Winner

Our travel photo contest winner is Pansiri Pikunkaew, congratulations Pansiri!

Loi Kra Tong Festival in Thailand by Pansiri Pikunkaew

“Buddhist novice light the lanterns in Wat Pan Tao Chiang mai province thailand.”

Equipment: Canon EOS 7D

Runners-up

Congratulations to our runners-up, Chan Kwok Hung and Becky Kagan Schott!

Buffalo Race by Chan Kwok Hung

“This photo was taken in West Sumatra of Indonesia, farmers will held the buffalo race at the muddy rice fields and usually before the farming season, they believe will be lucky if their buffalo win the race. The event is the time for celebration for the rice farming folks in this farming community but no any prize, the jockey ride a pair of buffalo while holding their tail,they will bite the cow’s tail if they want the cow run faster!”

Equipment: Canon 1D MarkIII ,Canon 100-400

Chan Kwok Hung – I want to convey the good side and dark side of our living world. People’s expressions and emotions appeal to me – they are an important part of the picture.

Dolphin Dance by Becky Kagan Schott

“There is nothing more amazing than having an interaction with a wild animal! This pod of wild dolphins became interested in our group and twirled, played and danced with freedivers!”

Equipment: Nikon D700, 14-24mm lens, Aquatica housing

Becky Kagan Schott – Becky is a professional underwater videographer, photographer, 3D cameraman and technical diver. Her work has been Emmy Nominated and she’s worked on documentaries for National Geographic, Discovery Science, and currently works with leading edge underwater video technology at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. With them she’s documented famous wrecks including the USS Monitor, the U-869, and the 2010 Titanic Expedition. As a cameraman her projects have taken her all over the globe documenting historic wrecks in Truk Lagoon, Japan, and the Great Lakes. She’s also shot stunning video of marine life including Humpback whales, Wild Dolphins and Great White Sharks-cageless. She has 17 years of dive experience logging thousands of hours underwater. Becky is a NAUI Instructor, and holds certifications in Cave diving, Trimix, and several Rebreathers. She has always been attracted to water, but her curiosity about what lay beneath the waves became an obsession from a young age, she always knew documenting the underwater world is what she wanted to do. Becky and her husband David live in Philadelphia and own Liquid Productions, LLC, a video production company specializing in High Definition video, 3D video, and digital still photography both above and below the surface.

Website: www.LiquidProductions.com

Highly Commended Images

Our highly commended images are fantastic shots that illustrate the amazing variety of entries we received. Well done to everyone who made it onto this list!

Sunday’s Child by Ben

“Inspired by the Afghan girl and an exhibition on Peru. The original has bright contrasting greens and reds.”

Equipment: Nikon D2Xs, 17-55mm f2.8

Ben – My passion for photography was sparked while teaching in an orphanage in Sierra Leone, West Africa. I then photographed all different sorts of subjects during university, and taught myself to use and develop medium format film, which is what I still use alongside digital equipment.

Website: www.BenEvansphotography.com

Story With the Red Rooster by Adrian Petrisor

“Winter life in a country house from Romania.”

Equipment: Canon 450D

Website: adypetrisor.blogspot.com/

Pakkarena Dancer by Alamsyah Rauf

“Dances derived Pakarena separation of myth residents story “Botting Langi” (paradise wedding) with residents lino (earth) bygone era. Indonesia”

Equipment: Canon 5 d mark 2

Alamsyah Rauf – I am freelance photographer

The Shape You’re In by Felicia Simion

“One-way ticket to Heaven. Romania”

Equipment: Canon EOS 400D

Website: www.feliciasimionphotography.com

Festival Spirit by Dennis Bautista

“This photo was taken during the Aliwan Festival in Manila and this dancer belongs to the Dinagyang Tribe of Iloilo City, Philipines.”

Equipment: Nikon D90

Dennis Bautista – I am a Civil Engineer by profession and a passionate hobbyist of photography.

Yee Peng Festival in Thailand by Pansiri Pikunkaew

“Amazing moment of yeepeng festival in thailand”

Equipment: Canon EOS 7D

Rush Hour by Mark Bassett

“Sitting in the Hong Kong Traffic.”

Equipment: Canon 20d

Mark Bassett – An Oxford based pr & editorial photographer with a passion for travel photography. Never won anything in my life!

Website: www.markbassett.co.uk

News in Peru by Mark Bassett

“Street newspaper vendor in Lima Peru”

Equipment: Canon 20d

Mark Bassett – An Oxford based pr & editorial photographer with a passion for travel photography. Never won anything in my life!

Website: www.markbassett.co.uk

Peace by Hai Ngo

“A monument of Peace shattered in the heart of Paris.”

Equipment: Nikon D3000

Hai Ngo – My name is Hai Ngo (that’s pronounced “High Know”) and I’m a Philosophy major at Carleton, class of ‘12. With that in mind, my current goal is to make all the friends I can now so I can mooch off them later in life

Website: hai-lights.blogspot.com/

Lamps for Diwali by Sarvesh Joshi

“Potter making earthen lamps for Diwali”

Equipment: Nikon D 80 Nikkor 28-105 mm

Sarvesh Joshi – Amateur photographer the field of interest in photography is travel people landscape

Batad by Mario Pereda

“A boy looking at the rice terraces of Batad at dawn (Ifugao, Philippines)”

Mario Pereda – Mario Pereda was born in Bilbao (Spain) in 1973. In 1996 he started his studies in the ‘Escuela Superior de Tenicos de la Imagen’ (EFTI) of Madrid, where he attended General, Professional and Master in Photography courses. After finishing his studies, he worked as a society photographer. Meanwhile, he started to develop some travelling photo features. His pictures have been published in several tour guides and press magazines like ‘Osaka’ and ‘AZ. Revista del Empresario’. Currently he works as a freelance photographer. Moreover, he develops several personal photo projects. His work has been distinguished with more than 30 awards in several photo competitions and he has made two solo exhibitions in Madrid and Burgos.

