Wildlife Promise » Photography http://blog.nwf.org The National Wildlife Federation's blog Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 National Wildlife Photo Contest Category Spotlight: Landscapes and Plant Life http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/national-wildlife-photo-contest-category-spotlight-landscapes-and-plant-life/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/national-wildlife-photo-contest-category-spotlight-landscapes-and-plant-life/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 16:23:50 +0000 Rachel Stemen http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80539 Read more >]]> One of our most popular annual events is the National Wildlife Photo Contest.  Now in its 43rd year, the Photo Contest attracts entries from all over the world in seven categories and a separate Youth category for kids ages 13 to 17.

Today’s spotlight is on the “Landscapes and Plant Life” category, which focuses on scenic views and native plants in wild settings.

Last year’s first place winning photograph in this category comes from Spain, where photographer Francisco Mingorance used a long exposure to capture the unusual “star” of sea foam on the shore at night.

The Star of the Silent. Photo by Francisco Mingorance. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest entry.

The Star of the Silent. Photo by Francisco Mingorance. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest winner.

 The second place winner showed a spectacled caiman gliding through the water surrounded by greenery in Manu National Park, Peru.

Spectacled Cayman. Photo by Michael Tweddle. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest winner.

Spectacled Cayman. Photo by Michael Tweddle. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest winner.


Honorable mentions included a creative shot of Common Salsify silhouetted against the sun, and the Milky Way wheeling over Devil’s Tower National Monument at night.

Meadow-sweet

A Meadow-sweet in the setting sun. Photo by Zoltán Ritzel. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest honorable mention.

Milky Way Over Devil's Tower

The Milky Way over Devil’s Tower in the Moonlight. Photo by Durand Johnson. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest honorable mention.

For tips on the best ways to get great photographs of flowers, check out our article How to Create Flower Photos As Vibrant As Your Subject from photographer Rob Sheppard.

Check out this year’s entrants in the Photo Contest here. You can vote for and share your favorites or even enter your own photos.  We’d love to see them!

All photos were entries in the Landscapes and Plant Life category of the National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 43rd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest >>
]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/national-wildlife-photo-contest-category-spotlight-landscapes-and-plant-life/feed/ 0 Photo of the Day: Quizzical Scarlet Tanager http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-quizzical-scarlet-tanager/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-quizzical-scarlet-tanager/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 20:11:12 +0000 Rachel Stemen http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80672 Read more >]]> Scarlet Tanager Just A Few Feet Away From The Boardwalk

Photo by Mark Preston

See more of Mark Preston’s photos on Flickr >>

Your Photo Could Be Here

We want one of your nature photos to be the next Photo of the Day! Share your images with our Flickr group and tag them with PhotoOfTheDay-NWF12.

Don’t have a Flickr account? It’s free and easy to create one.
 

]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-quizzical-scarlet-tanager/feed/ 1 40 Flowers From My Neighborhood http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/40-flowers-from-my-neighborhood/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/40-flowers-from-my-neighborhood/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 16:38:22 +0000 Carla Brown http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80653 Read more >]]> This year is the 40th birthday of National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program.

To help celebrate this special birthday, I decided to take a series of photos of 40 garden objects. This photo series was inspired by the blog Things Organized Neatly. My arrangements are not arranged as neatly as many photos on that blog, but you get the idea.

Here’s photo #4 – 40 flowers from plants in my neighborhood:

40 flowers from my neighborhood

40 flowers from my neighborhood

I did not find 40 different flower species, though my son and I looked far and wide, but we have at least 40 flowers in this photo. Thank you to my co-worker Debbie Anderson for the lovely green fabric.

You can see past 40 garden object photos:

Share Your 40 Garden Objects Photos!

During Garden for Wildlife month, I’m going to keep taking photos of 40 garden objects. Would you like to join me? What will you photograph? Share your photos at our Garden for Wildlife Facebook page for everyone to see.

And if you haven’t already certified your yard as wildlife-friendly, certify your yard with National Wildlife Federation this month!

