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Guess I am going first on this one too, I’d love to see more Club members have a go at giving feedback, my opinion is just that: one opinion.
With that said, a white background is a good, under-utilised approach to stand out in competitions, so a good technique to persevere with.
I know of some photographers placing a slate behind their macro subject to that end, but it’s rarely done well.
Now to your questions:
1/ When 4/3 format fits the image, I can’t see why it would be an issue. It’s often a better alternative to 1:1 for, say symmetrical head-on portraits.
2/ Try & compose so you don’t have too much out-of-focus parts. With this technique, I find the tip of the algae pointing away look a little un-natural. I feel crisp focus will work best – you’re achieving subject separation with contrast anyways.
3/ Quite possibly, and I recommend you mention in your caption that this high-key rendering was achieved in-camera. Some contests don’t ask/read captions though.
4/ I think a little bit yes.
Curious to see what others think of this unusual look on an underwater photo, I personally like it!