Website: mpereda.photoshelter.com

Ball in Sand by Barbara McCarthy

“I was taking a cycle through the desert in the afternoon and then there was a huge sandstorm. I used it as an opportunity to get this great shot, which at the best of times can be described as completely unusual.”

Equipment: Canon 450D with 28 to 135 mm. Canon ultrasonic lens

Barbara McCarthy – I am a photographer, journalist based in Dublin, Ireland. I have travelled to some incredible places and massively enjoy taking photographs, not just in a work capacity, but also for the sheer enjoyment of it. I write for the Sunday Independent amongst others and am currently writing a comedy book. My photographs have featured on album covers, in magazines and newspapers in Ireland and around the world.

Website: www.barbaramccarthy.ie

Rush Hours by Pawel Prus

“Slea Head is one of the most beautiful places in Ireland”

Star Trails over the Harker Galcier by Samantha Crimmin

“A couple of hours watching the stars move over the Harker Glacier during mid winter South Georgia”

Equipment: Canon 5D Mk II

Samantha Crimmin – I am currently working and living on the sub Antarctic island of South Georgia, since arriving here photography has become a passion.

Website: www.samsiceblog.com

Vertical Feeding by Paul Cowell

“Vertically Feeding Whaleshark”

Equipment: Canon Eos 5d mark 2

Paul Cowell – Keen amateur photographer and scuba diver

Website: www.flickr.com/photos/paulcowell/

Scandinavia by Benjamin Hill

“Hiked multiple days in a row through the rain along cliffs to the same location until the weather conditions finally satisfied me. First hike was accompanied by wind and rain so strong that rain droplets were actually flying upwards because of the winds gusting through the fjords. I sat in astonishment as droplets of rain flew in the opposite direction right before my eyes. Truly a phenomenon that only presents its self with the right conditions. Norway and this location will truly always be in my heart.”

Equipment: Canon 7D, 10-22mm, Feisol Tripod, LeeFilter system, 105mm polarizer

Benjamin Hill – Born and raised in Hawaii but and have been living in San Diego ever since. Explaining the connection I feel with nature in this short paragraph would be quite a task so I’ll keep it simple. Currently a student and all of my spare time is devoted to improving and progressing my passion.

Website: www.flickr.com/photos/benkh/

Congratulations once again to all the finalists!

We look forward to seeing more of your wonderful travel photographs in next year’s travel photo contest. To ensure you are notified when future contests open for entries, you can subscribe to our free email newsletter (or via rss).

Enter our current photo contest: Pet Photo Competition

We have some fantastic prizes on offer including the chance to win a Canon EOS 60D Digital SLR camera (more info).

Prizes

The Canon EOS 60D is designed for photographers who want to take their skills to the next level, offering high performance, a series of creative features, a Vari-angle LCD screen and enhanced ergonomics, this camera empowers photography enthusiasts to capture outstanding stills and Full High Definition (HD) video for unique, creative results. The EOS 60D has an incredible feature set including an 18 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, a Vari-angle 7.7cm 3:2 ratio LCD, Full HD movies, ISO 100-6400 (H:12800), 5.3fps shooting for up to 58 JPEGs, 9-point cross type AF System and more!

We also have the following additional prizes from Amazon.com:

• Winner: $100 Amazon Gift Voucher
• Runners up x 2: $25 Amazon Gift Voucher

Rules

• The contest theme is Pets.
• This competition is open to participants worldwide.
• There is no entry fee.
• You must be the photographer and owner of the copyright for any image entered.
• Entrants can submit a maximum of three images to this contest.
• Please keep digital manipulation such as cloning and compositing to a minimum; your photograph should faithfully represent the scene as you saw it. HDR images and stitched panoramas are allowed.
• Submitted images should be 1024 pixels along the long edge and less than 800kb in size.
• Please do not include a border.
• A subtle watermark may be included but it must not detract from the image.
• You will retain copyright of your entries at all times and will always be credited alongside your picture.
• By entering this competition, you grant us a non-exclusive license to display your photograph in connection with this contest. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image.
• We may allow other websites to display a selection of the winning/highly commended images in order to publicise the results of this contest. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image.
• Under no-circumstance will we use submitted images for commercial gain unless it has been agreed on a case by case basis with the photographer.
• Please note that entries are kept private (i.e. you cannot browse the other submissions).
• The deadline for entry is 31st March 2012.

» Click here to Enter this Contest «

To receive notification when the winners are announced, and to find out about future contests, please subscribe to our free newsletter. You can either subscribe by email or via RSS.

2011 flew by and was an eventful year for Burrard-Lucas Photography. For me there were some truly memorable and humbling experiences such as coming face to face with a wild giant panda in China and being confronted by the legendary Komodo dragon in Indonesia. In this post I have provided a summary of some year’s most significant developments and a brief teaser for things to come in 2012.

Community

2011 saw the emergence of a new social network, Google+. I tested out the platform early on and quickly discovered it was great for sharing photos! The network has become very popular and it is now an essential venue for me. If you would like to receive the latest Burrard-Lucas news and images then please “Circle” me on Google+.

The year also saw our community on Facebook go from strength to strength. If you would like to view our latest work on Facebook, please “Like” our page.

