Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition comes to Life

With its poignant images of endangered species, spectacular shots of the wildest places on Earth and privileged insights into the beauty, drama and diversity of nature, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013, the world’s most prestigious showcase of wildlife photography, is now showing at Newcastle’s Centre for Life. Now in its 49^th year, the competition attracted over 43,000 entrants from across the world.  Only 100 images make it to the exhibition with winners in 18 different categories along with an overall winner. One of the images on display is True Love which was taken by award winning wildlife photographer Steve Race, from Scarborough.  His image of a pair of Northern gannets was “Commended” in the Behaviour: Birds category. Northern gannets show impressive devotion to each other, pairing for life and returning to the same nest site each year to breed. At the seabird colony on Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast, where he works part-time as Education Officer for the RSPB, Steve has watched gannet behaviour for a number of years. He explains how he got his shot: “Many times I have seen a male offer the female a gift such as a feather or blade of grass.  But on this occasion I was amazed to see the male give his partner a necklace of Red Campion flowers.  Gannets are beautiful birds but their bright white plumage and yellow heads can be challenging to photograph in the contrasting coastal light conditions. Here the challenge was also to create a composition that would reflect the devotion between the pair. The gift was the soft evening light that enhanced the tenderness of the moment.” He added: “I’m thrilled to have been “Commended” in the competition and that my image will now be on display in the exhibition at Life and at venues around the world.” The overall winner of the competition was South African photographer Greg du Toit, named Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 by a panel of international judges for his image Essence of elephants, a mysterious and energetic portrait of African elephants in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana. Chair of the judging panel, accomplished wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg says: “Greg’s image immediately catapults us to African plains. This image stood out for both its technical excellence and the unique moment it captures – it is truly a once in a lifetime shot.” The competition, co-owned by the Natural History Museum, London, and BBC Worldwide is judged by a panel of industry-recognised professionals. Images, submitted by professional and amateur photographers alike, are selected for their creativity, artistry and technical complexity. Linda Conlon, Chief Executive of the Centre for Life, said: “We’re thrilled to bring such a prestigious exhibition to Newcastle.  It’s an emotive and uplifting exhibition inspiring wonder at the natural world while at the same time highlighting the need for wildlife conservation to audiences of all ages.” The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will be on display at Centre for Life, Newcastle until 2 March 2014.   Entrance to the exhibition is included in the admission price to Life which is:  Family: (2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children) £27.80; Adult: £9.95; Child (aged 2-17) £6.95; Under 2s: Free, Concessions: £7.95 For further information, or to find out more about what’s on at Life, visit www.life.org.uk