Photographer Details
Christian Vizl Mexico
I was born in México City in 1972. Has a degree in Business Administration, was formed as a Diving Instructor, Cave Diver, Rafting Guide, and Sailor. Was a member of CEDAM, a Mexican organization devoted to marine arquaeology. Lived for a year in Germany (1993) a year in Akumal, southeast México (1997) and a year in Australia (1998). He has been an enthusiast photographer since he was 15 years old, but it´s since 2010 when I started with underwater photography and with a more professional approach. Every since I was a kid, as far as I can remember, I was attracted to the sea. I dream about what lie beneath the waves. I imagine what would it looked like if suddenly all the water would disappear for a while, but all the animals and living creatures would remain at the same place they where, so I could then take a walk inside the ocean and see them all, suspended for a moment in time and space. I still have that same dream, and I am very grateful that now I am able to live it every time I go down to the sea. I see my pictures, and realize they are the result of that childhood dream…beautiful and incredible marine life suspended in their natural environment and capture in a brief moment of time. They are my way of seeing this dream, how I perceive it and how being underwater in this magical world, in the presence of the marine environment makes me feel. It has been a fantastic journey of exploration and discovery, both outside and inside me, which I hope to keep doing for the rest of my life. Photography is all about light, and in my opinion, it is the single most important aspect when it comes to creating appealing, inspiring and touching images. In my point of view, far beyond technical issues, what´s most important is how I apply and manipulate the light that´s available in order to create pictures with dramatic effect, carrying depths of emotion and using contrast and tonalities as means to emphasise form and structure of the scenery. I focus on the emotional impact of the final shot that will connect on a deeper level, with the people that observe these photographs. Just as a poet uses words to create poetry, a photographer uses light to create images. So when I’m underwater taking pictures, one of my goals is to create poetic images through the use of light. I try to capture sublime moments of the marine environment, the essence of being there, in that experience and in the presence of that particular animal, capturing their splendor and soul. It´s sheer beauty and poetry with images that inspire, make us vibrate through the beauty in every corner of the ocean, an epic sight that make us dream of a better world, where we value and care for all expressions of life. Because beyond the issue of our survival is the issue of how we experience our life and how we celebrate it. And our experience of life is intrinsically linked to how we communicate and bond with everything around us, especially with all life around us. In my case, it’s the ocean and their living creatures that make me want to celebrate. So my photography is intended to be a celebration of marine life and the underwater world. editorial credits Published photographer in various magazines and newspapers, such as Ocean Geographic,Scuba Diving, Sport Diver, Asian Diver, Scuba Diving and the Undersea Journal, Alert Diver, Scuba Diver Through The Lens, Dive Photo Guide, Plongee, Tauchen, Apnea, México Desconocido, The Times (UK), Daily Mail (UK), and others. Photographer in Residence, Ocean Geographic Magazine www.ogsociety.org Field editor at Scuba Diver Australasia and Asian Diver www.uw3some.com awards, recognitions and articles 2014 -Sony World Photography Awards, 2014 finalist professional competition, travel category, with series “cenotes”. www.worldphoto.org -Asferico Photocontest 2014, Winner, Man and Nature category. www.asferico.com -Asferico Photocontest 2014, “highly commended”, plants and fungi category. www.asferico.com 2013 -Selected “World Champion” 2012-2013 by underwaterphotography.com -‘Face to Face’ has been shortlisted in the top 10 images in the Nature & Category in the Open Competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. (selected from 54,851 images entered from 170 countries) -‘Natural Harmony’ has been commended in the top 50 images in the Nature & Wildlife Category in the Open Competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. (selected from 54,851 images entered from 170 countries) -Gold Medal in underwaterphotography.com, freshwater category for “Enlightening the soul” -Silver Medal in underwaterphotography.com. freshwater category for “Hidden Beauty” -Bronze Medal in underwaterphotography.com, freshwater category for “Core Essence” -Gold Medal in underwaterphotography.com, sharks category for “Great Apparition” -Bronze Medal in underwaterphotography.com, wide angle marine life category for “The Wall” -6th place in underwater category, Oasis Photo Contest 2012, (more than 24.000 images of 48 countries participated). -Highly honored nature’s best Photography windland smith rice international awards 2013, outdoor adventure and small world categories. -2nd place, wide angle category, world shootout underwater photo competition. -Judge at the first Anilao Underwater Photo Competition, held dec. 4-8 in Anilao, Philippines. 2012 -Bronze Medal for “Grand Cenote 2273” in Our World Underwater Competition, category Wide Angle Unrestricted. -Winner monthly march contest 2012 of Dive Photo Guide, for "Delfiniti 8190" -“Featured article” about the collection “Selkie Connection” in web magazine Dive Photo Guide (www.divephotoguide.com) -"Delfiniti 9096" was elected by a jury for the special edition of Edition Fifty Fathoms “fifty finest”, publication that includes the best 50 fine art underwater black and whites photographs. -Winner of the april contest of UnderwaterPhotography.com (biggest underwater contest in the world) with "Grand Cenote 374" -Runner up in the may contest of UnderwaterPhotography.com -Winner in Scuba Diver Magazine 2012 underwater photo contest -Elected to participate in Edition Fifty Fathoms special edition on Macro photography -Succesfully auction of one of my pieces (60 x 45" fine art print) at the annual art auction of the National Museum of Anthropology "Arte Sana". July 2012. -Winner of the October contest of Underwaterphotography.com (biggest underwater contest in the world) with “Great Apparition”. 2011 -National Geographic published "Grand Cenote 2273" as photo of the day of June 15, 2011. -Bronze Medal in Our World Underwater Competition, Novice category for "Juan Pablo 4"
