JOIN US NEXT YEAR – AUGUST 22-24, 2025
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY SEMINARS, SOCIAL, AND IMAGING CONTEST IN MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
Since 1994 the Monterey Shootout has been the annual gathering of underwater photographers in the stunning kelp beds of Monterey Bay. This three day weekend features seminars, a fabulous social mixer, and a friendly photo and video contest that makes us dive a little harder and push our creativity alongside new and old friends just a bit longer. Join us for the greatest dive weekend of the year.
Above video by James Emery, Maxwell Hohn, Kate Vylet, Mike Costa, and Patrick Webster.
Full access pass only $35.00
SCHEDULE
Enjoy an action-packed long weekend of diving and shooting, celebrating at the Backscatter house party, and soaking in the inspiring seminars and awards ceremony.
SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE »
COMPETITION
New shooters and pros alike have a chance to win amazing prizes from our incredible sponsors with categories for beginners, intermediate, or advanced.
SEE COMPETITION FORMS »
DIVING/LODGING
Only Monterey Bay offers stunning kelp forests, harbor seals, sea lions, sea otters, jellyfish, and more on a beach dive! If you’ve never dived Monterey, this is the weekend to meet the local humans and other marine mammals that call these kelp forests home. Check out our list of local dive boats, dive shops, and diver friendly hotels.
CHECK OUT PREVIOUS EVENTS
We’ve not scanned the thousands of slides from our film days, but you can view previous events dating back to 2011. Get inspired by looking at past event images.
THE MONTEREY SHOOTOUT IS SPONSORED BY:
MONTEREY SHOOTOUT SEMINAR PRESENTERS & JUDGES
BERKLEY WHITE
Owner and founder of Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo. Berkley is one of the leading underwater imaging professionals, who’s passion for underwater imaging is equaled by his passion for educating others. His images and articles are regularly seen in national and international scuba diving publications, and he leads several educational underwater imaging expeditions each year, such as The Digital Shootout. To view his online portfolio, please visit berkleywhite.com.
CHUCK DAVIS
From the freezing climes of Antarctica and Greenland to the heat and humidity of the Amazon, Chuck Davis has worked as a specialist in marine and underwater photography and cinematography. His motion picture filming credits include work on several IMAX films, including RING OF FIRE (underwater lava scenes), WHALES, THE GREATEST PLACES, AMAZING JOURNEYS, SEARCH FOR THE GREAT SHARKS, and two Academy Award-nominated IMAX films, ALASKA: SPIRIT OF THE WILD and THE LIVING SEA(underwater/marine scenes of Monterey Bay).
ERIN QUIGLEY
Erin Quigley, Digital Imaging Consultant specializing in customized workflows and editing strategies, and Award-Winning Underwater Photographer, will help you sort out your processing woes. These one-on-one or small group sessions will be informal and based on participant’s interest, so bring Erin your images for tutorials and tips to improve your post production skills. For more information about Erin, please see: https://www.goaskerin.com/
JIM DECKER
As the CEO of Backscatter, Jim is one of the top experts in the world on underwater photo and video equipment and shooting technique. From SLRs to compacts and handycams to broadcast video, Jim has shot video and photo systems from all the major underwater manufacturers and has been a consultant on many of the designs seen in the water today. Jim has also consulted with many professional photographers, production companies, resorts, and magazines including Mythbusters, Discovery Channel, Sport Diver Magazine, Scuba Diving Magazine, Into The Drink, National Geographic, Freshwaters Illustrated, and many more.
TODD WINNER
Todd Winner has been diving and photographing marine life since 1990. As a professional underwater photographer and cinematographer, his work has appeared in commercials, museums and private collections. Todd is a regular contributor to Sport Diver and Scuba Diving magazines and has won over 60 international underwater photography competitions.
Based out of Southern California, Todd works for Nauticam as a content provider and equipment specialist on the west coast. He runs several international and domestic underwater workshops every year and is a proud member of the Ocean Artists Society, which uses ocean art to inspire people around the world to a greater awareness of our need to protect and preserve our natural world. To find out more please go to toddwinner.com or immersedimaging.com
SCOTT CAMBELL
Out of reach and out of sight for many, the underwater world comes alive through the ethereal black and white images of world class freediver Scott Campbell. Campbell’s breath hold skills allow him to approach marine subjects differently than photographers that rely on SCUBA. All of Scott’s work is captured on a breath of air, commonly called Freediving. Scott spent 5 years competing on the US Freediving Team and set numerous records for depth and duration. He has held his breath for over seven and a half minutes and can dive to 200 feet. These skills, coupled with his photography background, produce work that is unique to the blue water environment.
STERLING ZUMBRUNN
As a passionate technologist, I dive into more gadgets and apps than you can imagine. I currently work as Senior Product Manager for SmartThings, leading integrations of video cameras, locks, lights and more onto one of the world’s leading smart home platforms.
I am an image maker of the natural world. My main focus has been underwater photography, through which I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world’s oceans. I’ve always been obsessed with aerial photography, recently applying that passion towards aerial photography of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Conservation is one my passions, and I strive to use my work to inspire others and lead to changes in behavior.
MATT FERRARO
Matt Ferraro has been the lead cinematographer for the Cousteaus for the last 15 years. From the tannin brown waters of the Amazon to the crystal blue below Arctic ice, Matt has documented stunning wildlife behavior and the Cousteau team in every corner of the Earth. Matt’s camera experience is as diverse as his travels. Matt cut his teeth on 35mm motion picture film, progressed through all professional video formats and is an expert with the latest digital cinema cameras such as the 6K Red Dragon. Matt’s long list of credits includes the award winning 11 hour seven-episode PBS series Ocean Adventures and the record breaking Mission 31. As a deep tech and closed circuit rebreather diver, Matt documented the rarely visited wreck of the USS Monitor, was the part of the first team in 19 years to touch down on Cordell Bank and was one of the first to record the twilight reefs of the Northwester Hawaiian Islands.
RUSS SANOIAN
Russ Sanoian is the product manager at Backscatter and a freelance underwater and nature videographer based in Monterey, California. Russ has extensive use with most of the current manufacturers video and still housings being offered in todays market.
Russ has been diving closed circuit rebreathers and underwater scooters for the last 10 years and entered the industry as a lead technical sales person with Light & Motion. Russ joined Backscatter as product manager where he constantly evaluates the latest camera technology and blends imaging techniques with the art of technical diving. Russ is well known in the diving industry as a great educator and mentor of new photographers and technical divers and is always available for imaging and technical support.
Russ’s film credits include PBS expeditions to the Andrea Doria, CBC “The Nature of Things”, DPTV “Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes”, BBC “Life” series and “Million Dollar Otters”, Local Television shows and several projects in the cenotes of Mexico and freshwater caves in Florida.
BECCA BORING
Raised on wreck diving and photography Becca Boring has been the Operations Manager of Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo since 2013. She is passionate about documenting and helping others capture the beauty of the underwater world and has a particular fondness for black and white.
