DPG and Dive into the Pink are thrilled to unveil the winners of the fourth Think Pink Photo Competition. Organized by Dive into the Pink and hosted by DPG, the contest asked shooters to submit their best photos featuring the color pink into a single category category—Pink Portrait.
Although the competition was small this year, with just one category, the response was wonderful, bringing in over $3,600 for cancer research and attracting a selection of truly incredible underwater images. The judges faced quite a challenge choosing the winner, but ultimately awarded first place to Mike Smith for his gorgeous, expertly lit nudibranch portrait. And since Mike’s prize is a 7-day trip to Crystal Blue Resort in Anilao, Philippines, we’re guessing it won’t be long before Mike is creating many more lovely nudi portraits!
First place – Mike Smith
Byron Conroy’s beautifully bokeh-ed goby nabbed the second place spot, along with a Backscatter Mini Flash 2 and Optical Snoot combo package. And in third place, it’s Galice Hoarau’s uniquely angled feeding candy crab portrait, for which he’ll receive $250 of Ultralight Camera Solutions accessories. The judges also singled out several additional images for commendations, including a candy crab from by Anita Verde, a squat lobster from Byron Conroy, a river dolphin from Olivier Clement, a nudibranch from Lydon Turner, and an arrow crab by Laura Storm.
Dive into the Pink founder/president and contest organizer Allison Vitsky said, “I started this competition on a whim in 2017 after a late-night brainstorming session with my old friend, Mike Bartick, the photo pro at Crystal Blue Resort. I asked him, ‘What if we tried running an imaging contest as a cancer fundraiser?’ He loved the idea and volunteered a big prize from Crystal Blue, and we gave it a shot. I really thought it might be a one-off! I never imagined we’d have such enthusiastic support from so many talented shooters! The submissions this year were astonishingly beautiful, and they helped us raise over $3,600, all of which will go directly to funding cancer research.”
“Congratulations to our winners, and to all of you who supported us by entering the competition this year, thank you so much. We are deeply honored by your support. I’d also like to thank our generous sponsors, Crystal Blue Resort, Backscatter Underwater Photography and Video, and Ultralight Camera Solutions. Finally, my deepest gratitude also goes to our judging panel, Tobias Friedrich, Ron Watkins, and Todd Winner—all of whom are cancer survivors—as well as DPG Managing Editor Ian Bongso-Seldrup. Without your dedication, time and expertise, Think Pink would not have been possible.”
Second place – Byron Conroy
Third place – Galice Hoarau
Honorable Mention – Anita Verde
Honorable Mention – Byron Conroy
Honorable Mention – Olivier Clement
Honorable Mention – Lyndon Turner
Honorable Mention – Laura Storm