I was born in México City in 1972. Has a degree in Business Administration, was formed as a Diving Instructor, Cave Diver, Rafting Guide, and Sailor. Was a member of CEDAM, a Mexican organization devoted to marine arquaeology. Lived for a year in Germany (1993) a year in Akumal, southeast México (1997) and a year in Australia (1998). He has been an enthusiast photographer since he was 15 years old, but it´s since 2010 when I started with underwater photography and with a more professional approach. Every since I was a kid, as far as I can remember, I was attracted to the sea. I dream about what lie beneath the waves. I imagine what would it looked like if suddenly all the water would disappear for a while, but all the animals and living creatures would remain at the same place they where, so I could then take a walk inside the ocean and see them all, suspended for a moment in time and space. I still have that same dream, and I am very grateful that now I am able to live it every time I go down to the sea. I see my pictures, and realize they are the result of that childhood dream…beautiful and incredible marine life suspended in their natural environment and capture in a brief moment of time. They are my way of seeing this dream, how I perceive it and how being underwater in this magical world, in the presence of the marine environment makes me feel. It has been a fantastic journey of exploration and discovery, both outside and inside me, which I hope to keep doing for the rest of my life. Photography is all about light, and in my opinion, it is the single most important aspect when it comes to creating appealing, inspiring and touching images. In my point of view, far beyond technical issues, what´s most important is how I apply and manipulate the light that´s available in order to create pictures with dramatic effect, carrying depths of emotion and using contrast and tonalities as means to emphasise form and structure of the scenery. I focus on the emotional impact of the final shot that will connect on a deeper level, with the people that observe these photographs. Just as a poet uses words to create poetry, a photographer uses light to create images. So when I’m underwater taking pictures, one of my goals is to create poetic images through the use of light. I try to capture sublime moments of the marine environment, the essence of being there, in that experience and in the presence of that particular animal, capturing their splendor and soul. It´s sheer beauty and poetry with images that inspire, make us vibrate through the beauty in every corner of the ocean, an epic sight that make us dream of a better world, where we value and care for all expressions of life. Because beyond the issue of our survival is the issue of how we experience our life and how we celebrate it. And our experience of life is intrinsically linked to how we communicate and bond with everything around us, especially with all life around us. In my case, it’s the ocean and their living creatures that make me want to celebrate. So my photography is intended to be a celebration of marine life and the underwater world. editorial credits Published photographer in various magazines and newspapers, such as Ocean Geographic,Scuba Diving, Sport Diver, Asian Diver, Scuba Diving and the Undersea Journal, Alert Diver, Scuba Diver Through The Lens, Dive Photo Guide, Plongee, Tauchen, Apnea, México Desconocido, The Times (UK), Daily Mail (UK), and others. Photographer in Residence, Ocean Geographic Magazine www.ogsociety.org Field editor at Scuba Diver Australasia and Asian Diver www.uw3some.com awards, recognitions and articles 2014 -Sony World Photography Awards, 2014 finalist professional competition, travel category, with series “cenotes”. www.worldphoto.org -Asferico Photocontest 2014, Winner, Man and Nature category. www.asferico.com -Asferico Photocontest 2014, “highly commended”, plants and fungi category. www.asferico.com 2013 -Selected “World Champion” 2012-2013 by underwaterphotography.com -‘Face to Face’ has been shortlisted in the top 10 images in the Nature & Category in the Open Competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. (selected from 54,851 images entered from 170 countries) -‘Natural Harmony’ has been commended in the top 50 images in the Nature & Wildlife Category in the Open Competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. (selected from 54,851 images entered from 170 countries) -Gold Medal in underwaterphotography.com, freshwater category for “Enlightening the soul” -Silver Medal in underwaterphotography.com. freshwater category for “Hidden Beauty” -Bronze Medal in underwaterphotography.com, freshwater category for “Core Essence” -Gold Medal in underwaterphotography.com, sharks category for “Great Apparition” -Bronze Medal in underwaterphotography.com, wide angle marine life category for “The Wall” -6th place in underwater category, Oasis Photo Contest 2012, (more than 24.000 images of 48 countries participated). -Highly honored nature’s best Photography windland smith rice international awards 2013, outdoor adventure and small world categories. -2nd place, wide angle category, world shootout underwater photo competition. -Judge at the first Anilao Underwater Photo Competition, held dec. 4-8 in Anilao, Philippines. 2012 -Bronze Medal for “Grand Cenote 2273” in Our World Underwater Competition, category Wide Angle Unrestricted. -Winner monthly march contest 2012 of Dive Photo Guide, for "Delfiniti 8190" -“Featured article” about the collection “Selkie Connection” in web magazine Dive Photo Guide (www.divephotoguide.com) -"Delfiniti 9096" was elected by a jury for the special edition of Edition Fifty Fathoms “fifty finest”, publication that includes the best 50 fine art underwater black and whites photographs. -Winner of the april contest of UnderwaterPhotography.com (biggest underwater contest in the world) with "Grand Cenote 374" -Runner up in the may contest of UnderwaterPhotography.com -Winner in Scuba Diver Magazine 2012 underwater photo contest -Elected to participate in Edition Fifty Fathoms special edition on Macro photography -Succesfully auction of one of my pieces (60 x 45" fine art print) at the annual art auction of the National Museum of Anthropology "Arte Sana". July 2012. -Winner of the October contest of Underwaterphotography.com (biggest underwater contest in the world) with “Great Apparition”. 2011 -National Geographic published "Grand Cenote 2273" as photo of the day of June 15, 2011. -Bronze Medal in Our World Underwater Competition, Novice category for "Juan Pablo 4"
WINNING PHOTOGRAPHS
