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Archive 2019 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

chambeshi
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Superb

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2019/nov/14/nature-photographer-of-the-year-2019-in-pictures

Nov 16, 2019 at 04:15 AM

sum1sgrampa
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Thank you for the link. Put me down for underwhelmed. Nothing here that prompted me to "slow my scroll".

Nov 16, 2019 at 08:48 AM

EGrav
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

sum1sgrampa wrote:
Thank you for the link. Put me down for underwhelmed. Nothing here that prompted me to "slow my scroll".

+1

Nov 16, 2019 at 09:21 AM

arbitrage
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

I like the swan one. Thinking outside the box.

Nov 16, 2019 at 09:42 AM

dclark
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

I like them. Some different styles of nature photography than are usually seen, but I like them.
Also, the documentary images are strong images.
I did notice that the underwater winner was not under water.

Dave

Nov 16, 2019 at 10:02 AM

sum1sgrampa
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

I think there's so much tremendous N&W photography out there these days (just look at this forum) for example, that judges in these types of competitions are looking for something more environmental, moody, artistic ? It seems very little merit is given to technical skills. And photography is nothing if not a very technical discipline. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but you're left with images like the second one here that looks like it was shot by an 8 year old with a cellphone at an aquarium.

Nov 16, 2019 at 10:23 AM

morris
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

arbitrage wrote:
I like the swan one. Thinking outside the box.

I like that one as well. It's a lovely environmental portrait

Morris

Nov 16, 2019 at 10:29 AM

arbitrage
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

dclark wrote:
I like them. Some different styles of nature photography than are usually seen, but I like them.
Also, the documentary images are strong images.
I did notice that the underwater winner was not under water.

Dave

That humpback confused me for a minute as it looked like an underwater photo due to the tones but looked like a breaching whale. After seeing it was in the underwater category, I can only guess that the photo is flipped and we are seeing it breaking the underwater surface. Interesting take as it is now an underwater breaching whale

Nov 16, 2019 at 11:06 AM

dclark
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

arbitrage wrote:
That humpback confused me for a minute as it looked like an underwater photo due to the tones but looked like a breaching whale. After seeing it was in the underwater category, I can only guess that the photo is flipped and we are seeing it breaking the underwater surface. Interesting take as it is now an underwater breaching whale

I believe you are right that it's flipped and is underwater and the title "Up in the air" is also flipped. Regardless, it is IMO a terrific image. With the correction, I think I like it more.

Dave

Nov 16, 2019 at 11:16 AM

Imagemaster
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

A greater variety than seen on FM, but that is because of more photographers from more countries. Also "best" in any category is simply what best meets the tastes of those few judges.

Also, it should be "Nature Photographer of the year 2019 THAT ENTERED THIS CONTEST".

If the shot of the playful rabbits had been posted on this forum, I could just see the negative comments such as too grainy, too noisy, too contrasty, etc.

All goes to show 'best' is a matter of taste.

Nov 16, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Pius Sullivan
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Hmm, I was looking at the humpback photo from an under water perspective.. looks to me like the humpback touch the sandy bottom with its back and tail and stirred up the sand or silt. I think what we are seeing is the oceans bottom not the surface.,,,

You cannot get that kind of light, on the humpback from surface light in IMO. That photo deserves a win in my books.

Pius

Nov 16, 2019 at 12:22 PM

arbitrage
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Pius Sullivan wrote:
Hmm, I was looking at the humpback photo from an under water perspective.. looks to me like the humpback touch the sandy bottom with its back and tail and stirred up the sand or silt. I think what we are seeing is the oceans bottom not the surface.,,,

You cannot get that kind of light, on the humpback from surface light in IMO. That photo deserves a win in my books.

Pius

Interesting....I still think it is just flipped and whale is just below the surface. That is why all the main light is on the bottom as presented and the blue of the water goes from light to dark away from the water disturbance.

Nov 16, 2019 at 12:41 PM

Colin F
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

I have grown to have a real problem with photo contests. In many (or most) smaller photo contests, it is nothing more than a way for a particular magazine or business to obtain bucket-loads of free photos that they can use for any purpose for all time, while paying nothing or almost nothing for them by acquiring the images via a “contest”. All you have to do is read the fine print of most any photo contest to see what rights you are giving away just by entering. It’s often a clever ploy to avoid paying fair market value for said images.

