Tag: NANPA Expressions

Showcase 2021 Winner: Jeremy Burnham

by
Photo of a white pelican floating on water with an empty can of Miller High Life beer in its beak. Pelican Not "Living the High Life," Baton Rouge, Louisiana 2021 Showcase, Judges’ Choice, Conservation © Jeremey Burnham
Pelican Not “Living the High Life,” Baton Rouge, Louisiana 2021 Showcase, Judges’ Choice, Conservation © Jeremy Burnham

Editor’s note: Profiles of Showcase Top 24 photographers, along with their how-I-got-the-shot stories, are typically published on this blog between January and June of each year. But 2021 continues to be anything but typical, and Jeremy Burnham’s 2021 Showcase Judges’ Choice winning image was unexpectedly delayed. We’re thrilled to share his story with you today and will seize the occasion to remind readers that a profile like this on NANPA’s blog is one of the publicity benefits offered to Showcase Top 24 winners. It’s one of many reasons you might want to enter the 2022 Showcase competition. Entries are accepted through 11 p.m. on September 20, 2021. Learn all about it on the Showcase page.

Artist’s statement

This photo is special to me because it evokes emotion. My goal as a photographer is to capture pictures in such a way that the viewer will feel the same thing I feel at the time of the photo. There are some pictures that I think are great as a photographer, but they don’t resonate with others. I could tell immediately after sharing this picture that it evoked the kind of emotion in others that would help facilitate positive change. It has been used by conservationists throughout Louisiana to help clean up our stormwater collection system and bring attention to our litter and pollution problems.

Continue reading →

Photo Contest Tips from Past Showcase Winners, Part 1

by
Sunrise photo of a mountain with flowers in the foreground. Penstemon and Paintbrush Tapestry, Mt. St. Helens National Monument, Washington, 2018 Showcase, Judges' Choice, Scapes© Geoffrey Schmid
“Penstemon and Paintbrush Tapestry,” Mt. St. Helens National Monument, Washington, 2018 Showcase, Judges’ Choice, Scapes © Geoffrey Schmid

By Frank Gallagher, NANPA Blog Coordinator

NANPA’s 2022 Showcase photography competition is in full swing, with entries accepted right up until 11 p.m. EDT September 20, 2021. It’s one of NANPA’s most popular offerings. Why? Because you get a chance to see how your work measures up to your peers, have your images seen by potential clients, influence people and causes, and maybe win some of the $6,000 in prize money.

Sounds good, right, but where to start? We asked several nature photographers whose images have placed in the Showcase Top 24 in multiple years what are their secrets. How do they approach Showcase? What do they look for in the images they enter? Here’s what they had to say.

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Karen Gordon Schulman

by
Painterly effect applied to image of grasses. Morning Grasses, Yampa River Botanic Park, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Altered Reality © Karen Schulman
Morning Grasses, Yampa River Botanic Park, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Altered Reality © Karen Gordon Schulman

Artist’s statement

Peace, beauty, balance and humor are what I hope my art expresses and how I would like it to affect others.

I feel that Morning Grasses fits my creative philosophy and my mission as a photographic artist and leaves room for the viewer’s interpretation and wonder. I’ve always been interested in alternative styles of creative photography, including hand painting silver prints, Polaroid SX-70 manipulations, digital multiple exposures, and currently, Creative iPhoneography.

I love capturing moments in time with my camera. I am drawn to whatever resonates with my creative soul. I think as much about the design, light, shadow, pattern, texture, or gesture in the image as I do about the subject itself. I search less and let my awareness draw me to what I can use as my canvas, and I often add layering of texture or color to my original image, as I have done with this one.

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Anita Ross

by
Photo of thee burrowing owls. Two are perched on a branch and the third is in the air, flapping its wings. “Burrowing Owls, One Levitating,” San Bernardino County, California, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Birds © Anita Ross
“Burrowing Owls, One Levitating,” San Bernardino County, California, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Birds © Anita Ross

Artist’s statement

I started photographing burrowing owls in 2016. They’ve become one of my favorite subjects. I can’t resist these little characters with all their expressions. After a session, I can’t wait to get home to look through the images to see what I’ve captured. When I got to these three owls, their interactions with each other were amazing, but what really stood out was this little owl showing off his ability to levitate. The two things I strive to capture in an image are emotion and/or moments you wouldn’t be able to see with the naked eye.

