Winning wildlife images on display at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
December 23, 2005
Entertainment, Features, Science, Travel Reporters/Editors
Contact: Emelia
Cowans, 919.733.7450, ext. 305 or
Jon Pishney,
919.733.7450, ext. 304
Images Available
Thirty-one award winning pictures from the first
annual 2005 Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition will be
on display from Dec. 28 to March 31, 2006, at the North Carolina
Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. Sponsored by the
Museum and Wildlife in North Carolina magazine, the competition
is a stateside version of the BBC International Photographer
of the Year Competition, produced by BBC Wildlife magazine and the
Natural History Museum of London.
More than 640 photographers entered a total of 3,324 photographs in 10 categories this summer, including more than 60 young photographers in the two youth categories. Open to amateur and professional photographers alike, the competition is intended to encourage high-quality nature photography and to identify talented wildlife photographers working in North Carolina. Only photographs taken in North Carolina during the past five years were eligible.
The grand prize winner was John Stroud of Raleigh. His photograph of a hummingbird attacking a bee is one in a series that he took through an open window in his office using a tripod-mounted Fuji digital camera set at 1/1200 second. Stroud also used this setup to win first place in the Invertebrates category with an image of a wasp in flight.
With 636 entries, Invertebrates was the most popular category, with
Birds (548 entries) and the landscape category Peaks,
Valleys and Plains (544 entries) close behind. The Habitats
of Concern category
highlighted natural communities that are part of the recently finalized
N.C. Wildlife Action Plan for non-game conservation. First place
in the Mammals category was John Mauser's unusual image of a harbor
seal heading into the surf at Cape Lookout. Other categories include
Wildflowers and Fruits and Outdoor Recreation.
The exhibit will travel across the state in 2006, opening in April at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard, then to the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla (exact date TBA).
Judges for the competition were selected for their experience in producing or choosing superior photography. Vickie Cumbee is art director for Wildlife in North Carolina magazine. Mike Dunn provides numerous photographs for the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, where he is coordinator of teacher education. Professional wildlife photographer Derrick Hamrick is a past winner in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Jon Hansen is the photo editor for the Features department at the Raleigh News & Observer.
Corporate contributors were Eastman Kodak Company and J.W. Photo Labs of Raleigh. Valuable support was provided by The News & Observer and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Winning photographs can be viewed at www.ncwildlife.org.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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