One of our past divers told me about a Philippines based group dedicated to underwater photography. Immediately I was interested. With the help of my good friend Google, I was able to make contact with the group. My first contact was with a very friendly gentleman by the name of Boogs. He answered all my questions, so I timed my next trip to Manila to coincide with the September NUDI meeting.
NUDI, or Network of Underwater Digital Imagers, has monthly meetings in the Metro Manila area. Each meeting has a themed photo contest. Everyone is welcome to bring in a photo related to the theme. The beginning of the meeting was a dinner and social interactions with the other members. Plus we had a bit of a look at some of the photo entries.
After dinner, we were guided through some NUDI general business. One of the points was induction of two new members. Membership in NUDI is only available to those active in the group. You gain points by attending meetings, entering the photo contests, etc. Memebership is awarded after accumulating enough points. I like the process, as it helps ensure the membership is active, and not just a bunch of names on paper.
Next came a series of talks from some of the NUDI members. First was some photo tips from Jan, followed by tips for backing up your photos by Jayvee, and finally basic video tips by Bobbit.
The next segment introduced Gear Up. GearUp is a local dive clothing company. They sell dive clothing and donated prizes for the evenings photo contest.
Finally, came the Photo Contest results. Everyone attending the meeting ranks the top 5 photos in the compact and DSLR category. The theme this month was big marine animals. We don’t get a lot of big animals here in Coron, so I used one of my photos of tarpon from Bonaire. I am proud to say that my entry was awarded 5th place in the the compact division.
I was really impressed with the group. It was the right mix of fun and professionalism. While I can not attend every meeting, I do intend to plan my trips to Manila so that I can be as active as I can. If you would like more information on NUDI, send me an email. I can help you get in contact with them.