Twitter continues to be my favorite venue for networking and sharing ideas… follow @willbl to connect with me and join the conversation!

Finally, our photo contest series continues to thrive, with the standard of photography better than ever. Our Pet, Landscape and Wildlife contest attracted some stunning entries. Our Travel photo contest is still open, so enter now for a chance to win our grand prize for 2011, a Canon EOS 60D! We will be running another contest series next year so subscribe to our newsletter if you would like to find out when each contest opens for entries.

Competitions

We were honored to be recognized in three major competitions in 2011. Perhaps the achievement we were most proud of was receiving our first award for video; our short film “Migration” won the Moving Image Award in the Sony World Photography Awards. The awards ceremony was a red carpet event at the Odeon, Leicester Square in London. It was a fantastic experience and we are looking forward to further experimenting with video in the future.

We also had three highly commended images in the Nature’s Best Winland Smith Rice International Awards; Orangutan Fountain, Baby Gorillas and Penguins Showering. Our penguin and orangutan images were selected to be part of the annual awards exhibition in the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC.

Finally, we received a highly commended mention in the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest with our photograph of this big-eyed snake from Madagascar.

Photo Tours

During the year we announced a partnership with Steppes Discovery, a travel company based in the UK. I will be leading two international photo tours in 2012; one to the Pantanal in Brazil and one to Madagascar. I have worked with Steppes to put together two fantastic itineraries that will be a lot of fun whilst also providing some unbeatable photographic opportunities! For more information about these tours, read this post: New Pantanal & Madagascar Photo Tours for 2012

Next year I will also be announcing a Masai Mara photo tour that will take place in August 2012. Keep an eye out for a formal announcement in the near future.

Coming in 2012…

We have some very exciting releases planned for 2012! Firstly, I have just returned from 5 weeks of photographing wolves in the highlands of Ethiopia. I have already posted a few pictures on Google+, Facebook and Flickr but there is still much more to come!

Secondly, some news I know a lot of you have been waiting for… BeetleCam will soon be back! We recently completed a top-secret mission to Kenya for the next installment of the Adventures of BeetleCam. The results were better than we could ever have hoped for. Expect to find out more some time in February!

Finally, we have big plans for the Burrard-Lucas Photography community in 2012. We are planning to start providing more educational resources and we will be launching a revamped photo contest series. Subscribe to our newsletter if you would like to be kept informed.

That’s about it for now! Thanks for all your support this year. Enjoy the holiday season and have a great new year!

P.S. Still haven’t got your 2012 calendars? Our wildlife photo calendar is available from our online store.

Winner

Our wildlife photo contest winner is Arun Kumar from India, congratulations! Arun’s photograph of a red-whiskered bulbul feeding berries to its chicks has it all; it is sharp, vibrant and well composed, it shows interesting behaviour and it’s cute! Well done Arun!

Red-whiskered Bulbul Family by Arun Kumar N.K.

“Red-whiskered bulbul feeding young ones with white fruit.”
Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Equipment: Canon 40D with Canon 300mm f/2.8 lens

Arun Kumar N.K. – Hobby photographer who loves nature, animals, insects. I started photography in the year 2001. I use a Canon 40D with 300mm 2.8 lens.

Website: arunswildlife.com

Runners-up

Congratulations to our runners-up, Fabien Michenet and Alamsyah Rauf. Fabien’s image of a young humpback whale is spectacular; it really illustrates the power and playfulness of these ocean giants. Alamsyah’s image of ants working together to reach a flower is a fascinating example of team work in the insect world.

Humpback Whale Diving by Fabien Michenet

“I observed this young whale, probably just a few weeks old, for quite some time. My presence in the water seemed to be an interesting distraction.
It was as though the calf wanted to play and show-off its agility (all the while being careful not to harm me despite being just a baby and rather imposing).
He did a few acrobatic movements, including this dive under the surface of the ocean that I photographed here.”
Location: Tahiti – French Polynesia

Equipment: Canon EOS 5d mk2 – 15mm Fisheye – Ikelite Housing

Cooperation by Alamsyah Rauf

“Ants photographed in my garden”
Location: Indonesia

Equipment: Canon 5D mark 2

Alamsyah Rauf – I am a freelance photographer.

Highly Commended Images

Our highly commended images are fantastic shots that illustrate the amazing variety of entries we received. Well done to everyone who made it onto this list!

Red Deer at Dawn by Andrew Whitmarsh

“I went to Richmond Park early one weekend to take photos of the red deer rut. Unusually warm weather led to amazing conditions, with the light of the rising sun scattered by the mist.”

Equipment: Nikon D7000 + Sigma 150-500mm OS lens, Manfrotto tripod and head

Andrew Whitmarsh – In the last 18 months or so I have become increasingly interested in wildlife photography, which has eclipsed my previous passion of shooting landscapes.

Website: flickr.com/andrewinpompey

Say Cheese by Devin Taylor

“Seals are one of the only inhabitants of Mittlenatch Island which is on the coast of B.C. with it’s desert like micro climate, it makes the perfect place for them to sunbathe.”

Equipment: Canon 1ds 70-200 2.8 USM

Devin Taylor – A Canadian photographer with a love for wildlife and photojournalism.

Lesson Learned by Darren Colello

“A mother grizzly bear teaches her young which succulent sedge grasses to choose.”

Equipment: Canon 7D, 100-400 lens

Darren Colello – Darren has always been interested in the natural world. Throughout his career, he has had the great pleasure of working with a vast diversity of species. In addition to working with animals, Darren has taught various age groups about the incredible and exciting world of wildlife. He believes in respecting animals and observing their capabilities and adaptations in awe.

