Royal BC Museum again hosts Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition

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"Sewage Surfer" by Justin Hofman USA / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Seahorses hitch rides on the currents by grabbing floating objects such as seaweed with their delicate prehensile tails.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year will be back by popular demand at the Royal BC Museum on December 8, 2017, after a one-year hiatus. This photography exhibition is put together by the Natural History Museum in London which runs the annual competition, now in its 53rd year.

The 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year is Brent Stirton, a photojournalist from South Africa. Stirton won for his arresting image Memorial to a species, featuring a recently shot and de-horned black rhino in South Africa’s Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve. The image illustrates the devastation of poaching; it graphically depicts an animal that clearly suffered at the hands of humans. Stirton took this photograph to highlight the impact of the illegal trade of rhino products.

The winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is selected by a jury which looked at all the category winners and chose the most memorable and striking image as the grand title winner. Stirton’s image was selected from almost 50,000 entries from 92 countries.

“Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an exceptional collection of the very best photographs of the natural world,” says Royal BC Museum CEO Prof. Jack Lohman. “By bringing this world-renowned exhibition to Western Canada, we hope to increase awareness of the need to understand and protect our natural areas for the people, plants and animals that depend on them.”

The Royal BC Museum is the only venue in western Canada hosting this exhibition. Visitors can view 100 extraordinary images from December 8, 2017 to April 2, 2018. The images range from intimate animal portraits to astonishing wild landscapes, organized by subject categories and age ranges. There is something for everyone in this family-friendly exhibition.

Canada is represented by twelve-year-old Josiah Launstein, from Pincher Creek, Alberta, whose photograph The hairy raincoat is a finalist in the 11 to 14 year-old category.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition receives thousands of entries from professionals, gifted amateurs and young photographers. The international judging panel includes some of the world’s most respected nature photographers and wildlife experts.

Each photograph on display is described by the photographer, alongside technical details including camera, lens, aperture and exposure.

The Royal BC Museum is hosting a lecture by Wildlife Photographer John E. Marriott on Thursday, November 30 at 7pm. John’s talk, Tall Tales, Long Lenses, is inspired by unforgettable images he has captured of animals. Tickets are $15 (10 per cent discount for members).

Source: Royal BC Museum