Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 exhibition at the Natural History Museum

Tuesday, 14 November 2006 11:42

London - The winners of this year’s Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition were announced on Wednesday 18 October 2006, at a special private viewing at the Natural History Museum, London.  Göran Ehlmé of Sweden will be awarded Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 for his image Beast of the sediment and Rick Stanley, 17, of the USA will be named Shell Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 for his image The dilemma.

The winning image, of a walrus whipping up the sediment at the bottom of the sea as it gorges on bivalve shells, was among over 18,000 entries from 55 countries.  The Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition is the world’s largest and most prestigious wildlife photographic competition, jointly owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine and sponsored by Shell.

‘It’s got everything, the feel of the picture is interesting, your attention goes straight to the eye.  A very simple graphic image showing interesting behavior said chairman of the judges, Mark Carwardine. Judge, Andy Mclane added, ‘You get a real sense that you’re seeing something you’ve never seen before.  Epic.  You could spend years trying to get this shot.’

Like most bottom-feeders, the walrus has messy table manners.  Gorging on bivalve shells, it first uses its facial bristles to brush away the sediment.  Then it roots around like a pig with its snout, or beats a flipper, to whip up the sediment, which is what this stunning image captures.  Swimming with this huge beast off northeast Greenland, Göran took more than 400 images with his new digital camera.  This meant he wasn’t limited to 36 before needing to surface to change film.  The walrus, though, had to surface for air every four or five minutes.  Hours later, after shooting from every angle, ‘the moment came’, says Göran.  ‘The walrus looked round, and we made eye contact.’ It took Göran years of studying walrus behavior before considering diving with them.  ‘At first I was very nervous,’ he says, ‘but now I know how to approach them safely and respectfully’.  An underwater cameraman, Göran has 24 years of diving experience with 1,500 dives.  This is the first time he has entered the competition.

The dilemma by 17-year-old Rick Stanley shows a Hispaniolan treefrog, which had been caught in the jaws of a green vine snake. While on an expedition with a group of naturalists in the Dominican Republic, Rick wandered off with his Dominican friend Rubio to look for wildlife in the forest.  ‘Suddenly,’ says Rick, ‘we heard a loud squeaking’.  Rubio was the first to discover its source – a distressed Hispaniolan treefrog, which had been caught by a green vine snake.  ‘I photographed the drama as the frog dangled in front of me, but Rubio was unable to resist helping the victim and gently touched the snake, which promptly dropped its meal and slithered away along the branches.’  The frog, seemingly unaffected by the snake’s mild venom, hopped off.  Rick was left wondering whether it would have been morally better to let the snake have its meal – and, indeed, if it would have succeeded in swallowing such a large frog had it been left to try.

All the judges agreed that Rick’s image was a unanimous winner.  Tim Flach commented, ‘This works on several different levels.  On a cursory glance the frog appears to be jumping, but then you notice the snake has grabbed it… then you look at the frog and it seems to be smiling! It’s a complete contradiction.’

Beast of the sediment and The dilemma will join the other category winners in the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which displays all 92 winning, specially and highly commended images from the 2006 competition. The exhibition opens to visitors at the Natural History Museum runs until 29 April 2007.  It will then tour across the country and five continents after its London debut.

The Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, is the most successful event of its kind.  It is open to amateur and professional photographers, and this year a panel of wildlife and photography experts scrutinized entries, from 55 countries, for their composition and originality. 

The competition showcases the very best photographic images of nature to a worldwide audience, displaying the splendor, drama and variety of life on Earth.  It also aims to show the artistry involved in wildlife photography and encourage a new generation of photographers to produce visionary and evocative interpretations of nature.

The prize-winning pictures will feature in a special souvenir magazine free with the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine (on sale October 19).  All the winning and commended images will also be published by the BBC in a commemorative book, Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 16, priced £25, available from the Museum Shop, through BBC Wildlife Magazine, bbcshop.com and all good retailers.