reefs, a non-profit organization sinking ships along the California coastline as artificial reefs. Highlight of the party will be the awarding of the California Scuba Service Award.

Exhibit hall hours are Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $12 and includes admission to exhibit hall and film festival (seminars are an additional charge). Discount coupons are available at California dive stores, on California dive charter boats and through California dive clubs. Age 12 and under are admitted free. For information on SCUBA Show 2010 call (310) 792-2333 or visit the web site www.scubashow.com.