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UPY 2026 Black & White - Runner Up
'Silver-Tone Seductress'
John Pfisterer
In addition to my seascape and marine life images, I’ve been lucky enough to work with fashion models, freedivers, and sometimes even mermaids in a range of environments. This particular image was shot in a pool set up like an above water studio. The image was captured with a Sony A1 in a Nauticam housing with a 12” port. Natural light was diffused with a scrim and fill light was added with a continuous light, which allowed subtle changes of the light to be seen.
This moment captures the fluidity and beauty of a classic muse enhanced by water to both further diffuse the light and suspend the subject. I created rich black-and-white tones to convey a cinematic film noir style. The model’s composure and technical skill brought a palpable calm to the frame, reminiscent of Bette Davis, and I am sincerely grateful for her cooperation.
Judge's comment: What a great studio setting and perfect postproduction. Even though I often love harshly contrasting black and white contrast in this category I really like how the photographer is mostly working with tones of grey. Personally, this could have been my category winner!
Tobias Friedrich
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