Website: www.wildlifephotos.ca

Up Above by Jacques

“I was busy taking pictures of three cubs playing in and around this tree, when this little one fell out and sat looking up planning on how to get back up with his siblings.”

Equipment: Canon 7D, Sigma 150-500

Jacques – I have my Btech in nature conservation and currently work as a Student coordinator on a game reserve. I m 25 years old and have a passion for photography and wildlife.

Yellowlegs Reflects by Jim Cumming

“Taken with my Canon 40D and 400 5.6 L lens at Jack Pine trail in Ottawa, Ont, Canada”

Equipment: Canon 40D and Canon 400 5.6 Llens

Jim Cumming – I’m an amateur photographer living in Kanata, Ontario and use the Canon 40D and Canon L series lenses.

Website: redbubble.com/people/darby8

Cratena by Jordi Benitez

“Small nudibranch (1,5 cm long) shoted in the Dragonera wreck in Tarragona harbour, Spain”

Equipment: canon 400d + tokina 10-17mm + Sea&sSea housing + 2 x Inon z-240 strobes

Jordi Benitez – I’m underwater photographer since 2006, and my passion is take pictures from special creatures underwater.

Website: www.jordibenitez.com

Looking for You by Patricio Menis

“A Trille (bird’s name) calling for his future wife.”

Equipment: Nikkor D90 – Nikkor 80-200

Patricio Menis – Emergent photographer. I’ve being dedicated to this since a few month ago. And i love it, finally found my way.. and its photoraphy, wild life and nature.

Website: flickr.com/patriciomenis

In the Forest by Elisabetta Paolicchi

“Sea Eagle, Norway”

Equipment: Canon Mark IV
Canon 300 f.2,8
iso 2500
f.2,8
1/3200

Elisabetta Paolicchi – Wildlife, people, landscape…this is the best of the earth!

Scarred Manatee by Ben Horton

“A manatee rests in a warm water spring. The animal is scarred from an impact with a boat.”

Equipment: Canon 5D Mark II, 16-35mmL, Sea and Sea Underwater Housing and YS-250 Strobes

Ben Horton – Ben Horton started his career as a photographer by taking photographs of places where other people simply couldn’t go. The more remote the location, the harder it was to get there, the more appeal it had for the young upstart. It wasn’t long before Ben moved on to working in the commercial world, and was picked up by some of the top names in fashion and advertising. As it goes, Ben’s original passion caught ahold of him once again while shooting a documentary film on a remote island in the Pacific. Ben was awarded the first ever National Geographic Young Explorers Grant for work he did to expose the issue of shark poaching on Cocos Island and as a result, he was invited to join National Geographic Explorer in Residence Will Steger on a two month arctic adventure, using photography to document the effects of global warming. Ben is now a contributing photographer for National Geographic, and uses his advanced outdoor skills to tell the stories of the worlds far off places. Ben’s early career as a professional Kayaker gets him into remote rivers, diving and climbing experience get him to vantage points not often seen by the general public, but it is Ben’s tenacious drive to complete his goals that gives him the reputation for getting the shots.

Website: www.benhorton.biz

Carnivore by Ingrid Vekemans

“This cheetah was eating a fresh kill when we happened to drive past… by slowly opening the window, I momentarily drew her attention and she gave me this look.”

Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S VR 300mm f/2,8, TC-14EII, beanbag

Ingrid Vekemans – Fascinated by Africa, Belgian Ingrid Vekemans first set foot there in 1994. She has since been on many return journeys, during which she has captured the natural beauty of the continent. Although her original focus was African wildlife, Ingrid has also become involved in nature photography in other regions of the world. Devoted to Nikon equipment, Ingrid prefers to wait patiently with specific animals until something happens rather than focusing on a multitude of subjects or designing and creating a certain set-up. She plans to continue to develop her photography with this philosophy of ‘capturing the moment’. Ingrid currently shows her photos in exhibitions in Belgium and The Netherlands. She also organizes photography workshops in her home country, Belgium. Ingrid won several awards with her photography.

Website: www.ingridvekemans.com

Congratulations once again to all the finalists!

We look forward to seeing more of your wonderful wildlife photographs in next year’s wildlife photo contest. To ensure you are notified when future contests open for entries, you can subscribe to our free email newsletter (or via rss).

Enter our current photo contest: Pet Photo Competition

Both trips have been specifically designed with photographers in mind and all levels of photographic ability are welcome. If you are looking to improve your photographic skills, I will be on hand to provide expert tuition and give you helpful hints and tips. If you are already a proficient photographer, this is your chance to travel with a group of like-minded people, and of course to take some fantastic photographs. During the trips I will try to impart as much of my knowledge as possible… I will be happy to critique images and discuss anything from gear to photographic techniques and online marketing to Photoshop.

The Pantanal: Monday 2nd July – Tuesday 10th July 2012

£2,995 per person in twin share accommodation.

The Pantanal is a vast wetland area, most of which lies in Brazil. It is the world’s largest wetland and a renowned wildlife hotspot. The landscape is open and this makes it possible to see creatures that are usually very hard to find in the dense rainforest that covers much of South America – this includes animals such as jaguars, giant anteaters and tapirs. Everywhere you look you will also find caimans which provide a wealth of photographic opportunities. Finally, the Pantanal is famed for its incredible diversity of bird species.

I have been to the Pantanal three times and I have seen and photographed many of the unique species that can be found there. I now invite you to join my Pantanal photo tour so that you can experience and explore this unique ecosystem for yourself.

