REPLAY: Stories Behind The Winning Shots, featuring TUC Members
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Ever wondered what it takes for an underwater photo to rise above the rest in competitions—and actually win?
In this inspiring webinar, four accomplished photographers from The Underwater Club pulled back the curtain on their award-winning images from contests such as Ocean Art, CUPOTY, Dive Dauin Festival, DPG Masters, Siena International Photo Awards, and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Gabriel Jensen, Jo Cudmore, Andrea Michelutti, and Nicolas Remy each revealed the full story behind their shots: from spotting the subject and perfecting lighting underwater, to the difficult decisions made in editing and image selection. Watch the recording to hear their honest reflections on how much post-processing is “just right,” what contest judges really notice, and what happens after you win—recognition, new opportunities, and the joy of seeing your work celebrated.
Whether you’re aiming for your first shortlist or your next big title, watching the recording will give you behind-the-scenes insight on 6 prominent photo competitions, and proven strategies to win awards.
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Topics Covered
In this session, you’ll hear four award-winning photographers share the stories behind their celebrated underwater images — from fieldwork to post-production and beyond. Each speaker will walk you through their creative and technical process, covering:
- The competition and award they won, and what category or theme their image competed in.
- The story behind the shot — where it was taken, the subject’s behaviour, and any unique challenges or fun moments.
- How the photo was captured: equipment, lighting setup, composition choices, and key decisions underwater.
- Editing and post-processing: how much is enough, where to stop, and how to stay true to your artistic intent.
- Selecting the winning image: why that particular frame stood out from similar shots.
- Entering and winning: why they chose that competition, what the submission process was like, and what happened afterward — exposure, recognition, prizes and/or opportunities.
As with all TUC webinars, there’ll be ample Q&A time at the end — your chance to ask questions directly to the photographers and get insights you won’t find anywhere else.
Meet Your Speakers
Meet four underwater photographers from different countries and backgrounds, all united by their passion for capturing the ocean’s beauty. Each has found their own path to success in international competitions — and together, they reveal the inspirations, challenges, and personal stories behind their award-winning images.
Introducing Gabriel Jensen
Gabriel Jensen is an underwater photonaturalist & biochemist whose imagery celebrates the exotic and colorful microfauna of South Florida’s Urban waterways. As a Board Member of the South Florida Underwater Photography Society (SFUPS), he works to connect photographers, scientists, and ocean enthusiasts with the mentorship and resources they need to grow their craft.
Blending scientific curiosity with visual storytelling, Gabriel focuses on revealing the beauty and biodiversity of cryptic marine life, especially his beloved sea slugs and plankton. His photography and field discoveries have supported public and scientific outreach through publications such as Smithsonian magazine, American Conchologist, Dive Photo Guide, Forbes, Nature, Scuba Diver Magazine, and the Florida United Malacologists, advancing a shared appreciation for local marine biodiversity.
To see more of Gabriel’s work, follow him on Instagram @ShallowSeasGallery and visit his website: ShallowSeasGallery.com
Gabriel’s “Everything is A-OK” is a striking predation image that placed 4th in Ocean Art 2023’s Portraits category, and later won the Underwater category of Close-Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) 2024. In this webinar, Gabriel shared the story behind the shot, his experience taking part and being recognised in both contests, and what these achievements have meant for his photography.
Introducing Jo Cudmore
Jo Cudmore was born and lived in the United Kingdom. Her passion for diving began in 2007, while on holiday in Egypt, she started both diving and underwater photography. This interest continued during future holidays in the Red Sea and the Maldives, where she further honed her skills and deepened her appreciation for the underwater world.
Jo’s fascination with muck diving started in 2013, following a special birthday trip to Lembeh. The unique underwater environments and diverse marine life encountered there left a lasting impression, shaping her diving preferences for the years to come.
After experiencing diving in various locations across the Philippines, Jo’s husband and her decided to retire there. Although their move was slightly postponed due to the Covid pandemic, they eventually arrived in March 2022 and settled near Dauin in Negros Oriental, Philippines.
Jo dedicates as much time as possible to underwater photography. Alongside this pursuit, she and her husband are also triathlon athletes, which requires them to strike a balance between time spent above and below the water.
To see more of Jo’s work, follow her on Instagram @jocudmoreuwp and visit her website www.jocudmore.com.
Jo’s stunning macro image of mating Pikachu nudibranchs (Thecacera pacifica) won the Nudibranchs category at the Dive Dauin Festival 2025. In her talk, Jo shared the story behind this shot and her experience competing in a live underwater photography event, where all participants photographed within the same area — Negros Oriental, Philippines — over a three-day period.
Introducing Andrea Michelutti
Born in the northeast of Italy, where he earned a master’s degree in economics, Andrea Michelutti still lives and works in his home region as an entrepreneur and owner of a car dealership.
A great travel enthusiast, he has always focused on the synergy between the landscapes and the people that populate them, to translate his particular idea of “going” into images.
Since 2018, he has been dedicated to underwater photography, where he has translated his particular “feeling”, always trying to establish an empathy with the inhabitants of the underwater world.
Thanks to the sea and its creatures, he has found the way to best express his natural aptitude for color.
Underwater photographer for passion and fun, he has obtained recognition in some of the most important national and international competitions, with the privilege of achieving great satisfactions starting from pure passion.
Brand Ambassador for Marelux and Ultralight, he takes photos with a compact camera, and has been using a Sony RX100 VII since 2019.
To see more of Andrea’s work, follow him on Instagram @miketravelleritaly and on Facebook at TravellerMike.
Andrea’s photography has earned him an impressive list of awards over the years, spanning both macro and wide-angleimagery. In this webinar, he discussed his “Predator” series — a dramatic sequence showing a scorpionfish devouring a lizardfish. Andrea explained his approach to selecting competition images, and what it was like to win the Macro category of DPG Masters 2024 (with a head-on shot) and receive a Highly Commended award at the Siena International Photo Awards (with a side view from the same series).
Introducing Nicolas Remy
Nicolas Remy is an Australia-based pro shooter and founder of online underwater photography school and community, The Underwater Club, with members in 18 countries. He serves as an ambassador for Mares and Nauticam, and chairs the jury of the prestigious DPG Masters photo competition. Nicolas’ images have been widely published in print and digital media, and have won over 40 international photo awards.
To see more of Nicolas’ work or browse his upcoming trips & workshops, visit: https://www.nicolaslenaremy.com.
Nicolas’ photograph “Poached Egg with a Twist” earned a Highly Commended award in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 competition. The image shows a crested horn shark feeding on the egg of a similar-looking species — the Port Jackson shark. During the webinar, Nicolas discussed how he approaches image selection for WPY differently from other competitions, as well as the post-processing and captioning choices behind his shark images. He also shared what it was like to attend the awards week at London’s Natural History Museum, and the tangible opportunities that arose from this recognition. Finally, he provided tips & strategies for selecting images for WPY.
What attendees said about the webinar
Participants had a great time! But don’t take our word for it, here are some of the comments typed in the meeting chat:
🧡 “Great presentation by everyone, thank you!” — Elena
🌊 “Great session. I’ve really enjoyed it!” — Richard
📚 “Learned lots of things and valuable insights — especially why it’s good to join competitions, it’s not just about winning.” — Analynne
✨ “Thanks everyone, I had a great time.” — Paulo
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