Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Even though there is less than a week to go in Defenders’ photo contest you’ve still got plenty of time to submit your photos! You may have already seen my previous post featuring some of last year’s wild lands photo finalists and winners so for this post I wanted to show you some of the amazing wildlife photos from last year. They are all the way at the bottom so make sure to scroll all the way down.  Enjoy!

However, to tantalize you even more I’ve spoken to Jess Lee, who will be the grand prize winner’s expedition leader on the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons photo tour, in order to give our contestants a sneak peek at what they can expect to see and experience while there.

1) What types of wildlife can our grand prize winner expect to see on your week long photo tour of Yellowstone and the Tetons in the fall?

We will be photographing, elk, pronghorn, moose, deer, coyotes for sure. No guarantees,  but we will have a good chance of seeing black bears, grizzlies and wolves.

2) You offer tours year round, what is your favorite thing about each tour based on season? What will you have our grand prize winner and other tour members on the fall tour especially looking for?

Each tour or workshop gives a unique perspective to the location and its inhabitants. The trips are chosen  to be during a prime time for that location. Good examples would be our Alaska grizzly workshops. We go to Lake Clark AK just at the end of the breeding season. This is when the flowers are just starting to bloom and the sow brown bears feel comfortable enough to bring their new cubs into places we can photograph them safely. Later in the year we go to a different location for the bears feeding on spawning salmon. On this trip we charter a boat so we can go where the salmon run is the best because this is where  larger concentrations of bears will most likely be. We stay flexible and are not locked into one location. Same with the wild horse workshop; we time the trip when the foaling season and the breeding season is at a peak. This provides a great deal of action and variety of subjects. It also doesn’t hurt that this is the time with the arid lands of the west are greening up and flowering.

During our fall Yellowstone Tetons trip one of the big attractions is the autumn colors and dramatic landscape. But of course that is a given  in this unsurpassed ecosystem. The subject that we will key on will be the elusive animals than live in the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons Parks. The wolf in autumn is always difficult. Their prey is in its best condition of the year and the wolves have near adult sized pups to feed. Pups that still need to be taught the skill to be efficient hunters. This keeps the wolves on the move and very mobile. With plenty of preliminary scouting and my knowledge of the patterns of the packs we will have a good chance of photographing wolves. Much the same can be said with grizzlies. With the decline of the white bark pines an important late summer/autumn food source is being diminished. That means the bears will be searching for different food sources that could force them to lower elevations during the fall. Again scouting will be the key.

3) What are the things you try to get your photographers to come away with as you mentor them on these trips – could be either a mentality or a learned skill as you guide and work with them.  What is the number one thing you try to impart on them or the number one thing you hope people will take away with them from all your trips?

I always want my students to come away with great images they would not have captured if they were on their own; but in addition, I want them to learn the “why” of what we are doing; not only the mechanics of exposure, depth of field, composition, and special techniques which are taught in the field but the more important aspects of how to approach each subject without causing stress. I want my students to begin to understand the behavior of each animal we are capturing in our photos and how to recognize what the animal may do next so we can be prepared for those fleeting moments that make truly great images. My goal is to give my students a good understanding of how significant the animals relationship and survival is tied to what we as humans do to it’s habitat.

4) What is your favorite animal to photograph on your tour?  Which is the hardest to photograph?

Wolves for both!

But that’s just me. During a workshop its all about the clients interests. I really enjoy the variety of interest each new group of clients brings. For some it will be the elk bugling in the misty soft morning light along the Madison River or the prize of locating a good bull moose. For others it will be capturing the speedy pronghorn chasing off rivals during the mating season or those often short times spent following a river otter along the banks of the Yellowstone.

5) Can you give our contestants a brief overview of the grand prize tour?

Autumn is a great time to be in the Yellowstone/Grand Tetons country. It is a time of change from the easy lazy days of summer to the frenzy of mating seasons for most of the prey animals opposed the need for the predators to put on reserves to make it though the coming lean time . This along with the changing of the autumn foliage, crisp mornings with warm days and a chance of fresh snow make autumn a exhilarating time to be in this unique land.

Thanks again Jess! Click here to get more info on the grand prize photo tour or check out any of Jess’ other tours!

And now for your viewing pleasure here are some of the top wildlife photos from last year’s contest.  Enjoy!

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

Black Ant and Curve

Eyes of Innocence

Baby Harp Seal --photo taken on the ice flows off the Magdelene Islands (Nova Scotia).

Grizzly on the Chase

A grizzly bear chasing salmon in the river at Katmai National Park in Alaska.