During the tour we will visit two locations, which will allow us to photograph a cross-section of the region’s flora and fauna. The two lodges we will be staying in are comfortable and ideally located to explore the wetlands. The group size is small, just 8-10 people, and at all times we will be accompanied by expert naturalist guides.

For more information about this trip, please click through to Steppes Discovery’s website where you can find a detailed itinerary and make enquiries: Pantanal Wildlife Photography Tour

If you would like to read more about my experiences in the Pantanal, please check out the following posts: The Pantanal Revisited, Caiman under Stars & Caiman by Moonlight.

Madagascar: Saturday 27th October 2012 – Thursday 8th November 2012

£3,395 per person in twin share accommodation.

Madagascar is an enchanted island inhabited by strange and exotic creatures. The island split away from mainland Africa around 160 million years ago and its subsequent isolation created a laboratory in which creatures could evolve into weird and wonderful forms. Madagascar is now home to 5% of the world’s plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are found nowhere else on Earth. This country will overwhelm you with its abundance and diversity of photographic subjects.

During the tour we will visit three strikingly different habitats, each with their own compliment of unique flora and fauna. First we will visit the towering rainforests of Andasibe-Mantadia in search of the largest of the lemurs, the Indri. We will then travel to the desiccated spiny forests in the south of the country, in order to photograph the iconic ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux’s sifakas. Finally, we will head to the spectacular Avenue of the Baobabs and Kirindy Reserve in search of creatures such as Madagascar’s largest carnivore, the bizarre Fossa, and the smallest primate on Earth, Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur. Throughout the trip we will have the opportunity to photograph a variety of other lemur species and a spectacular array of birds. We will also be looking to hone our macro skills on a multitude of colourful chameleons and exotic geckos.

The tour dates have been chosen specifically as it is the best time of year to photograph animals such as fossas, lemurs with their young and many of the cold-blooded animals. The group size is small, just 8-10 people, and at all times we will be accompanied by an expert local wildlife guide.

For more information about this trip, please click through to Steppes Discovery’s website where you can find a detailed itinerary and make enquiries: Madagascar Photographic Tour

If you would like to read more about my experiences in Madagascar, please check out the following posts: Wildlife of Madagascar, Madagascar’s Lemurs & Madagascar’s Amazing Geckos.

I was well aware that finding a wild panda in these thickly forested areas was not going to be easy… in the past, people have spent weeks searching for them without success. I therefore adopted the attitude that I would enjoy the spectacular trekking and it would be a bonus if I glimpsed a panda!

I soon discovered that wild panda tracking is exceedingly hard work; scrambling up ridge after ridge, fighting through bamboo thickets and boulder-hopping across rivers. I was soon covered in scratches and aching all over! I was led by an expert local tracker who would promptly declare “no panda here” every time we reached a new valley. He explained that he was looking for signs such as fresh droppings or recently chewed bamboo stems. He was also listening out for the unmistakable crunching sounds made by a panda eating bamboo.

One day started with a grueling climb up a brutal incline to the top of a ridge. The gradient was so steep, and the earth underfoot so slippery, that the only way to climb was to grab hold of branches and haul myself (and my 15kgs of camera gear) upwards! As I approached the top of the ridge, my heart skipped a beat as I heard a snap come from the thick bamboo forest below… there could be no doubt that a panda was down there somewhere.

The tracker and I approached the noisy panda but it heard us and careered down the slope at an incredible speed. I returned to the ridge dejected – despite being less than 10 metres away, all I had seen was thrashing bamboo stems rippling down the mountain. Then to my shock and amazement we saw a white head and two black ears just 20 metres down the other side of the ridge; there was a second panda sitting there, chomping on bamboo! I felt a tremendous rush of emotion… relief that the effort I had gone to reach this remote part of China had not been in vain; privileged that this iconic and endangered animal was sitting in front of me; and awe at the beauty of it.

From then the experience only got better. The panda came up the slope towards me, passing within touching distance, and proceeded to shamble along the top of the ridge. He was a young male patrolling the boundary of his territory. He stopped to sniff and mark each tree he passed. After ten minutes or so, he lumbered back into the bamboo, plonked himself down and started munching again. At no point did he show any fear and he even treated me with mild curiosity (as you can see from the video below). It was the most incredible animal encounter I have ever had and I am still left pinching myself.

Now that the pressure of seeing a panda had been lifted, I was able to enjoy the rest of the trip. We found a couple more pandas but they were concealed deep in the bamboo and I was unable to get clear shots of them.

I discovered that there was an abundance of other amazing wildlife in the Qinling Mountains such as takins, golden monkeys, golden pheasants and flying squirrels.

I have put together a short 10-minute documentary that tells the story of my trip and shows me taking some of the photos that appear in this post. The footage really illustrates just how incredible my panda encounter was (if the video does not appear below then click here to view it).

As I approached the end of my time in China, I was able to reflect on the plight of the Giant Panda. It is a sad fact that these beautiful creatures face grave challenges. There are around 1,600 wild pandas but many live in fragmented, unsustainable populations, like small islands surrounded by a sea of humanity. Efforts to increase the number of pandas have been hampered by an extremely low birth rate. Some conservationists say that there is not enough habitat left to sustain pandas in the wild and that the money spent on panda conservation could be better spent elsewhere. Having seen these incredible creatures in the wild, I believe that every penny spent protecting them is well spent. After all, if we cannot protect this global icon of conservation, then what can we protect?

For more Giant Panda photos, visit our China wildlife gallery. If you would like to see China’s wild pandas for yourself, I am able to lead personalized photo tours/trips… if you are interested in joining me then please get in touch.

