Underwater photography presentations by prize-winning photographers at Sea & Sea 

At the Sea & Sea stand, the gold medal winners and ambassadors of Sea & Sea are happy to tell you how you can improve your underwater photography.  

First we would like to introduce them to you, the (award winning) Sea & Sea Ambassadors:

Raymond Wennekes: After a single top 3 ranking at the ONK in 2015, Raymond won his first title as Dutch Champion in 2016 to extend this 2017 strongly. Raymond's photos are recognizable by the creativity you see in them. He always tries to make his photos a little different than usual. An important factor here is the lighting. Raymond sets the bar very high for himself and thus gets the most out of it and that is clearly visible in his photos.

Philip Staes: 4x winner of the Open Belgian Championship and winner of the Open Dutch Championship. First place 'Creative Vision' at Ocean Geographic in Australia, the David Doublet award and the Jim Church award for excellence and creativity in photography at Beneath The Sea (USA). in 2019 and 2021 he won a silver and bronze medal at the CMAS world championships and in 2022 he took first places at the Open Dutch Championship in the categories 'Fresh water' and 'No limits'. At the Open Belgian Championship he was on the podium 8 times that same year.

Rob Aarsen: Former editor-in-chief of Onderwatersport Magazine, the magazine of the Dutch Underwater Sports Association. He did and still does a lot of reporting work before that. If there is still time left, he photographs for the textbooks of the NOB. A few years ago Rob took a new direction with model photography in the swimming pool. Nothing on land comes close to the light, the colours, shapes and textures you encounter underwater, he believes. The underwater world, be it a dive tank or the open sea, is an endless source of inspiration and possibilities.

Henny Blokvoort: From 2008 he started fanatically with underwater photography, he also participated in the ONK that year and turned 7 that year^the. In 2012 he became Dutch Champion for the first time, this eventually became a much discussed photo. It was a selfie with a jellyfish. In 2013 he went to the World Cup in Cuba. In addition, he achieved a top ten place with 2 photos, namely 6^the and 9^the. In 2014 he became Dutch Champion for the second time. The following years he has always been in the top 3 with his photos. In 2021 he participated in the World Cup for the second time, with 2 photos out of 13^the place.

Peter Boots: Originality, bravura, contrast and if possible strong eye contact. His absolute preference is for wide-angle photos. A photo that you keep looking at just a little longer. Achievements include silver and gold at the ONK 'ZOET' and various prizes at photo competitions. He keeps telling himself that he will take his 'most beautiful' picture yet.
Since 2015 he has been a regular columnist, writer and photographer of various diving travel stories in the monthly glossy 'Diving', which is a pleasant addition to his photography work.

Philip Staes: 4x winner of the Open Belgian Championship and winner of the Open Dutch Championship. First place 'Creative Vision' at Ocean Geographic in Australia, the David Doubilet award and the Jim Church award for excellence and creativity in photography at Beneath The Sea (USA). in 2019 and 2021 he won a silver and bronze medal at the CMAS world championships and in 2022 he took first places at the Open Dutch Championship in the categories 'Fresh water' and 'No limits'. At the Open Belgian Championship he was on the podium 8 times that same year.

Meet the ambassadors

These gentlemen have shown themselves willing to share some of their secrets with the fair visitor through a number of presentations. The ambassadors will present their specialism at fixed times. 

After following these presentations you do not get the guarantee that you will immediately become a medal winner. But it is the perfect opportunity to learn a lot of tips and tricks about underwater photography in a short time. After each presentation there is often an opportunity to ask these underwater photographers personal questions. 

Participation is free! You just have to make sure you get to the stand on time Sea & Sea are. 

Program

The agenda for these days is as follows:

Saturday:

11:30 – Rob Aarsen – Underwater Model and Mermaid photography. 

12:30 – Henny Blokvoort – Creative in underwater photography.

13:30 – Peter Boots – Improve your composition.

14:30 – Filip Staes – The story behind the winning photo.

Ongoing – Raymond Wennekes – Just ask!

16:00+ – All Ambassadors – Meet & Greet all ambassadors. 

Sunday:

11:00 – Rob Aarsen – Underwater Model and Mermaid photography.

12:00 – Filip Staes – The story behind the winning photo.

13:00 – Peter Boots – Improve your composition.

14:00 – Hennie Blokvoort – Creative in underwater photography.

Ongoing – Raymond Wennekes – Just ask!

Visit Duikvaker: The Dutch Dive Show on 4 & 5 February 2023 in Expo Houten.