Adelie Penguins, Antarctica

I photograped these Adelie Penguins jumping onto an Iceberg on the Antarctic Peninsula

Pink Wings

This was taken at the Viera Wetlands in Florida. I thought spoonbills were the only pink birds in Florida, however, I discovered that if you can get the right light and conditions a backlit cattle egret's wings will turn a beautiful shade of pink.

The winking deer

Winking roe deer in a cornfield on a very hot summers evening. The wink came from bugs that were flying around him.

Leopard on the Hunt

Leopard in Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana

Evenly Matched

Two male tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) sparring during the fall rut in Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

Cattle Egret with a Big Stick

Shot taken locally at the Dot Dash Rookery in Bradenton Florida. This Cattle Egret was in breeding plumage, just came back with a big stick as building materials. It was starring at me. Handholding while standing in the salt water.

Harbor Seal

This Monterey Bay bathing beauty, a Harbor Seal, was seen lounging on her perch between the Hopkins Marine Laboratory and Lovers Point, Pacific Grove, CA on July 23, 2010.

The Pollinator

A honeybee is loaded with pollen as he picks up more pollen int the bloom of a wild Moonflower plant, Grand Island, Nebraska

Red Fox

Red fox at Yellowstone Park (US)

African Lioness

How fortunate for me while on safari to come across a pride of lions with adorable cubs. And yes....there is always one cub who seems to take center stage!

The Guest Speaker

Red-lip parrotfish commonly graze the reef but rarely approach in the water column. This gregarious parrot came out of the blue, curious and engaging. Parrotfish are a lynchpin species, generating sand and coral substrate by grazing, yet they are being wiped out by speargunners on scuba or hooka at night, when the parrots sleep in a mucous cocoon. The State of Hawaii has "scoped" the problem for years. Parrotfish are rapidly declining from prioritized commercial interests.

Pine Martin

This photo of a Pine Martin was taken in Silver Gate Montana.

Today is the official start of Defenders of Wildlife’s 3rd annual photo contest. Over the last two years we have had some truly amazing photographs submitted as photographers of all skill levels compete for our grand prize; a week long photo tour with renowned conservationist and wildlife photographer Jess Lee as he takes you through Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons on one of his signature photo tours. I was fortunate enough to talk with last year’s grand prize winner, Jim Chagares, about his grand prize trip with Jess Lee, his views on conservation, and how he was fortunate enough to snap his grand prize winning photograph.  You can visit www.defenders.org/photocontest for submission guidelines, rules, and photo submissions as well as check our FAQ section for some answers to the most common questions we’ve run into in previous contests.  The contest runs from February 15th – March 15th and best of luck to everyone who enters. We here at Defenders are looking forward to another great contest!

How long have you been a photographer?

I have been a photographer all my life. I opened my photography business in 1988. Prior to that I was a musician and taught elementary school 14 years. In 1988, I joined Professional Photographers of America and began studying with the finest photographers in the world. Shortly after joining Professional Photographers of America I received my Master of Photographers Degree and this year became one of only 111 to hold the Fellowship Degree from American Society of Photographers.

How did you manage to get the shot of the bear with her cubs?

This was my second trip to Katmai in Alaska to photograph Brown Bear. While there the most exciting thing is to photograph mothers with cubs. I have photographed several with one, two or three cubs but this was certainly a special treat to find a mother with quadruplets. The interaction between the cubs and mother and cubs was the best. Never a dull moment. I was able to capture several sequences while they were nursing but this was by far the most unusual pose.

Can you tell me a little about the photography tour with Jess Lee?  How was Jess as a tour leader and what were some of the highlights of your trip?

Traveling and getting to know Jess was a great experience. His knowledge of photography and his images are second to none. He was fun to be with as were the others in the workshop. We photographed the scenery, elk, bison, wolves, coyote, eagles, moose, foxes, big horned sheep and more.

What are your views on conservation of our natural places and wildlife?

The National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges are by far the best thing for the preservation of our wildlife and scenery. Protecting and managing the wildlife along with limiting housing developments on this land is paramount.

Why do you support Defenders of Wildlife?

It is important to help Defenders of Wildlife lobby for the protection of our wildlife. They are the voice of the people toward the preservation of endangered species as well as all species. I enjoy their informative website and blog emails with articles about so many diverse species. Their magazine is full of great articles and pictures.

What is your favorite place to photograph and why?

