Winner of the UK Wildlife Photography Competition 2010
Overall Winner - Three Deer Glade by Mark Simms:
Deer are not difficult to photograph so it has to be pretty special to take the overall winner slot. It is. This is a brilliantly conceived photograph, superbly executed. Atmospheric and moody, it is also well exposed in challenging conditions. But the balance of its composition is outstanding. Is it the most challenging British wildlife shot ever taken? No. But that is nothing to do with the photographer, he has found a beautiful situation and turned it into something magical. Mark took the photo with a Canon 5D using a 70-200mm f2.8L IS. He has nominated The South Essex Wildlife Hospital to receive a £500 donation from Wildlife Extra.
Our thanks to Olympus for their support
All the category winners
winner of the insects and bugs section
Spider and damselflies. Photo by Austin Thomas | winner of the Marine, reptile and amphibian section
Grey seal. Photo by Àlex Martin. We had a good number of seals from the Nook sent in. They are notoriously difficult as more often than not the light is poor on that desolate East Coast, they are frequently dong nothing and, even if they are, it has probably been done before ad nauseam. Not this time; this is magnificent. The light is tremendous which either displays an obscene level of luck, or more likely so good grafting hours spent. The composition is clear and cohesive but also there is humour here as the mustard wave looks almost like Diana Dors' barnet in her heyday. A moment early or late and this photo would have been (quite rightly) deleted. The Donna Nook seal index has just been raised, nice work. |
winner of the wildlife landscapes section
Gwithiam, Cornwall. Photo by Stephen Dean If you are going to use a slow shutter speed why not gamble and go for broke and really drop it down. Stephen Dean has done just that and it has paid off. The colour is straight from Monet's palette. The composition delicately balanced with the granite balanced perfectly by the distant lighthouse, but it is that shutter speed that has turned a good landscape into a winning one. | winner of the birds section
Blue tit. Photo by Austin Thomas Blue tits are common birds therefore it has to be an absolute stunner to win a bird category with one. This is. Background is brilliant, the rain a bonus and at just the right angle. The bird is caught in that moment as its feet are stretched before landing and the catch light is immaculate. This did not happen by chance. Click here to see a larger image Birds - The winner will win an Olympus SP-800UZ, with an amazing 30X zoom, and a Colin Woolf print of a Peregrine falcon in flight. |
16 and under winner - Slow pan gull by Sam RowleyWe had a few from this young photographer. I like his work. A few of his were safe portraits done very nicely but where he earns his spurs is when he gambles as every good photographer should. This gull is common, the light is average and would not normally induce a single twitch in the shutter release finger. However, slow the shutter speed down, turn what was no doubt a dull background into a rich carpet and lengthen the rain and blur the wings and you have both a photograph and a photographer of note. Terrific work