But for the other “big name” contests, it’s a subjective veneer of what is “best”, or a “winner”. Think about it; there are two things at play with these big “photographer of the year” photo contests:

1) The winner is picked from an enormously limited number of entries, for they are choosing only from ones submitted by individuals who have paid to enter! All of the millions of other top-shelf images that are taken every year by photographers around the world don’t get considered simply due to the fact that they weren’t entered in that particular contest.

2) What needs to be remembered too is that there is no authoritative “thing” behind any photo contest, it is merely people – people with their own particular tastes, moods and biases, and all we are submitting to when entering said contests, is the decisions of these people (with the self-appointed title of “judge”) and their partialities and preferences. Why are these individuals the ones who get to decide what is the “best” photo? When you really stop and think about it, it makes no sense.

I have been to two of the Natural History Museum’s “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” presentations at our local museum, and was simply not impressed by most of the photos. Yes, some were very good, but many were what I would deem as ho-hum, or just far too abstract, while some (even one “winner” in one particular category) were truly terrible, with boring subject matter, poor composition and one loaded with digital noise! It dawned on me that I see better images EVERY DAY on Instagram by other talented photographers, but those images remain invisible because they weren’t entered in a particular contest.

Is it the sad, historical habit of most humans to submit to some imagined authority which results in the masses mindlessly nodding in agreement that “this must be true because this 'special person' said it is”?

*This of course does not apply to the contests I have won – chortle.

Edited on Nov 16, 2019 at 03:57 PM · View previous versions

Nov 16, 2019 at 01:29 PM

BDA7
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-49690173

A humorous take on wildlife photography....

Nov 16, 2019 at 02:41 PM

Oosty
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Another contest -

https://www.dpreview.com/news/6494760746/these-are-the-winners-of-the-2019-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-competition?imageViewer=1&fbclid=IwAR1jOH1bOGnwb_61722maZGJptTqCkqld7ToBKpJLv-oQD7WSK5iVHC9XBg

The same comments will apply. However, surely the way to prove one's point is to enter the contests.

Nov 17, 2019 at 01:45 AM

Imagemaster
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Oosty wrote:
However, surely the way to prove one's point is to enter the contests.

Prove what point?

Nov 17, 2019 at 02:02 AM

bs kite
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Thank you for the link chambeshi.

Photography is perhaps the most effective tool for exposing the otherwise-unnoticed cruelty some humans have for our fellow Earthlings. The sadness of the shackled monkeys and horror of the crates of dead rhino heads, go unseen .... if not for the contests.

God bless the photographers and judges for having the character to show these things to the world.

Edited on Nov 17, 2019 at 10:08 AM · View previous versions

Nov 17, 2019 at 04:23 AM

Colin F
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

bs kite wrote:
Photography is perhaps the most effective tool for exposing the otherwise-unnoticed cruelty some humans have for our fellow Earthlings. The sadness of the shackled monkeys and horror of the crates of dead rhino heads, go unseen .... if not for the contests.

I dunno, there are many ways to expose animal abuse other than photo contests. Animal Defenders Int'l does great work:

http://www.ad-international.org/about_us/

Nov 17, 2019 at 09:36 AM

Oosty
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Imagemaster wrote:
Prove what point?

Simply put, it's easy to sit on the sidelines and comment negatively. Not so easy if one is a participant in a contest and haven't made the cut.

Nov 17, 2019 at 11:03 AM

Colin F
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Nature photographer of the year 2019

Oosty wrote:
Simply put, it's easy to sit on the sidelines and comment negatively.

I would suggest that comments made so far are observational, not negative.

Not so easy if one is a participant in a contest and haven't made the cut.

Just the opposite I suggest. The last contest I entered just over a year ago left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. Without going into great detail, the "winners" were highly questionable, and the images I entered (which were arguably vastly superior to the so-called winners) did not even get included into the "honorable mentions". I showed the results to many people, and they all felt the same way. There must have been some political "thing" going on in the background with the so-called judges. The experience was deflating & frustrating, and I informed them that I will not be entering their contest again.

Edited on Nov 17, 2019 at 11:44 AM · View previous versions

Nov 17, 2019 at 11:12 AM

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