My favorite place for wildlife photography is Yellowstone/Tetons National Parks. The scenery is also spectacular. I spend two to three weeks there each winter, spring and fall. I also love to photograph birds in Florida. Each year I photograph the warbler migration at Magee Marsh on Lake Erie and Point Peele in Canada. The Brown Bear in Katmai National Park in Alaska is certainly one of the greatest experiences ever.

What is next on your photographing agenda?  Any cool trips planned?

This January I went to Canada to photograph a Great Gray Owl for five days. I just returned from the Mississippi River where I spent time photographing eagles. I leave on Tuesday for two week in Yellowstone. In March I am traveling to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to photography birds. The first of May I will again photograph the warbler migration on Lake Erie. The last week of May and September I will be returning to Yellowstone. July will be Loons with chicks in Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada. October will be filled with Wood Ducks in northern Ohio.

Charles Kogod, Photography Editor

I had the best of intentions, I really did. I was going to write several blogs during our 2011 photo contest’s submission period to showcase some of my favorite photos from last year, but reality got in the way — big time! And now the deadline for entering our 2011 contest is TONIGHT at midnight.

So without further ado, I would like to share two stunners from last year that were not prize winners.

This lovely photograph of sunrise at the Yellowstone River by Sandi Sisti takes me to a calm, peaceful place every time I look at it. The color palette is reminiscent of a

Sunrise near Nez Perce Ford sets the sky aglow in Yellowstone National Park.

French Impressionist painting. It reminds me of why I love leaving Washington, D.C. and getting a chance to be in the wilderness. This landscape reminds me of all that is peaceful about nature.

Bison charging through the snow reveals the power of nature. Yellowstone National Park

But the wonderful photograph below, also at Yellowstone National Park, by Phyllis Picardi is about the power and fury of nature. Whether it is the fierce weather that nature throws at us or the wild animals blessing our untamed lands, this is a solid reminder that nature is to be respected.

There are some remarkable photographs coming in this year,  which will make finding a winner for this year’s contest much more difficult than before. Judging is a tough task because we end up receiving more photos that I love than we have awards to give. But I have plans to share these beautiful images on this blog throughout the year.

Don’t miss your chance to win an all-expenses-paid photo tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks with renown wildlife photographer, Jess Lee, or other great prizes.

Submit your images online by MIDNIGHT tonight!

Defenders' 2010 Photo Contest Grand Prize Winner

This is a really exciting day for us: We’ve just launched our second annual Defenders of Wildlife photo contest! It was a huge success last year — we received more than 10,000 photographs. And we sent grand prize winner, David Bolin, off on an all-expenses-paid photography tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks — courtesy of wildlife photographer and Defenders contributor Jess Lee.

Read about David’s experience and see images from his trip.

Jess has been kind enough to donate another photo tour for this year’s grand prize winner, and Defenders will again pay for the domestic travel to and from the parks. We have other prizes as well. Check out our offerings and read up on the contest’s rules.

There are many photographers who allow Defenders to use their photographs for free. It is their way of supporting a cause they believe in.

This year we’ve made it easier for you to enter the contest with our new online application entry form. You will only have to enter your contact information once. Then you can enter up to six photographs, and the  form will automatically keep track of your entries.

A Note on Rights

Another prize-winning photograph from last year's contest

Shortly after we announced the competition last year, some critics sought to discourage photographers from participating in the contest. Venting on our social media websites, they called our contest a “rights grab” because we ask that entrants allow us to publish any photos entered in any of our publications without payment. Fortunately, many talented photographers, submitting more than 10,000 images, disagreed.

In fact, there are several photographers, such as Tim Springer and Larry Allan, who always allow Defenders to use any of their photographs for free. It is their way of supporting a cause they believe in and contributing to an organization dedicated to protecting the very places and animals they love photographing.

Throughout the contest, I will post some of my favorite entries on this blog, and tell you why I think they are particularly special. SO STAY TUNED!

In addition, our rules clearly state that photographers retain all rights, including copyright, to the photos they enter in our contest. They simply allow us to use them in our printed and electronic publications for no charge. And we always credit the photographer.

So rather than looking at this as a “rights grab,” I’d like to suggest that you, too, are making a much-appreciated donation to help Defenders of Wildlife in our mission to preserve wild animals and wild lands.

I hope that you will enter your favorite wildlife and wild lands photos to our contest. Throughout the contest, I will post some of my favorite entries from last year’s contest on this blog, and tell you why I think they are particularly special. SO STAY TUNED!

At the conclusion of the contest, we will once again judge the photos internally, then let our readers determine which of the top 10 they think is the very best. The winners will be published online and in the summer issue of our new quarterly publication.

Good luck to one and all!