Enter our current photo contest: Pet Photo Competition

The fourth and final competition in our 2011 photo contest series is now open for entries. The theme is “travel”. We are looking for interesting and striking travel photographs. You are not limited to any subject matter in particular; travel photography can portray many things including an area’s people, cultures, customs, history or landscape. For some inspiration, checkout our travel galleries. The deadline for this contest is 31st December 2011.

We have some fantastic prizes on offer including the chance to win the new Canon EOS 60D Digital SLR camera (more info).

Prizes

The new Canon EOS 60D is designed for photographers who want to take their skills to the next level, offering high performance, a series of creative features, a Vari-angle LCD screen and enhanced ergonomics, this camera empowers photography enthusiasts to capture outstanding stills and Full High Definition (HD) video for unique, creative results. The EOS 60D has an incredible feature set including an 18 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, a Vari-angle 7.7cm 3:2 ratio LCD, Full HD movies, ISO 100-6400 (H:12800), 5.3fps shooting for up to 58 JPEGs, 9-point cross type AF System and more!

We also have the following additional prizes from Amazon.com:

• Winner: $100 Amazon Gift Voucher
• Runners up x 2: $25 Amazon Gift Voucher

Rules

• The contest theme is Travel.
• This competition is open to participants worldwide.
• There is no entry fee.
• You must be the photographer and owner of the copyright for any image entered.
• Entrants can submit a maximum of three images to this contest.
• Please keep digital manipulation such as cloning and compositing to a minimum; your photograph should faithfully represent the scene as you saw it. HDR images and stitched panoramas are allowed.
• Submitted images should be 1024 pixels along the long edge and less than 800kb in size.
• Please do not include a border.
• A subtle watermark may be included but it must not detract from the image.
• You will retain copyright of your entries at all times and will always be credited alongside your picture.
• By entering this competition, you grant us a non-exclusive license to display your photograph in connection with this contest. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image.
• We may allow other websites to display a selection of the winning/highly commended images in order to publicise the results of this contest. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image.
• Under no-circumstance will we use submitted images for commercial gain unless it has been agreed on a case by case basis with the photographer.
• Please note that entries are kept private (i.e. you cannot browse the other submissions).
• The deadline for entry is 31st December 2011.

» Competition Closed «

Enter our current photo contest: Pet Photo Competition

To receive notification when the winners are announced, and to find out about future contests, please subscribe to our free newsletter. You can either subscribe by email or via RSS.

At the end of last year, Will and I visited the north-west coast of Tasmania. The landscape was full of scrubby bushes and grassland, which on first inspection, didn’t seem like a very hospitable environment for wildlife. However, as night drew closer the area was teeming with animals including wallabies, wombats and of course Tasmanian devils – it was the devils that we had come to photograph.

At one time, Tasmanian devils used to live all over mainland Australia until they became extinct there around 3,000 years ago. Since this time, Tasmania has remained the only stronghold for these ferocious little marsupials. Tassie devils are about the size of a small dog, with a stocky build and an incredibly strong bite. In fact, it has the strongest bite for its weight of any living mammal! The unusual name stems from the horrendous screeching sounds that they make at night.

For Tasmanian devils, one of the main causes of population decline is vehicle collisions. Driving at night in Tasmania is a stressful and slow experience – animals constantly hop out in front of your car without warning, startled by the headlights. Unfortunately devils are drawn towards the roads, where they feed on the dead animals that litter the tarmac. As a result, the devils often end up getting hit themselves.

One man who lives in north-west Tasmania is trying to give the devils in his area a helping hand. Geoff King removes dead animals from the road, and drags them into safe locations on his land. Here, the devils can feed safely without the danger of vehicles. This presents an excellent opportunity to photograph these incredible creatures in the wild.

Every evening at around 5pm, we would get our stuff ready for the long night ahead. We would try to get to our hide (basically a fisherman’s shack on the coast) well before sunset so we could get settled in and let our scent dissipate before the devils arrived. The devils are very shy animals and have a keen sense of smell – it’s difficult to get close to them if they catch your scent. To get to our hide, we had to walk 2 km with our full camera bags and a suitcase full of lighting equipment. On a couple of occasions, we arrived at the hide to discover a leech clamped onto our stomachs! Here’s a tip for you if you ever find yourself in this situation – don’t try burning a leech off or using alcohol to loosen its grip. This can cause the leech to regurgitate its stomach contents into your body. It’s much better to let it drop off naturally, or if you must remove it, slide the jaws off with a sharp edge. Be warned though, these pesky parasites can hold on tight!

In order to attract the devils to our hide, we had to do a scent drag, which is basically just pulling a rotting roadkill carcass along the ground leading up to the hide – a pretty grizzly task!

The nights spent in the hide were long and cold, so we stocked up on plenty of instant noodles to keep us going! We also worked out a shift system to keep a lookout for devils. Staring out of the glass window on our own, with the wind blowing outside and the weak light extending only a few meters into the the inky darkness was quite a spooky experience!

Tasmanian Devils are nocturnal, so we were restricted to taking photos after dark. This presented some technical challenges in terms of our lighting set-up. The main challenge that we faced was diffusing the flash light as much as possible to avoid getting harsh shadows. We used a couple of remote speedlites pointing into studio umbrellas, which were triggered with pocket wizards. The strong wind kept toppling the umbrella so we had to have all the lighting equipment in the hide with us, behind a layer glass. As a result, we had to push our lens right up to the glass and shield it from any reflected light.