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Mary Louise Ravese

by
Close up photo fo lotus blossom seed pod. Lotus Blossom Seed Pod Resembles an Alien Landscape, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington, D.C., Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Macro/Micro/All Other © Mary Louise Ravese
Lotus Blossom Seed Pod Resembles an Alien Landscape, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington, D.C., Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Macro/Micro/All Other © Mary Louise Ravese

Artist’s statement

While my intention that day was to photograph one of my favorite flowers, lotus blossoms, I like to keep my mind open to whatever opportunities arise. Lotus blossoms, buds, leaves, and spent seed pods are all things I had photographed many times. But this seed pod was in an in-between state I hadn’t ever noticed before. The surface of the seed head seemed like an alien landscape, or some sort of mythical multi-eyed creature. I was fascinated by the textures and shapes and just had to photograph it, even if it was outside my normal subject matter. By isolating just this portion of the seed pod, I’ve made an abstract interpretation of it, adding a sense of mystery about what it could be.

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Jeremy Burnham

by
Photo of a pelican floating in the water with a beer can in its beak. Pelican Not "Living the High Life," Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Conservation © Jeremy Burnham
Pelican Not “Living the High Life,” Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Conservation © Jeremy Burnham

Artist’s statement

This photo is special to me because it evokes emotion. My goal as a photographer is to capture pictures in such a way that the viewer will feel the same thing I feel at the time of the photo. There are some pictures that I think are great as a photographer, but they don’t resonate with others. I could tell immediately after sharing this picture that it evoked the kind of emotion in others that would help facilitate positive change. It has been used by conservationists throughout Louisiana to help clean up our stormwater collection system and bring attention to our litter and pollution problems.

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Savannah Rose Burgess

by

Artist’s statement

“Cougar Country,” Photo of a mountain lion leaping down a snow-covered cliff chasing magpies off her kill, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Mammals © Savannah Rose Wildlife
“Cougar Country,” A mountain lion leaps down a cliff chasing magpies off her kill, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Mammals © Savannah Rose Wildlife

This experience was one of the most incredible spectacles of nature I have ever witnessed, in some ways fulfilling dreams I have had since I was a child. I have always been fascinated by the mystique of big cats—the more elusive the better. Some of my earliest artistic memories are drawing big cats out of the well-worn photography books I adored, which gave me my initial interest in pursuing wildlife photography. After what had been a slow winter for wildlife sightings, this mountain lion was such a gift to me as she spent about a week of her life in Jackson Hole, feeding on a mule deer she killed during the night. It was of crucial importance to me when I arrived on scene to capture an action shot of this sleek creature as it was a situation I had dreamed of my entire life.

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Naona Wallin

by
Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancements, image by Naona Wallin
Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancements (STEVE), Ketchikan, Alaska, 2021 Showcase Judges’ Choice, Scapes © Naona Wallin

Artist’s statement

Photographing STEVE was on my photo bucket list. Although I’ve seen the northern lights many times this was the first and only time, I’ve seen this rare astro-phenomena. It was bright at first then faded very quickly. I feel extremely fortunate to have squeezed off eight frames. This image of STEVE reflects my goal of capturing wildlife and wild lands few people see first-hand.

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Kyle Moon

by
Photo of a Black-Capped Chickadee Stuck in Burdock, Bozeman, Montana, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Conservation © Kyle Moon
“Black-Capped Chickadee Stuck in Burdock,” Bozeman, Montana, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Conservation © Kyle Moon

Artist’s statement

This photo is special to me thanks to the community involvement in removing burdock, a local invasive species, and the associated storytelling opportunities. I’m a nature photographer, but a conservationist first. As a committee member of the Sacajawea Audubon Society here in Bozeman, Montana, I wanted to shed light on our local conservation efforts. Our “Knock out Burdock” campaign has brought many volunteers from various backgrounds together to make change in our community. My vision in taking this photograph was to raise awareness on this issue in the hope that I would encourage others to get involved and start a larger discussion. 

Continue reading →

Showcase 2021 Winner: Melissa Fraser

by
“Palm Trees Morphed into a Nature Mandala," Moloka'i, Hawai'i, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Altered Reality © Melissa Fraser.
“Palm Trees Morphed into a Nature Mandala,” Moloka’i, Hawai’i, Showcase 2021 Judges’ Choice, Altered Reality © Melissa Fraser.

Artist’s statement

I have recently been learning more about meditation and am fascinated by the many ways one can choose to meditate. One ancient form of meditation is to focus on a mandala image. Mandalas, or circles, are a sacred form of meditation that allows the individual to focus on the image and in clinical trials has been shown to promote healthy living. With this image, I tried to combine an image of nature, which is naturally calming to me, with the idea of mandala art. This image reminds me of a warm tropical sunset with the color, trees, and circular motion. When looking at it, I can almost feel the warm sun, hear the waves and feel the salty air on my face, and it sends me into a relaxed state.

Continue reading →