Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009

One of my very favourite exhibitions (admittedly, I don’t go to very many) is the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibit.  It’s held, every year, in various locations around the world, and comes to our very own South African Museum in our summer season (December to March)

I’ve been three times now, last year, the year before that and back in 2005, where I saw the exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London.  Every single time was exceptional, with incredible images that stay with you long after you’ve left the building.  And this year’s offering looks set to be just as tasty.

To give you some idea of what it’s all about:

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is an international showcase for the very best photography featuring natural subjects. The competition is owned by two UK institutions that pride themselves on revealing and championing the diversity of life on Earth – the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine – and is brought to South Africa by
NHU AFRICA.

Each year thousands of entries are received and judged by a specially selected expert panel. From vivid, colourful landscapes to intimate portraits of animal behaviour, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition offers an extraordinary insight into the beauty, drama and diversity of the natural world.

If you need a visual teaser, take a look at the online gallery, but it really truly is worth going to the exhibit itself at least once, probably twice (and it only costs R15 a pop).

Some of the photographs I’m particularly looking forward to seeing are those in the ‘One Earth Award‘ category:

This award highlights conservation issues or actions and the interaction between humans and the natural world. Images must demonstrate the power and resilience of our planet and its impact on us. Whether graphic or symbolic, each picture must be thought provoking, memorable and encourage respect or concern for our natural world.

So, the exhibit is already on at the South African Museum, and will run until the 13th of March 2010.  I haven’t seen it yet, but will definitely be heading there very soon…  Miss it, and you will definitely be missing out!

(Photo credit: Robert Friel, UK)

DISCLAIMER: Please use any event information as a guide only. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy thereof, things do change – and the best way to make sure something is definitely on is to contact the event organisers themselves. Full bells’n'whistles disclaimer here.

 

Tags: exhibit, iziko, national museum, nature, wildlife photographer