Local photographers swap locations for award-winning national images (Dec 2013)

Of the Highly Commended photographs on show two were taken by local photographers, yet both crossed into the other’s county to capture their chosen image.

Their photographs were chosen from thousands of entries received for this prestigious annual competition that celebrates British wildlife and the huge talent of wildlife photographers throughout the country. Of these, around 90 award-winning and commended images will feature in the BWPA’s inspirational touring exhibition that can be seen at Moors Valley until 9th March.

Tony Moss is one of two local photographers whose work was chosen for the exhibition this year. Based in the New Forest, his intriguing shot of a Bearded Reedling was captured at Weymouth’s Radipole RSPB Nature Reserve. 

“I knew photographing the Beared Reedling would be a real challenge as they are notoriously difficult to see, let alone photograph,” said Tony. “This shot was taken on my fourth visit to the Reserve. On a freezing February morning I was lucky enough to locate a small group immediately adjacent to the path and ended up standing still for ages before they started showing well enough to even start taking photographs. They then pretty much disappeared once the light levels improved – the frequent complaint of many wildlife photographers”. Tony’s patience was rewarded when his image received a Highly Commended placing in the Portraits category of the British Wildlife Photography Awards.

Sherborne’s Jeremy Walker also received a Highly Commended award, for his photograph of New Forest woodland. “Bolderwood in the New Forest is one of my favourite locations and never fails to amaze me,” said Jeremy. “On each visit the light is different and on this particular morning there was a light frost, a hint of mist and an unusually crisp sharp feel to the light.” His glorious autumnal shot was Highly Commended in the Wildwoods category.

This year’s overall winning shot was taken off the coast of Northern Ireland by  George Karbus. Capturing a truly magical moment, it depicts a dolphin, just as it starts to surf a deep tube inside a wave. Its fin is seen cutting through the surface of the water to create a perfect window onto the land beyond.

“These stunning images by so many talented photographers highlight the diversity, breadth and beauty of our precious wildlife and the need to protect their habitats,” said Chris Packham, naturalist and TV presenter.  “The British Wildlife Photography Awards are without doubt one of the most important photography awards in the UK. Anything that raises the public’s awareness of the importance to conserve and protect British wildlife is very close to my heart and these awards afford a spectacular insight into the habitat and behaviour of our British wildlife. From blue tits to badgers, never has Britain’s wildlife looked more beautiful”.

The British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition opens daily in the Visitor Centre at Moors Valley Country Park and is free to view. Parking charges do apply.

The 2014 British Wildlife Photography Awards opens for entries on 1 February. Details will be available on www.bwpawards.org.

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Editors’ Notes:

Please contact Amanda Walker on 01725 512200 to obtain a high res copy of the images of your choice.

Please note: Images are available for use with this release only. Please credit all photographers and BWPA. Always include the competition’s web address: www.bwpawards.co.uk.

Award winner details in full:

Overall winner
British Wildlife Photographer
George Karbus, for his image of a dolphin surfing entitled “In the Living Room”.   

The Category winners are:
ANIMAL PORTRAITS –  Mark Thomas, “Tommy” (Tompot Blenny, North Wales)  
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR – Robin Orrow, “Deadly Rivals” (Grey Wagtail, Norfolk)        
URBAN WILDLIFE – Jamie Hall, “Fallow Deer on Housing Estate” (London)  
HIDDEN BRITAIN – James Knight, “Viewpoint“ (Snail, Buckinghamshire)     
COAST AND MARINE – George Karbus, “In the Living Room” (Bottlenose Dolphin, Northern Ireland)
WILDWOODS – Richard Packwood, “Badger in the Woods” (Mid Wales)  
HABITAT – Margaret Walker, “Red Deer Stags Enduring Blizzard”  (Cairngorms, Scotland)  
BOTANICAL BRITAIN – Robert Canis, “In the Shadow of Giants” (Saffrondrop Bonnet, Kent)
NATURAL DETAILS – Michael Gallagher, “Cuttlefish Detail” (Dorset)  
BRITISH SEASONS – Tomasz Garbacz, “Ptarmigan” (Scotland)
DOCUMENTARY SERIES – Neil Aldridge, “The Alternative” (Badger Vaccination, Bedfordshire)   
WILDLIFE IN HD VIDEO – Liz Musser, “Henry and the Waxwings” (Fair Isle Shetland, Scotland)  
 
WildPix Young People’s Awards
Under 12 – Liam Constantine for his image of a Brown Hare
WildPix 12-18 – Joseph Amess for his image of a Great Tit in Flight

View all the winning Images, video and selection of highly commended entries on the British Wildlife Photography Awards website.

The Prizes

First prize: £5,000
Category winners will receive a Canon PowerShot S110 Camera  and a Canon PIXMA PRO 10 Printer.
Wildlife in HD Video category winner will receive a Sky World HD package and a 3D TV.  Plus a Canon XA -10 Professional Camcorder.
The British Seasons Category prize is £700 worth of Páramo clothing plus an f-stop Tilopa or Loka camera bag with medium ICU, subject to availability.
The Young winner (under 12) will receive:   £300
The young winner  (12 -18) will receive:       £500    

The Book
The British Wildlife Photography Awards: Collection 4 showcases the very best entries from the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2013. This stunning coffee table book is a celebration of British wildlife as captured on camera by today’s best amateur and professional photographers. The book is available from Amazon.

The Sponsors
Canon, SKY+HD, RSPB Wildlife Explorers, WWF, The Wildlife Trusts, Forestry Commission England, City of London, Countryside Jobs Service, Sparsholt College Hampshire, Buglife, Paramo and Outdoor Photography Magazine.