When the direction of the wind was blowing our scent away from the feeding devils, we tried to venture outside the hide. We would edge along the side of the shack towards the dim puddle of light were the roadkill had been staked out. Above the howling wind, the unmistakable sound of bones crunching could be heard. We would get down on our stomachs and peek around the corner of the shack, careful not to appear above the horizon where we would be silhouetted against the night sky. Usually at this stage we would slowly raise our camera and take a single shot which would then alert the devils to our presence and send them scampering off into the blackness. However, on one occasion, a brave male devil accepted our presence and allowed us to lie just a couple of metres away from him as he fed. It was an incredible, wild experience that we will never forget.

Unfortunately, Tasmanian devils have recently been suffering from a deadly and highly contagious form of cancer – devil facial tumour disease (or DFTD for short). This cancer causes unsightly and painful tumours to form all over the devils’ faces, meaning they can no longer feed. The cancer spreads when the devils bite each other (which happens quite a lot!). The population has suffered a 50% decline since the disease was first recorded in 1996. The future of this amazing and unique animal hangs in the balance as the cancer spreads west. One of the best hopes for Tasmanian Devils, is the creation of disease free populations, which could then be used to repopulate Tasmania in the worst case scenario that all the devils there are wiped out. It would be a tragedy if the Tasmanian Devil went the same way as the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) which became extinct in 1936. For more information about the efforts to save the Tasmaniaan Devil, visit tassiedevil.com.au.

For more pictures from our trip, take a look at our Australia galleries.

Winner

Our Landscape Photo Contest Winner is Terry Dolle, well done! His photograph shows the spectacular winter ice formations at Niagara Falls and transports the viewer to a surreal and other-worldly place. The people at the bottom of the shot provide a sense scale and the spray from the waterfall adds an ethereal quality. Congratulations to Terry for capturing a very interesting, original and striking landscape photograph.

Beached Ice Whale by Terry Dolle

“When the winter ice melts at the base of Niagara Falls some absolutely stunning formations are created. Here the ice resembles a beached whale. At the bottom-center of the photo are people wearing red raincoats.”

Equipment: Canon 40D

Terry Dolle – Photo Locations: Canada, USA, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Portugal, UK, Greece, Germany, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam and China.
Guest Speaker for one class, Niagara School of Imaging, Brock University, St. Catharines ON Canada, “How to Make a Living as a Nature Photographer” Aug 2010.

Website: www.agoginc.com

Runners-up

Congratulations to our runners-up, Krzysztof Browko and Chan Kwok Hun. Krzysztof Browko’s striking image of six green trees in a golden field is beautifully composed with lovely colours and wonderful light. Chan Kwok Hun’s photograph transports us to an exotic, faraway place. The placement of the fishermen and the splash of the net as it hits the water complete the image perfectly.

Six… by Krzysztof Browko

“Agricultural areas, fields, South Moravia”

Equipment: canon 5d+canon 100-400

Krzysztof Browko – I’m 38 and I live in Opole although I come from completely different part of Poland. I make my living as an IT specialist. Photography is my passion which helps me not only to break from daily routine but also to stop and notice things that we sometimes miss in everyday life.

Website: browko-photography.pl

YingXi by Chan Kwok Hun

“Taken in YingXi of China, a fisherman fish in afternoon.”

Equipment: Canon 1D Mark3

Chan Kwok Hung – I want to convey the good side and dark side of our living world. People’s expressions and emotions appeal to me and they are an important part of the picture.

Highly Commended Images

Our highly commended images are fantastic shots that illustrate the amazing variety of entries we received. Congratulations to everyone who made it onto this list!

The Anger of Nature by Agung Nurhidayat

“Eruption of Mount Bromo in East Java, Indonesia”

Equipment: Canon EOS 1000D

Agung Nurhidayat – I love photography, and wanna be a good photographer.

Silhouette at Deadvlei by Michael Toye

“The setting sun bending round the trunk of a long since dead acacia tree in Deadvlei, Namibia.”

Equipment: Canon 5D Mk II, 17mm T-SE

Michael Toye – Amateur photographer for over 7 years. Started with portraiture and moved to landscape. Low light shallow DoF shooting at f/1.2 is an obsessive passion.

Website: 500px.com/Michaeltoye

Penguin River by Samantha Crimmin

“Watching the clouds at Penguin River, South Georgia”

Equipment: Canon 5D Mk II

Samantha Crimmin – I am currently working and living on the sub Antarctic island of South Georgia, since arriving here photography has become a passion.

Website: www.samsiceblog.com

Colourful Monster by Troy Barrett

“When nature gets really angry!! Western Kansas”

Equipment: Canon 7D

Troy Barrett – I have a life long interest in meteorology and just love all aspects of the weather. In the last few years I have started to try some weather photography and have loved every moment of it.

Website: www.belconnenweather.com

Morning Reflection by Markos Berndt

“Sunrise on Lake Michigan a morning where everything just worked.”

Equipment: Minolta Dimage, tripod, ND grad fliter

Markos Berndt – Markos is a amateur photographer from Wisconsin, he has been taking images for about 10 years. He uses a Canon 5D and shoots mostly land and waters-capes, while occasionally dabbling with flowers. He is attempting to branch out a little more to expand himself.

Website: markosphoto.com

Bittersweet Serenity by Mike Cavaroc

“In April of this year, spring had begun pushing in temps in the 30s and 40s into the Grand Teton National Park, thawing out much of the water, along with the snow. Due to the amount of snow the area had received this year, the dam upstream was opened up to empty the lake, thus thawing out Oxbow Bend earlier than normal. Snow was beginning to look very patchy until another winter storm blew in one night transforming the landscape back into winter. As dawn broke on the next clear morning in about 15 degrees (F), I was able to capture a nearly impossible winter scene: a landscape mostly covered in snow and a thawed out Oxbow Bend.”

