This week I’m sharing my four photographs that have been finalists in The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competitions, which is Australia’s largest and most prestigious NPOTY competition. This year’s exhibition will open to the public on Saturday 30 August at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide. The exhibition will be formally opened at a private function on the evening of Friday 29th attended by short-listed photographers and their guests. I used to live in Adelaide, and Coober Pedy, and am rapt to be visiting South Australia for this event.
GRAPHIC WARNING – two of the images were finalists in the Our Impact category.
New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
The Pollinator was a finalist in the Animal Behaviour category in 2018, and was published with this caption: Honeyeaters are especially vulnerable when sipping nectar from large, tubular flowers. This New Holland honeyeater was heavily dusted with pollen from the flowers it had visited. I was amazed to capture the unique sunburst of pollen surrounding its head when it swiftly withdrew from the flax lily.
Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor)
The Hand of Man was a finalist in Our Impact category in 2019. It was a harrowing photograph to take and was published with the caption: During Victoria’s duck-shooting season rescuers found spent cartridges, dog prints and freshly shot protected species, along with this Little Penguin which the zoo vet said had injuries consistent with dog attack. Instead of a catchlight in the penguin’s eye it is captured in the droplet of blood.
Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)
Gannet Discipline was a finalist in the Animal Behaviour category in 2020. I was thrilled to be a finalist for three consecutive years. This incredible shot, which I can still hardly believe I was able to capture, is remarkable for the sight itself and the fact that there are no other gannets photobombing the image. Gannet Discipline was published with this caption: Although this fledgling had just been fed, it was insistently tapping its parent’s bill and calling for more food. In what seemed to be a swift act of parental discipline, the adult bird held its chick in a momentary headlock. It was an unexpected, and comical, glimpse into the private life of gannets.
Little Pied Cormorants (Phalacrocorax varius)
Anguish is a finalist this year in the Our Impact category. I feel a deep sadness every time I see this photograph, or even think about it. I think we all understand that adult creatures care about their offspring but this photograph shows the care that youngsters have for their parents. The caption I wrote for this image is: This juvenile cormorant cradled its parent with a wing as it desperately tried to release the life-threatening entanglement. The image shows the potential harm from discarded fishing line while also revealing the poignant, anthropomorphic connection between birds. Despite concerted efforts from specialist marine wildlife rescuers, the cormorant sadly evaded capture.
I highly recommend taking a look at the finalists for each AGNPOTY competition. You can pick a year and a category by clicking this link: Nature Photographer of the Year Galleries I also recommend the books that are published each year, called Australasian Nature Photography – The year’s best wildlife and landscape photos
The AGNPOTY competition attracts entries from hundreds of photographers in Australia and around the world, so I feel especially thrilled to have been able to enter some years and to have my images among those included among such fabulous photographs in these magnificent galleries and books.
I’ll be finalising numbers for the calendar print run in the few days so please click the link if you’d like to join the 150 people so far who will be enjoying their lirralirra calendars next year: Etsy – Kim Wormald lirralirra
Happy birding, Kim
~ Facebook page Kim Wormald – lirralirra – 10K+ followers
~ Facebook group Ethical Bird Photography
~ Etsy – Kim Wormald lirralirra
~ Browse prints and gifts Lirralirra Shop or contact me directly
Congratulations, wonderful photos, including the harrowing ones – it is important that we show our love for these creatures, and just as important to remind others that not all people share that love or care.
Thank you Marie, I agree wholeheartedly and believe that more people can learn to care when they feel some connection with nature. The NPOTY exhibition was brilliant, I learned about tiny seahorses that I’d never heard of before. There is so much to be thankful for and to protect isn’t there…
Well done Kim. Such wonderful and meaningful photos. Thanks for sharing and good luck.
It was a wonderful event this evening, and seeing the photographs in print was fabulous. The winning photograph was an inside out view of cauliflower coral, incredible shot!
Amazing work being a finalist so many times in such a prestigious competition! Your images are brilliant, as always!
Aw, that is seriously kind of you Alyssa, thank you xo
Thank you for sharing these incredible images Kim and congratulations for your impressive achievements, not only as wildlife photographer extraordinaire but as advocate for our native wildlife! The impact of fishing paraphernalia has been a huge challenge for as long as I can remember and is often due to carelessness and lack of awareness, heartbreaking nonetheless…the duck shooting is another matter entirely. Your image of the dead penguin will never leave my consciousness 💔It should be circulated far and wide, especially before, during and after duck shooting season. As you well know, an image speaks a thousand words, perhaps that little bird’s death could be the game changer that finally brings an end to the annual duck slaughter. Thanks again! All the best, Gee xxxx
Thanks so much for your kind message Gee and for caring so much about our native wildlife. I’m grateful to the judges who short-listed such emotive ‘our impact’ images, they are often very confronting. It’s good when there are positive ‘our impact’ shots in the mix too, like the new plantings this year. I appreciate your comment and thank you for all you do too xo
Congratulations! Fantastic shots and well-deserved recognition. Thank you so much for all the tireless work you do to bring our wonderful bird life to us and to raise awareness of the destruction humans seem to be so good at. Our birds and wildlife need our voices.
Many thanks Syndy. I’ll be stopping at the Little Desert on the way home to document how the bush and wildlife are recovering following the devastating fires. There are some wonderfully dedicated people out there doing extraordinary work to help the bushland. Hopefully I’ll be able to share more about that soon.