Ooooh, Another Photo Resource!

While catching up on email today I noticed a post to the coral science listserv about another free image database for marine conservation, the aptly named Free Underwater Images (dot com!  Does anyone else still have this part of the old Expedia commercials play in their heads at times?  I do.  Wait, maybe I don’t if that’s just weird).

So far it’s not nearly as large as the Marine Photobank but it does have some rather awe-inspiring images.  Even if you don’t need them for your blog, report, article, or eco-warrior-non-profit-campaign, you can at least drool over them and wish you were diving like I’m currently doing.  Enjoy!

Ocean In Focus Contest Is Back!

Marine Photobank’s Ocean in Focus Conservation Photo Contest is back for 2011! Most of you know the drill about the Photobank project but if not it’s a very simple and useful concept.  People take photos.  Lots of photos.  Many of those people take photos of the ocean, marine areas, and can capture moments in conservation.  Sometimes these people are professionals, but oftentimes not.

Images can be very powerful, compelling, and useful when relating stories and environmental concerns to the public, but they’re often very expensive for nonprofits and small grassroots organizations to use.  Enter the Photobank.   Contributing Photographers sign up and upload their images for free usage by other members (non-commercial, of course).  It is a fantastic endeavor and I say so out of experience.  (Believe me, when you have your photos pop up on a website supporting your childhood idol’s TED Wish to the World, you’ll be glad you took the few moments to share some camera shots!)

You get great exposure and, once a year, you get an awesome opportunity to enter a contest hosted by the Photobank and it’s parent SeaWeb.  This year they’re offering the very tantalizing grand prize of a 10-day trip to the Galapagos!!

Runners up sure aren’t getting the short stick either. There’s gift certificates for more underwater gear, carbon offsets from NativeEnergy, and first place wins 7 days of diving from the eco-resort Matava in Fiji!

The best part: you have all summer to take tons of photos of as many compelling moments, species, and sights as you can manage!  The contest is open now until September 30th so get out there, get wet, and get snapping.