(Editor’s Note: Do keep reading and scrolling…you will eventually get to the winning photos! Also, be sure to click on each image to see the full-size photo.)
Judging of the Bird Photography Contest 2018 took place at the final MBC Monthly Meeting of the season on Wednesday, May 2, 2018. The Photo Contest, jointly sponsored by Monticello Bird Club and Charlottesville Camera Club, hosted guest judge Emily Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell, an award winning nature and wildlife photographer herself, commented entertainingly and critiqued knowledgeably the power point presentation of photo submissions for her audience of bird enthusiasts, be they novice or advanced photographers or just bird lovers without attached camera equipment. (You can view Emily Mitchell’s stunning photography on her website at www.emilymitchellphotography.com.)
Photos for the Bird Photography Contest were submitted in the four following categories (limited to one submission per photographer, per category):
- Birds in Motion
- Backyard Birds
- Birds in Habitat
- Birds up Close
Two winners in each category were selected on the A (Advanced) or B (Intermediate/Beginnner) Level. Photographers self-identified as either A or B upon entering the contest.
As ever, things rarely proceed entirely as expected, so after the judging results were announced, two “issues” requiring further discussion arose. It was decided that the winning photo in the Backyard Birds category, entitled “A Brief Encounter,” might be controversial for some when on display for the young public. The judge and winner Emily Luebke were consulted, and Emily graciously agree to submit another photo as representative of the category, while maintaining her status as that category’s winner.
Also, an Honorable Mention category for two photographs was added because MBC ace photographer Jeannie Holden had inadvertently entered the contest at the B level, rather than the A level. Chagrinned, Jeannie quickly sent an apologetic note of explanation to all…
It was brought to my attention the photos I submitted to the recent contest were entered under category “B”. Oooops, I made an honest mistake and truly meant to enter them under the “A”(advanced) category. Albeit, I don’t consider myself “advanced” as I am quite humble and modest when it comes to my photography, I know that I am not a beginner.
P.S.
I promise in the future not to submit in the wee hours of the morning of the last day before my allotted two cups of coffee.
Again, after consulting with Judge Mitchell, all parties agreed to display Jeannie’s photos in an Honorable Mention category, and Ms. Mitchell selected deserving new B level winners in the appropriate categories.
And now, here are the winning photographs of the Bird Photography Contest 2018…
Honorable Mention
Osprey on the James
Jeannie Holden
Backyard Beauty
Jeannie Holden
Birds in Motion
Going for the Catch
Level B
Stan Kaslusky
Audubon’s Shearwaters
Level A
David Shoch
Backyard Birds
Woody – Another Day in Forestry
Level B
Richard Teig
Chickadee in the Fall (shown as representative)
A Brief Encounter (not shown)
Level A
Emily Luebke
Birds in Habitat
Tres Amigos – A Bird’s Eye View
Level B
Bill Shaw
Heron with Young at Sunset
Level A
Guy Babineau
Birds Up Close
Waiting for Spring
Level B
Bill Shaw
Preening
Level A
Lynn Gaffey
