Bird Photo Competition 2 2012 : Results

  • Competition Winner : First Prize
  • $1,395.00
  • Judges Comment
  • A serene and ethereal scene as the silhouetted heron leaps elegantly from the lake against a backdrop of morning mist and eerie trees. Sensuously artistic.
  • Photographers Comment
  • My name is Lisa Hampton. I photographed this Blue Herring one early morning on Longview Lake in Grandview Missouri. Nikon D700. No post, just a long horizontal crop because it reminded me of those beautiful Asian artwork scrolls. Thank you!
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • An evocative environmental shot that depicts the snowy owl hunting in its natural habitat as the sun sets on a wintry landscape.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thanks so much for choosing my photo. This was shot with my Canon 60D in the marshlands of Boundary Bay, just south of Vancouver, Canada. Mount Baker, Washington is in the background. This owl was startled elsewhere & flew almost right toward me. I was so lucky. You can't see it on this smaller photo, but the owl has its eye right on me. It's so cool. For those of you who are interested, my snowy owl post is here: www.caminomyway.com/a-snowy-owl-and-mount-baker-boundary-bay
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Perfect placement in the frame makes the most of this well-captured shorebird feeding in glorious low-altitude sunlight.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank so much for recognizing my photo! This was taken one afternoon on the Pacific coast near San Diego. The exceptional lighting was created by the warm rays of sunset reflecting off of a nearby cliff that bathed the wet sand in golden hues. A large group of shorebirds just happened to be feeding in the area when I captured this shot. What really drew me to this scene was the way the rocks in the scene look like tiny nuggets of gold. I used a Canon 40D with a 70-200 f 2.8 and 2x Telextender.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Shallow depth-of-field separating this hawk's tack-sharp head from defocused, outstretched wings make for an unusual and powerful close-up.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank You! My name is Lisa Kee. I took this with a Canon 7D, 70-200mm, 2.8 w/1.4 tc @f/4. This is "Trucker", a Swainson's Hawk. Taken at our local World Bird Sanctuary as a caretaker was holding this hawk, it spread it's wings to catch the wind.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Strong sunlight brings out the brilliant blues of this tree swallow's iridescent plumage, highlighted by a simple composition against a diffuse green background.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Despite the man-made setting, a classic 'lead-in line' composition featuring a well-posed brown pelican in rich evening sunlight makes for a pleasing image that makes you feel you were there.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A rare example of humor in bird photography as this willie wagtail evokes eye-contact with a rather larger creature, leaving the viewer wondering exactly what thoughts passed through the subjects' minds.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Nature in the raw as the daily drama between predator and prey is captured mid-act.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you very much! My name is Christine Mallette and this shot was taken in the Wakodahatchee wetlands of Florida. I was shooting with a D300 Nikon, shutter was 500 and shot at f8. I had been shooting all morning and was packing up to leave when I heard the birds fighting in the foliage. I couldn't believe my eyes and just kept shooting. Kind of sad.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • An environmental image that forces the viewer to empathize with the penguin's plight as it braves the vast and hostile Antarctic landscape.
  • Photographers Comment
  • My name is Chris, and I am a homeless nomad who travels from one seasonal job to the next, with lots of traveling between jobs. This is one of my favorite images from half a year spent working in the US Antarctic Program. Though they seem like carefree, jovial birds, in reality they are some of the toughest animals on earth, and I think this image portrays this well.