Various sea weeds and kelp in Sennen Harbour - Cornwall

He adds: 'To my eye, only 12 of those configurations work. When you are choosing your vertical and horizontal slides their shapes, colours and interest levels must balance. A blue water shot of a great white shark in the top right hand corner will not balance with a macro shot of something pink and furry in the opposite corner, it needs something much bolder and simpler. The portfolio must be an entity in itself. The various images should hang together and give a total impression of balance.'

 

 

Peach and purple jewel anemone

Linda Dunk, who is the only person to have won BSoUP's coveted open portfolio competition three times, finds that she needs a long time to put together a winning entry. 'I find it is comparatively easy to select four or five slides but I usually have great difficulty in choosing the sixth.' What does she look for when she is sitting in the audience judging other people's portfolios? 'I want to see the use of different lenses and a range of different subjects. Also, an understanding of the use of natural light - like sunbursts and silhouettes - as well as flash. Each picture should represent something different and have different colours and textures.

Juvenile lion's mane jellyfish , Longships Reef

When put together, the selection should give a broad picture of the underwater world. Symmetry is also important.' All three put an initial selection of slides on a lightbox at home and keep on looking at them over the course of several weeks, adding new pictures and taking away others until they come up with their own Six-of-the-Best. And the way they do it bowls out the opposition.