Wildlife Photo Competition 4 2015 : Results

Judges Comment
A beautifully managed photograph and a lovely capture of this cheeky chipmunk. The light and detail are so real and this cunning looking little fellow, peeping out of the dark so inquisitvely and so mishievously has been beautifully portrayed. Congratulations, you win this round!

Judges Comment
Oh so sweet, and peaceful, and emotional, and minimal…So many stories could be attached to this photograph. Nice soft tones for a « by the sea » atmosphere, clever lines which push the eye to the dreamy distance and savvy composition to give bear so much presence. Lovely, well done.
Photographers Comment
Many thanks to Duncan for choosing this image for the Mark of Excellence. I shot this image last July in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Amidst all the frenetic action of the grizzlies chasing after salmon, I watched as this lone grizzly sat down and take a quiet time out. It was a peaceful, serene moment that I will never forget. My equipment was a Nikon D7100 with the Nikkor 70-300mm lens. My congratulations to the other winners in the wildlife category.
fraida-gutovich.artistwebsites.com

Judges Comment
Very clever and a befitting hair barette for this pretty girl. The colours of the butterfly match the statue’s lichen really well, the girl’s expression and your composition together make a beautiful portrait.
Photographers Comment
My name is Ian Chapple from Bedfordshire, UK. From an upstairs window I glanced into the garden and saw the butterfly on "The Lady" as we call the statue. I grabbed my Canon 400D, dashed downstairs setting the controls to ISO 200, f/5.6 and camera timed at 1/320th. I took three shots at different angles before the beauty grew camera shy and flew away. This was the best as it incorporated light and dark and some lovely patina on the statue. A good contrast to the dark intensity of the subject.

Judges Comment
How awful to be covered in flies when one’s arms are too short to brush them away! It is interesting to see what a seal and pup have to put up with day by day, not just the flies but also a bed of mussels… so your photo gets through before many of the other beautiful submissions thanks to its documentary value. Well done.
Photographers Comment
So humbled to have another of my images selected in the wildlife category. This image was shot in Bandon, Oregon on a overcast day last May. I spent a lot of time watching the interaction between the mother and pup harbor seal as she struggled to nurse her baby on the rocky inclines. This image was shot with a Nikon D7100 and the Nikkor 70-300mm lens. Thank you kindly again for the recognition!
fraida-gutovich.artistwebsites.com

Judges Comment
Wow. There are lots of Whale tail photos around so it is difficult to be original with this subject but you have certainly captured the atmosphere here, the dark and cold and the power of the whale, its damaged tail edge hinting at a long hard life. It must have been magical to witness, a true natural wonder.
Photographers Comment
My name is Neil DeMaster and I am thrilled that my picture got awarded a mark of excellence. This picture of a sperm whale tail was taken in Dominica this past August using a Nikon D7000 with a 100-300 lens. This is part of a resident pod and we were also lucky enough to see calves as well. My favorite pictures to take are wildlife pictures and I hope that all wildlife pictures inspire curiosity, respect and the want to protect the wonderful creatures around us. Sperm whales are currently on the vulnerable list and need our protection.

Judges Comment
This is fun and original, a Grizzly soaking wet, standing in the river, its sheer power exposed by the wet pyjama look.

Judges Comment
Such amazing colours, the blue of the blue, the translucent pink... the unworldly shapes and beauty to be found hidden beneath the folds of a jellyfish’s petticoat. The water’s surface gives a sense of scale and depth but also light and texture, and of course those important lines which diagonally divide up the picture and contrast with the round form of the jelly.
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much Duncan!, I'm very proud of being awarded with your Mark of Excelence. I'm Albert Ollé Callau, an amateur photographer from Catalonia. This picture was done after diving in Roses, Mediterranean Sea. When arriving at the shore, we saw a lot of these beautiful jellys, I couldn't loose the oportunity of taking some pictures, so I decided to jump again into the water without scuba tanks, just freediving. The problem was that the place was very close to the harbor, and it was a lot of boats running fast so close, without respecting the security distance from me. Their propellers were cutting the jellys in millions of small urticant pieces, it was like a soup of tentacles!. All this, added to the waves generated by the boats, made this session dangerous and difficult, so It is one of the very few pictures i took that day. Congrats to the winner, finalists and org. of I Shoot it. Nikon D7000, Tamron 10-24mm. My last project is: www.photouw.com
albert-olle-photo.weebly.com/portfolio.html

Judges Comment
Beautiful portrait with lovely tones and colours and of course expression. You have framed this mother and baby in a clever dark background thus showing off their lovely golden blond coat. Her expression is so human it is uncanny. Long-nosed monkeys are often naïvely referred to as ugly creatures but here you have given them all the beauty they deserve. Just lovely, well done.

Judges Comment
A lovely contrasted and pretty scene with beautiful light for deer spotting. Well done, it looks like you have been noticed :-)
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for the honor of Mark of Excellence ! I shot this on a wildlife preserve just outside of Buffalo NY. I use a Canon SX 50. I shoot in manual and the ISO was 200...SS 1/2000 and F 8. Post processing was done in Picassa using a little contrast and sharpening. Thanks again for this honor !