]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/40-flowers-from-my-neighborhood/feed/ 0 Joanna Pinneo Named Ranger Rick Magazine Photographer of the Year http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/joanna-pinneo-named-ranger-rick-magazine-photographer-of-the-year/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/joanna-pinneo-named-ranger-rick-magazine-photographer-of-the-year/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:26 +0000 Michele Reyzer http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80642 Read more >]]>
MM7370_03_19_0615340

photo of Joanna Pinneo by Arita Baaijens

Have you ever wondered who takes the incredible photos that appear in the pages of Ranger Rick magazine? Joanna Pinneo, of Boulder, Colorado, is one of our very talented photographers. She loves to travel the country in search of compelling stories to photograph. And that’s exactly what she did for us this past year.

Her first stop was the Mississippi State Veterinary Camp, where kids who aspire to become veterinarians get hands-on experience in the field.

"Vet Camp" from the May 2012 issue of Ranger Rick

“Vet Camp” from the May 2012 issue of Ranger Rick

Joanna hit the road again just a few weeks later and joined a family on their shrimp boat in southern Louisiana, photographing the bayou life of fishing, boating, and alligator-watching. Then she spent a week in the Colorado Rockies, photographing the International Snow Sculpture Championships in the bitter cold.

"The Coolest Show on Earth" from the December/January 2013 issue

“The Coolest Show on Earth” from the December/January 2013 issue

For these amazing photos, we named Joanna the winner of this year’s Ranger Rick Photographer of the Year award. This award is given to the photographer who best advances the magazine’s mission–to inspire in kids a greater understanding and love of the natural world, and a lasting commitment to environmental stewardship–with exciting, informative, and spectacular eye-popping photos.

Joanna doesn’t just shoot pictures on these trips. She gets to know the wildlife, the natural surroundings, and the people in each of her stories before she ever reaches for her camera. Add Joanna’s great photographic eye, and you get a fantastic story every time.

"Bayou Kid" from the August 2012 issue of Ranger Rick

“Bayou Kid” from the August 2012 issue of Ranger Rick

“Joanna is a true Ranger Rick trouper. She will trek for days by foot or horse to keep up with the kids. Regardless of the mud, insects, heat, snow, cold, or rain mother nature has in store, it never stops her from finding the photo that will tell the story for the Ranger Rick reader,” says Mary Dalheim, Editorial Director of Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr. magazines at the National Wildlife Federation.

Congratulations, Joanna!

]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/joanna-pinneo-named-ranger-rick-magazine-photographer-of-the-year/feed/ 0 Photo of the Day: Tree Swallow Scuffle http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-tree-swallow-scuffle/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-tree-swallow-scuffle/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 19:22:49 +0000 Rachel Stemen http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80611 Read more >]]> Tree swallows fighting over a perch. Photo by Bob Feldman. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Tree swallows fighting over a perch. Photo by Bob Feldman. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest.

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 43rd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.
]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-tree-swallow-scuffle/feed/ 1 Photo of the Day: Flight of the Green Heron http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-flight-of-the-green-heron/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-flight-of-the-green-heron/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 20:42:41 +0000 Rachel Stemen http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80569 Read more >]]> Green Heron Flight

Juvenile green heron flying

Photo by Flickr member Wildlifeshoots

Do you love nature photos? Check out the amazing entries or sign up for the 43rd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.
]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-flight-of-the-green-heron/feed/ 0 Photo of the Day: Nuttall’s Woodpeckers http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-nuttalls-woodpeckers/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-nuttalls-woodpeckers/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 19:37:49 +0000 Rachel Stemen http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80531 Read more >]]> Nuttall's Woodpecker 3, Picoides nuttallii, male and female bringing food back to the nesting cavity. Los Osos, CA

Nuttall’s woodpeckers feeding their fledgling in Los Osos, California

Photo by Donald Quintana

Gardening For Wildlife

Create habitat for woodpeckers and other wildlife species in your yard or garden by providing food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Learn how to make your home a Certified Wildlife Habitat™!

]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-nuttalls-woodpeckers/feed/ 3 40 Green Leaves http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/40-green-leaves/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/40-green-leaves/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 17:16:15 +0000 Carla Brown http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80505 Read more >]]> This year is the 40th birthday of National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program.

