TPOTY 2009 Update

The word is out, the winners and finalists have been announced today.
I made 11th place in the homeland portfolio, I'm happy!
Click on the title (TPOTY 2009 Update) to check out all the results, great images!

TPOTY 2009 Finalist

TPOTY (Travel Photographer of the Year) is a prestigious international travel photographer competition with it's headquarters in London.
I'm very pleased to have been a finalist in the this years competition.
Regarding to TPOTY they "had thousands and thousands of images submitted to the awards, but only a few of you made it through to the final judging, so to be a finalist is a great achievement. The judges felt that the standard of images this year was higher than ever."

The four images you see here are the ones that got chosen in the "Homeland" portfolio category

The winners will be announced on their website on Dec. 16th, check it out:
http://www.tpoty.com/

Close Encounter

On my way to Canada this summer, I stopped for a couple of days in Bend, Oregon, to visit a dear friend of mine. On my first night, on my way to my sleeping quarters, I heard a piercing screech right next to me. After the first moment of shock, I got curious, which bird would dare to come so close. Looking around I saw this juvenile Great Horned Owl sitting on a post not two yards away. My first thought was:"Where is my camera?", but of course it was pitch dark.

So I started to talk to the bird. After listening to me for a few seconds, the owl started to "talk back" with clicking noises and hopped down from its perch to inspect me even closer. It hopped over to me and started to gently nip my pants.

What an experience!

As I told this story the next morning to my friend, she wouldn't believe that she actually had a "semi tame" owl in her backyard. This time with my camera ready, I walked out and started to make clicking noises, and in no time the owl would respond with loud screeches. After calling the local wild bird center, to see if we might have a runaway, we learned that this juvenile Great Horned Owl probably just left the nest and now might be trying to beg for food. We were advised not to feed or handle it.

If you have a close look at the above and the last image, you might see that it's right eye looks not quite healthy. I believe it might have had difficulties hunting due to it's impaired vision.

Welcome to White Mountain Photography News

Since I've been frequently asked: "What kind of photography are you doing?" or "Where is your next trip going to?" I thought I launch this blog to share my passion with you.