I’m delighted to announce a few days ago I was informed my image of a Halloween Pennant was awarded with a ‘Highly Honoured’ in the Small World category of the 2013 Nature Best Wildlife Photography Competition. It’s the third year I’ve entered what is the biggest wildlife competition of it’s type in America, and I feel humbled to be included in amongst some truly talented photographers that make up this years finalists. And it’s certainly put a nice end to the closing months of, what for me has been (photographically at least), a generally quiet 2013!
Natures Best, 2013, Highly Honoured
The image itself, is of a Halloween Pennant taken a couple of years back at the Orlando Wetlands in Florida. I very rarely aim my camera at insects, and so I’m really quite chuffed that one of the few images of it’s type that I have, has been recognised in a competition.
The day I took the image, it was a sweltering 100 degrees and as such, there was very little animal activity around. These Pennants however, were dancing from leaf to leaf along the edge of one of the lakes I had been walking round. They would barely sit still for a second before taking flight again, making them very tricky to successfully photograph. It truly was a waiting game, which paid off when this particular Pennant landed long enough for me to take two shots, The first, had a background that comprised of the blue of the water and green of the distant foliage – that didn’t work. Luckily I was able to shuffle to the side a foot or so to remove the water from the background and give that lean green that compliments the subject perfectly. Taken handheld with my old D300 and my trusted 200-400 with a 1.4x TC attached!
Less than 30 minutes after taking this, the most incredible thunder, lighting and rain storm swept through and I got soaked walking back to the car! Oh how I miss the extreme weather of Florida!
More information on the Natures Best Photography competition can be found here.
