|
|
Congrats to Jenaya Launstein—14 years old. Her image, “Merlin on fence post” is the frst prize winner in the Youth category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. Nikkor 200-400 f/4 ED VR lens with the Nikon D300 and the TC-14EII teleconverter (on a beanbag at 550mm). ISO 400: 1/320 sec. at f/6.3. Be sure to click on the image to see the spectacular larger version. |
Merlin on fence post: Jenaya Launstein—14 years old
Jenaya’s image was voted first by the contest judges in the Youth category receiving 19 out of a possible 25 points. It just edged out Jef Pattyn’s hovering Kestrel image which scored 18 points. All of the judges loved the perfect rule-of-thirds image design, the soft light, the colors and texture of the grasses, the exceptional sharpness, and the perfect head turn.
From Jenaya:
In December, 2011 my dad and I took an evening drive in search of wildlife to photograph near our home in Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada. We spotted a raptor on a post in a nearby field. We quickly whipped our heads around to see and realized that it was a male Merlin! I am really glad I got this image because he was so beautiful and we don’t see these guys too often around here!
|
|
Congratulations to Jef Pattyn–11 years old. His “Kestrel hovering” was awarded second prize in the Youth category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens at 400mm with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 full stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3. Be sure to click on the image to see the larger version. |
Kestrel hovering, Jef Pattyn
Jef’s Kestrel was voted second by the contest judges in the Youth category. It received 18 out of a possible 25 points. The sharpness, the beautiful underwing detail, the hunting pose, and the framing make this image special.
From Jef:
I went with my brother and Dad to Zeeland in The Netherlands; my Dad had heard that there were several Short-eared Owls seen in the open fields around the village of Haamstede. While looking for the owls, this Kestrel came close to the road hovering in search of mice. We approached slowly and used our car as a hide. The Kestrel was not disturbed at all.
|
|
Congratulations again to Jef Pattyn–11 years old. His “Jabiru Stork silhouette” was awarded third prize in the Youth category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens (hand held at 10mm) with the EOS-7D. ISO 6400: 1/160 sec. at f/6.3. Be sure to click on the image to see the larger version. |
From Jef:
In the summer of 2011, my family went to Brazil and visited the Pantanal to search for its spectacular wildlife. At the end of our boat on August 12 we got back to our lodge after sunset. To our delight there was a couple of Jabiru storks on the bank of the river. There was almost no light bu it was possible to make create silhouetted images against the fading light of the setting sun.
The judges liked the sunset colors, the composition and sharpness, and the strip of trees at the bottom that frame the image. Julie Zickefoose called this one “Tiki God Storks.”
Congrats!
Congrats to all who placed images in the top ten in the Youth category. You can see all ten honored images here. 58 images made the next to last cut. Only ten went to the judges. Getting to the final round is quite an accomplishment. Prizes (see below) will be shipped once all the winners are announced as several folks had more than one top three images. Be sure to patronize our sponsors; without them, this contest would not exist. There will be more educational stuff from the Contest coming soon.
| Youth Category Prizes |
| First Prize | Runner Up | Highly Commended | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 Gift Certificate | $50 Gift Certificate | $25 Gift Certificate | B&H PHOTO VIDEO |
| choice of lens plate | P-5 camera body plate | Plamp | Wimberley |
| 16 GB 450 X UDMA Compact Flash Card | Sensor Scope | Universal Memory Card Reader | Delkin Devices |
| Level 3 Gift Subscription | Level 2 Gift Subscription | Level 1 Gift Subscription | Nature Photographer Magazine |
| $30 Discount Certificate | $25 Discount Certificate | $20 Discount Certificate | Canvas On Demand |
| Laptop Bag or Pixel Sunscreen | Pixel Pocket Rocket | AA Battery Holder | Think Tank |
| $50 Gift Certificate | $25 Gift Certificate | $10 Gift Certificate | Lens Coat |
| Canon/Nikon Lens Plate | Canon/Nikon Camera Body Plate | . | 4th Generation Design |
| . | Better Beamer | Better Beamer Replacement Fresnel | Visual Echoes |
| TriKlear Kit | TriKlear Kit | TriKlear Kit | Lens Pen |
| ABP, ABP II, DB, APTATS I & II, SONGBIRD GUIDE | ABP, ABP II, DB,APTATS I & II | ABP, ABP II, DB | BIRDS AS ART |
| . | Double Bubble | . | HP Marketing |
| BreezeBrowser Pro/Downloader Pro Combo | BreezeBrowser Pro | Downloader Pro | Breeze Systems |
| Sito HD Version Gold Web Site | Sito HD |
Wonderful work for photographers of any age! Congratulations to the three of you, you have the vision and skills to do great things with your photography. Thank you for sharing your images!
Hey Kerry, Good to see you here. There were only two winners and Jef had a double!
All are wonderful!!Jenaya’s Merlin is classic ROT study. Congratulations to all!!
A big congratulations to all the winners. What amazing photographs! I enjoyed looking at all of them.
My heartiest congratulations to the winners and all the finalists, beautiful images!
Good choice, Artie and all the judges. And congrats to the winners.
Congratulations to the winners and finalists! Gorgeous images – you all have a bright future in photography.
Great job to all the young photographers. You have picked an excellent way to spend your time. I hope you all have a life of photography adventures.
Congrats to the winners, and all the finalists should be proud of their entries and selection. 11 and 14, yikes. Great work.
Congrats to all. They are all great shots. I don’t know how the judges can pick.
I’m in my late 20’s and usually feel like the young one! This is awesome! Great job to all.
Congratulations to the winners! And to the finalists too! You all have bright future ahead of you!
I started bird photography just about 4 years ago, and I’m already 47 now! These guys are just 11-14! Imagine what they could achieved when they become adults!
I showed my sons (aged 9 and 7 years) the winning photographs and pointed out the young photographers’ ages. They got thrilled! The mother is prodding them to come with me in my birding trips and start bird photography as well. Great inspiration!
Wow, producing beautiful images like these at such a young age…these guys and gals have bright photography futures ahead of them!! Congratulations!!
Congratulations to the winners – well deserved! Wish I had started that early 😉
Me too! I did not own a telephoto lens until I was 37; can you imagine if I had begun at age 11?