Equipment: Canon 5D, Canon 70-300mm

Mike Cavaroc – Got my first camera in 2004 and shortly after moved out to Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It remained a hobby until about 2007 when I began seriously pursuing a photography career. In 2008 I packed up and moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA to focus more on wildlife and nature of the area.

Website: www.freeroamingphotography.com

A Walk in The Clouds by Rosa

“Heavy Rain with dark clouds comes to Jakarta, Indonesia, on 16th March 2011. “

Equipment: Nikon D300

Rosa – A photographer and also a traveller. My obsession is being visual story teller, so I can tell the stories about people and places from the edges of the earth.

Website: www.rosabean.multiply.com

Mourning Star by Nikita

“A striking scene of an urban sunset in Moscow, Russia.”

Equipment: Nikon D60

Website: www.numerius.deviantart.com

Mona Rush by Tim Donnelly

“A wonderful stormy morning at the amazing Mona Vale Tidal Pool made for some powerful scenes. Mona Vale Australia.”

Equipment: Canon 400d, Canon 10-22

Tim Donnelly – Having lived in Sydney all my life, the beach has always been a source of inspiration. Whether visiting for a swim, board, rest or taking the kids for fun, I know the beaches quite well. Since purchasing my first DSLR in 2007 and being fascinated by its mechanics, photography has opened up a whole new way to view the world. The construction of photos meant new possibilities for visiting and exploring the beaches that I loved as a kid. We truly are blessed to have such a varied landscape in Australia to choose from and with Mother Nature’s help, that perfect shot is hopefully not far away.

Denali by Mike Criss

“View of Mt. McKinley with misty lake. Talkeetna, Alaska”

Equipment: Canon 40D, 28-135mm

Mike Criss – Photographer based in Wasilla, Alaska. I travel throughout the state of Alaska and capture it’s unique landscapes and wildlife.

Website: www.akphotograph.com

Grand Prismatic Spring by Hannes Ortmann

“We hiked up a small hill right behind the spring. Had to wait a while until wind blew away the ascending steam. Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP”

Equipment: Canon EOS 5D II, 70-200mm 1:2.8, Manfrotto tripod

Hannes Ortmann – Autodidact photographer from Augsburg (Germany). Concentrating on actionsports like BMX, MTB and snowboarding. Trying to improve my landscape photography skills since last summer.

Website: www.ortmaniacs.de

Curves by Debashis Tarafder

“The late afternoon light falls on the tea garden creating curves of light. Munnar, Kerala, India.”

Equipment: Nikon D200

Debashis Tarafder – I am a resident in India. My age is about 38 years. I am working in Railways. Photography is my passion.

Congratulations once again to all the finalists!

We look forward to seeing more of your wonderful landscape photographs in next year’s landscape photo contest. To ensure you are notified when future contests open for entries, you can subscribe to our free email newsletter (or via rss).

Enter our current photo contest: Pet Photo Competition

Enter our current photo contest: Pet Photo Competition

The third competition in our 2011 photo contest series is now open for entries. The theme is “wildlife”. We are looking for original and striking photographs of wild animals; it helps if you can capture the creature’s character or an interesting aspect of their behaviour in your shots. For some inspiration, checkout our wildlife galleries. Photographs of animals in captivity are eligible for entry but the circumstances must be disclosed in the caption. Photos of pets and domesticated animals may not be entered. The deadline for this contest is 15th October 2011.

We have some fantastic prizes on offer including the chance to win the new Canon EOS 60D Digital SLR camera (more info).

Prizes

The new Canon EOS 60D is designed for photographers who want to take their skills to the next level, offering high performance, a series of creative features, a Vari-angle LCD screen and enhanced ergonomics, this camera empowers photography enthusiasts to capture outstanding stills and Full High Definition (HD) video for unique, creative results. The EOS 60D has an incredible feature set including an 18 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, a Vari-angle 7.7cm 3:2 ratio LCD, Full HD movies, ISO 100-6400 (H:12800), 5.3fps shooting for up to 58 JPEGs, 9-point cross type AF System and more!

We also have the following additional prizes from Amazon.com:

• Winner: $100 Amazon Gift Voucher
• Runners up x 2: $25 Amazon Gift Voucher

Rules

• The contest theme is Wildlife.
• This competition is open to participants worldwide.
• There is no entry fee.
• You must be the photographer and owner of the copyright for any image entered.
• Entrants can submit a maximum of three images to this contest.
• Please keep digital manipulation such as cloning and compositing to a minimum; your photograph should faithfully represent the scene as you saw it.
• Submitted images should be 1024 pixels along the long edge and less than 800kb in size.
• Please do not include a border.
• A subtle watermark may be included but it must not detract from the image.
• You will retain copyright of your entries at all times and will always be credited alongside your picture.
• By entering this competition, you grant us a non-exclusive license to display your photograph in connection with this contest. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image.
• We may allow other websites to display a selection of the winning/highly commended images in order to publicise the results of this contest. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image.
• Under no-circumstance will we use submitted images for commercial gain unless it has been agreed on a case by case basis with the photographer.
• Please note that entries are kept private (i.e. you cannot browse the other submissions).
• The deadline for entry is 15th October 2011.

» Competition Closed «

Enter our current photo contest: Pet Photo Competition

To receive notification when the winners are announced, and to find out about future contests, please subscribe to our free newsletter. You can either subscribe by email or via RSS.