Digital Jam! January 12 -19th/2008

It promises to be an even bigger success! Here's your host from 2007 who will be with us next year too!
Brad Nolan>>>>
OVER $10,000. in PRIZES!!!!

Join us for a truly phenomenal week of diving, shooting photo and video and testing out some of the newest technology on the market! You'll be diving in Grand Cayman with Divetech at Cobalt Coast Resort, situated on the pristine NW Tip of Grand Cayman in a unique diving resort. You will be entertained both above and below the water in a special setting of sunsets, the crystal clear aquamarine Caribbean Sea, and hosted to a week of diving, editing, slides shows and friendly competition. This is a fun filled program for both ‘experts’ and new photo/video enthusiasts.
Underwater digital still photography and video is still new to everyone. The workshops and photo clinics will be conducted by world class underwater photographer, Courtney Platt (6 time National Geographic photographer), who will be with you for the week to provide tips and techniques for shooting underwater and share his skills that he has learned over decades. By the end of the week you will be shooting great shots and then enter the "friendly" competition. Digital video has made editing much easier. Do you find it easier to tell a story with video than stills? Then edit your clips and sequences shot with any video camera into a quick 2-minute story. We will have editing seminars, but you will need to bring your own editing gear. Edit on your own laptop; otherwise connect two cameras and edit linearly. Enter your story into the video category and be eligible to win prizes.
Courtney Platt - Your Photo Pro for the week!
Born 5/5/57 and raised in Newport Beach, California, Courtney moved to Grand Cayman in 1983 after completing his B.S. degree in Physical Education (with a minor in Marine Biology). A scuba diver since 1972, he taught scuba at Bob Soto’s Diving for his first 3 years in Cayman. From 1986-2004 he piloted the deep dive submersibles to 1,000’ for RSL (now Atlantis Adventures). He went full-time as a professional photographer after his first assignment for National Geographic Magazine in 1988 and continued moonlighting in the deep sub.
A seasoned professional photographer, Courtney Platt has been photographing underwater since 1976. He is also a master of advertising, wedding, location portrait, architecture, nature, aerial, product and underwater photography. The most recent of eight assignments for National Geographic Magazine were a 2,400 year old Greek shipwreck in Turkey which appeared in the March, 2002 issue, the Henrietta Marie Slave ship in the August, 2002 issue, Black Beard’s flagship the Queen Anne’s Revenge and the wrecks of the Battle of Trafalgar, October, 2005. His assignment and stock images have illustrated numerous publications including: National Geographic (Down the Cayman Wall”, Nov. 1988), National Geographic World. Skin Diver, Scuba Times, Ocean Realm, Sport Diver, Sea Frontiers, Time, Forbes, Popular Science, numerous Cayman publications and several books.
Commercial Clients include: Andreas Ugland and Sons, BB&P, Cable & Wireless, Celebrations, CNB, CIDOT, CUC, Dart Foundation, Flowers, Hyatt, Maples and Calder, Morritts, Pinnacle Productions, Pirate’s Week, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Remax and many others.
His new coffee table book, “Paradise Interrupted” became available this September for the anniversary of Hurricane Ivan.
For a look at his work on line, go to: www.courtney platt.com
Your Digital Jam Package includes:
- Room, tax & service charges at Cobalt Coast Resort
- Daily full breakfast at "Duppies" on-site restaurant
- Welcome cocktail on arrival
- Round trip airport transfers
- 6 days of 2-tank boat trips including Stingray City!
- Complimentary air AND nitrox tanks and weights for shore diving on all boat diving days FREE NITROX
- Free Dive Computer rental – 100% computer profiles for longer bottom times and safe dives
- Nitrox 1/2 day class option as a $99. add-on to be nitrox certified
- Free Photo Clinics - Sunday through Wednesday afternoons with Courtney Platt! Learn tips and techniques from the pros for shooting digital images and photo editing workshops to get the best prints ever!
- Test out underwater housings with cameras for awesome underwater video, along with Digital Photo and Video Cameras and underwater housings too!
- Check out an Evolution or Inspiration Rebreather! The ultimate in silent diving!
- Entrance & dinner at the Friday night awards dinner of Cayman DIGITAL JAM!
- Entry of your selected photos or video into the Prize Category Awards
| Digital Jam 2008 | Non | Diver |
| Double Occupancy | Diver | |
| Oceanfront Room | 965 | 1640 |
| Oceanfront Suite | 1110 | 1780 |
| Quad Occupancy | ||
| 2-bedroom oceanfront suite | 1045 | 1720 |
| Single Occupancy | ||
| Oceanfront Room | 1490 | 2160 |
| Oceanfront Suite | 1775 | 2440 |
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Digital Jam RULES:
Only participants diving in Digital Jam are qualified to enter. Photo must be taken during the week of the event.
COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
Digital Still Categories
MACRO (any underwater image of a 7x5 inch or smaller picture area)
WIDE ANGLE (underwater images larger than a 7x5 inch picture area)
CREATIVE (u/w images may be enlarged, manipulated, altered, etc. in this category)
ABOVE WATER (explore the creative limits of digital outside the housing)
The Digital Still Categories are open to all skill levels. Video cameras in “photo” mode qualify as long as the resolution is greater than 1 megapixel.
Video Category
2 Minute Story (any camera, any tape format, any editing system, any audio or background music). You supply your own editing system.
Video entrants may be of any skill level. Bring your own music but video clips need to be shot during the week of the Shootout. At least 75% should be underwater. Your camera skills as well as editing creativity will be judged. Show off your editing system and methods.
CONSERVATION RULES:
Applicable to all entrants and entries: Conservation Rules established by EPIC®. Marine life should never be stressed or endangered for the sake of a photo. Entries exhibiting the following behavior will be disqualified:
- Divers visibly damaging the environment (e.g. gear dragging or kicking up sand)
- Animals with signs of stress (e.g. puffed puffers, inking octopus)
- Animals moved to an unnatural environment or risky location
- Animals being fed (especially artificial food from divers)
- Marine life being touched (e.g. coral polyps, seahorse tails)
- Divers exhibiting poor buoyancy control
- Dive operators on Grand Cayman have always been conservation-minded. They respect the marine life. Photographers should too. Imagery showing even inadvertent damage gives divers a bad name; as such it should never be shown. Conservation rules will apply and the judges’ decision will be final. Photographers and videographer's retain all copyrights to their images and/or video. Entries will need to be copied to one master CD or videotape for the competition and publicizing the winners.
JUDGING CRITERIA:
Stills: Overall Esthetic Appeal, Technical Image Quality, Composition Degree of Difficulty
Video: Camera Handling &Technique, Composition, Lighting–Natural/Artificial, Degree of Difficulty
PRIZES:
First, second and third place will be awarded in each category
Digital Jam Brochure - Dive Shops welcome!
Proudly sponsored by Dive Chronicles Magazine














