British Wildlife Photography Exhibition

On 29 September a new exhibition will open at the Horniman displaying the winning images from the 2011 British Wildlife Photography Competition.

The exhibition will feature shots by both amateur and professional photographers, the images vary from a jellyfish photographed in icy Scottish waters to more commonly seen wildlife such as a squirrel on a particularly windy day and a hunting tabby cat with its prey. All the images are taken of British wildlife in their natural habitats and the competition highlights the diversity of wildlife in Britain and the need to protect our local environments.

The overall winner of the competition, ‘Jellyfish in the Blue Sea of Sula Sgier’ by Richard Shucksmith was taken at Sula Sgier, a small island north of Lewis. Of his time off the coast of Scotland, Richard said “Living on a boat, the MV Halton, and diving off some of the remote islands off the west coast of Scotland is an exhilarating experience. Sula Sgeir (meaning Gannet Rock) is 41 miles north of the Butt of Lewis. These wild and exposed islands provide habitat for an astounding variety of marine life. Places like these feel all the more special because although remote and difficult to get to, they are a part of our heritage.”

The winner of the Portraits category, ‘Mystical Mist’ by Mark Smith, was taken on a misty autumn day in Surrey. Mark describes how he achieved the winning shot, “I love photographing deer in the autumn and a forecast of mist just makes me even more eager to get out photographing them. I heard this deer before I saw it and using the mist and wind direction as cover I managed to get in place with tripod set up before he knew I was there. I was able to get a few shots before he slowly ambled off into the mist in the background.”

Winning images from the Young British Wildlife Photographer categories will also be on display. Oliver Wilks (16 years old) won the 12-18 years category with his image of a fox yawning; he explains how he captured the shot, “One sunny October afternoon on a trip to Warnham Nature Reserve in Sussex I came across a fox sleeping. Patiently I watched, camera at the ready, waiting for him to wake up. He did and I captured in this shot the moment when he showed me his brilliant white teeth as he yawned and stretched. I think the autumnal lighting compliments the red of the fox, giving great warmth and depth to the image.”

The exhibition runs until 24 February 2013, for further information please visit the Horniman Museum website.