Bird Photo Competition 1 2013 : Results

  • Judges Comment
  • Good quality bird images are now so commonplace that to stand out requires more creativity than technical skill. This bizarre wide-angle image of a pelican feeding frenzy taken from water level adds a whole new meaning to 'fisheye photography'.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you very much for the winning prize! Before setting of to Lake Kerkini in Northern Greece, I planned ahead the way I would photograph Dalmatian Pelicans, so I designed a whole system incorporating an underwater camera housing and specially positioned lights and flashes, and it was a great thrill to find that the contraption worked the way I planned. I took a lot, I mean a lot of pictures during the five days I spent there but I took the best ones on the very last day.
  • www.matebence.hu
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Birds of prey are often mobbed by smaller birds in flight, but to capture a bird riding on an eagle's back is amazing. A movie fantasy caught in real life!
  • Photographers Comment
  • Hi, My name is Holly and this is D14. He was the third chick last season (2012) to Mom and Dad Decorah, of the Decorah, IA Web Cam. D14 died when he landed on a power pole and was electrocuted. He was 5 or 6 months old. The first chick born to this pair last season, D12 was also electrocuted on a power pole in Decorah, IA. I am a big eagle fan, this last season was a tough one. I am hoping by getting his picture seen that I can share the hazards our raptors have. Hoping one day Lead in Ammo is not used anymore and the power poles are updated and Avian Safe. Thank you for this great honor and for giving me a chance to share D14's story.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A well-planned wide angle capture of a swooping Snowy Owl in an icy landscape.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A rare example of techniques developed in another genre being applied successfully to bird photography as this shorebird gets the monochrome seascape photographer's long-exposure treatment.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you for this recognition! This shot of a napping willet was taken using Canon 5D MIII at 170mm exposed for 2.0 sec at f/36. Post processed using L4 and Nik's Silver Efx. My name is Edwin Soriano and I live in Galveston, Texas.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A superb all-round behavioral photograph as two fighting cuckoos are captured with great timing, composition and image quality.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A bird photo without a bird! Lateral thinking leaves the viewer to ponder on what caught what.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • This perfectly-timed shot of a difficult subject shows how shearwaters get their name.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Ron LeValley, Offshore from Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, California, Canon 7D, Canon 300mm f4 L IS lens. No substantial post processing.
  • www.levalleyphoto.com
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Good framing and strong eye contact make for an engaging and humorous portrait.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Taken with a Canon EOS 7D on Galveston Island, Texas. This Eastern Brown Pelican sat on a shrimper, cowering under its wings from a cold Northerner. I wanted to get a head-shot, which proved difficult because I had no tripod and nowhere to lean my 500mm lense. I also wanted the focus on the eye but still enough aperture to show texture in the feathers. In the end I tied myself to a rope of a second fishing boat and swung back and forth, hoping for a calm hand. Except for minor cropping I did not have to do any significant post processing work. My name is Irene Quiroga and I live in Galveston, Texas. Nature and wildlife photography are my main focus and I incorporate it whenever possible in my journalistic work.
  • www.oceandance.org
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A great depiction of the rich emotional connection people feel towards birds.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • On first sight, a well-executed egret take-off shot, but then you're hit by the surprise lurking in the background.