The runner ups: A look back at my dioramas (2015 runner up added)

[Bokisaurus]

Thanks, it was a good one and I had fun photographing it.

[Arul]

Having a great and beautiful natural environment is always an advantage, i really love all of your photo

[Federreptil]

Well, another Diorama contest has come and gone!
Time for the bonus part for this year's contest.

This year, my entry for the contest was #47 - Blue Lagoon, featuring Safari's Elasmosaurus and CollectA's Pliosaurs.
I have always wanted to do an underwater scene without using photoshop, but I did not have a camera that can take underwater photos. This year, I got a camera, so I wanted to make this longtime goal a reality.
The search for the actors took longer than I expected. My original idea was using ichthyosaurs , but I had a hard time finding the right figures and locations.

The first location was the ocean, but it proved to be very difficult due to wave actions. I tried tide pools, but the real denizen of the tide pools was too obvious and mad the figures small in comparison.
The final location was a river, this particular river:
[
The exact spot in the river is just opposite that log you see on the bottom left of the photo.

I had to take the photos and arrange the figures blindly since I can't see how it looked like underwater, so many takes was done.
It was also a challenge keeping the figures from being swept away by the river current. I had to chase the figures multiple times downriver during the shoot

In the end, I had one photo that met all of my requirement:
1. Action scene with a story
2. Sense of movement in the scene
3. A feeling of vastness
4. Proper lighting - really happy how the ripple of lights turned out, both on the rocks and figures
5. Something very different from my previous efforts

Here is the result, my official entry this year- Blue Lagoon!

Thank you to all 60 of you who voted for mine, I truly appreciate it and glad that you enjoyed it.
I had a lot of fun making it.

So there yo have it, hope you all enjoyed them, and thank you again for all of your votes!
Till next year's contest, cheers!

Loki

Just from the first view on this underwater scenery was one of my absolute favorites in this competition and so it's fantastic that a lot voters see this like me. I have all the time expected, that the location should be something such a wild romantic river as the making-of shots verify. Because the scene is so realistic and i love the light and shadow play on the models and the ground. It's so awesome and real beauty. I have thought it was a big adventure to get this photo. But I never expected such difficulties like a blind photographer and drifting plesiosaurs in the waves. So it's a fortune no hero got lost.
This story here is the best answer against the opinion in this competition discussion at the last weeks, that doing an outdoor shot is much easier than building an indoor classic diorama scenery. Here is the hard work for a stunning result equal. Another aspect of some very good dioramas is their long time of planing. Some ideas need oblivious time to come to reality. So I'm glad that this glorious motif had it's moment this year. And I'm curious what's next.

[Bokisaurus]

Thank you so much for the kind words, means a lot coming from you.
I have always been a big fan of your diorama works.
Yes, I can't wait to see all of next years😀

[laticauda]

The water is so clear and blue, I never thought it was shot in a river.  Add in the light ripples, and the angle, beautiful shot.  Nice job 

[Bokisaurus]

The water is so clear and blue, I never thought it was shot in a river.  Add in the light ripples, and the angle, beautiful shot.  Nice job 

Thanks That water is so cold! My feet was hurting LOL!

[LophoLeeVT]

i voted for your dios as well!

[DC]

Boki,

I am a big fan of your work.  use of color and light was excellent.  For you official entry I would have preferred to see Carnotaurus matched with Saltasaurus or Amargasaurus with an allosaurid because of the temporal differences.