To help celebrate this special birthday, I decided to take a series of photos of 40 garden objects. This photo series was inspired by the blog Things Organized Neatly. My arrangements are not arranged as neatly as many photos on that blog, but you get the idea.

Here’s photo #3 – 40 green leaves from plants in my neighborhood:

40 Green Leaves from my neighborhood

40 Green Leaves from my neighborhood

Can You Identify the Plants?

Here’s my best guesses, although I am not a naturalist:

4. Virginia Creeper

6. Viola

8. Cabbage

9. Liriope

11. Hosta

13. Holly

14. Hosta

17. Holly

18. Wild Strawberry

20. Clover

21. Dandelion

22. Yew

25.  Maple

26. Iris

27. Maple

29. Clover

33.  Fern

 

You can see past 40 garden object photos:

Share Your 40 Garden Objects Photos!

During Garden for Wildlife month, I’m going to keep taking photos of 40 garden objects. Would you like to join me? What will you photograph? Share your photos at our Garden for Wildlife Facebook page for everyone to see.

And if you haven’t already certified your yard as wildlife-friendly, certify your yard with National Wildlife Federation this month!

]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/40-green-leaves/feed/ 0 Photo of the Day: Unimpressed Waterbuck http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-unimpressed-waterbuck/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-unimpressed-waterbuck/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 14:59:35 +0000 Rachel Stemen http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80499 Read more >]]> Waterbuck in Lake Nakuru, Kenya.

A waterbuck wading in Lake Nakuru in Kenya. Leslie Scopes Anderson writes about her photo, “This elegant animal must have wanted me to go away!” 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest entry.

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 43rd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.
]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/photo-of-the-day-unimpressed-waterbuck/feed/ 1 7 Photos That Capture A Mother’s Love http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/7-photos-that-capture-a-mothers-love/ http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/7-photos-that-capture-a-mothers-love/#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 20:06:24 +0000 Rachel Stemen http://blog.nwf.org/?p=80457 Read more >]]> Here at National Wildlife magazine, there is no more sure fire way to get a big response from our readers than to publish a photo that captures the bond between mother and baby. It doesn’t matter if it’s polar bears or ducks or apes—these photos touch us because they remind us that the love between a mother and baby is universal.

So, in honor of Mother’s Day this Sunday, I’m sharing some amazing photos that were past entries in the Baby Animals category of our National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Browse through our gallery of “aww”dorable baby animal entries from last year below.

The Baby Animals category is always one of our most popular, and this year is no exception. You can see this year’s exciting and touching crop of Baby Animal photos right now at the 43rd annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. You can vote for and share your favorites or even enter your own photos.

If you love taking pictures of the wild things and wild life all around us, I encourage you to enter a few photos of your own! Enter by May 15th and you’ll get to add 5 extra photos at no additional cost.

Brown bear cub gets its mother in a muzzle-lock. Photo by Michael Pollack. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest entry, Baby Animals category.

Brown bear cub gets its mother in a muzzle-lock. Photo by Michael Pollack. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest entry.

Cheetah mother and cub

An affectionate moment between a mother cheetah and her cub. Photo by Lisa Hoffner. First Place winner, Baby Animals, 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Hippo mother and calf

Hippo mother and calf in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Photo by Thomas Mattas. 2011 National Wildlife Photo Contest entry.

Sandhill crane chick

Sandhill crane chick peeking out of its parent’s feathers. Photo by Scott Helfrich. Second Place winner, Baby Animals, 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Polar bear mother and cubs

A polar bear cub cuddles against its mother in Wapusk National Park, Canada. Photo by Christine Haines. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Yellow-bellied marmot mother and baby.

A baby yellow-bellied marmot snuggles against its mom in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo by Fi Rust. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest entry.

Humpback whale mother and calf

A humpback whale helps her calf to the surface to breathe. Photo by Mazdak Radjainia. 2012 National Wildlife Photo Contest entry.

All photos were entries in the Baby Animals category of the National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 43rd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest >>
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