This photo was snapped on the water near Tokerau Beach. Photo / Emma McGill

Emma McGill was careful not to drop her camera into the water when an orca decided to get up close and personal with kayakers at Tokerau Beach in Northland.

On holiday from Wellington, she snapped this photo with shaking hands while sitting in her kayak and sent it to the annual Herald Holiday Picture Competition.

The annual competition has drawn in hundreds of fun, quirky and scenic photos from all over the country. A selection of them is shown each day on the back page of the A section.

Those who send in a picture will have a chance to win one of three prizes – the first prize being a Canon camera worth almost $2000.

Read full article from The New Zealand Herald.

The Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology (AIMA) has just launched its inaugural Shipwreck Photography Competition. It will run for 1 Dec 2009 – 31 March 2010. There are some great prizes, and entry categories are Shipwreck & Nature; Shipwreck Underwater & Divers; and Shipwreck above water. Entries can be made under each section by professionals, amateurs and school students in Australia and New Zealand. The terms and conditions explain the rules of entry.

Australian Institute of Maritime Archaeology (look in Stop Press)

By Jennifer Holland
Photograph by Doug Perrine

The ocean off Baja erupts like a torpedo range. A long, lean whale shoots up from the deep, chasing thousands of mackerel and sardines as they’re driven toward the surface by marlins and sea lions. Suddenly it lunges at the biggest mass of fish, mouth opening wide, throat pouch ballooning with seawater. Even against the tremendous drag created by its gaping maw, flicks of the whale’s muscular tail power it through the water. Its jaw snaps shut in an explosion of bubbles. Other hunters circle nearby, waiting for a turn at the feast.

Read full article and see photos on National Geographic.

Canon has announced a handful of compact cameras including models aimed squarely at keen photographers. Top of the line is the PowerShot G11, successor to its flagship PowerShot G10 compact released last year. The G11 replaces the G10’s 14.7MP sensor with what it describes as a high sensitivity 10 MP CCD though it still uses the same 28-140mm equivalent stabilized lens. The camera also gains a tilt and swivel LCD, though the size drops to 2.8 inches. Flash sync speed increases to 1/2000th of a second and HDMI output is also added. Other features include Dual Anti-Noise System (more sensitive sensor and Digic 4 offering a claimed 2-stop improvement over the G10), RAW shooting and P/A/S/M shooting modes.

Underwater photographers can team the PowerShot G11 with the specially designed Waterproof Case WP-DC34 – an underwater housing allowing full control of the camera at depths down to 40m.

Read full review on Digital Photography Review.