DC Exhibit: Window To A Wild World

Peer into the wild world of owls, frogs, dolphins and other animals through the eyes of photographers from all over the world in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit at the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall from now till Feb. 4, 2007.

The exhibit showcases winners of the annual photography competition organized by the Natural History Museum, London, and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

As you enter the exhibit you see two large prints of the winning images for the adult and youth categories. The winning photo for the adult category is an image titled “Beast of the Sediment” by Göran Ehlmé of Sweden. It shows a walrus feeding in a cloud of sediment on the bottom of the ocean floor off the coast of northeast Greenland. The winning image in the youth category is a dramatic photo titled “The Dilemma” taken by Rick Stanley from the US. It shows a treefrog dangling from the mouth of a green vine snake in the Dominican Republic.

Below every photo there is a short description of the photo and information about the camera and lens used to take the image. These descriptions help to provide context and information about the animals and the photographers.

The description below Rick Stanley’s image says, “While on an expedition in the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean, with a group of naturalists, Rick wandered off with his Dominican friend Rubio to look for wildlife in the forest. ‘Suddenly,’ says Rick, ‘we heard a loud squeaking’. Rubio was the first to discover its source – a distressed Hispaniolan treefrog, which had been caught by a green vine snake. ‘I photographed the drama as the frog dangled in front of me, but Rubio was unable to resist helping the victim and gently touched the snake, which promptly dropped its meal and slithered away along the branches.’ The frog, seemingly unaffected by the snake’s mild venom, hopped off.”

The exhibit is divided into 11 adult categories, including Wild Places, The Underwater World, Animal Portraits and The World in Our Hands. The three youth categories are: 10 years and under, 11 to 14 years and 15 to 17 years.

Some of the most stunning images are in the Animal Portraits category. These images combine the beauty of the environment and the animal, with great composition & colors. One of my favorite images is of a seal looking up through an ice hole. This photo titled “Ice Hole” was taken by Baard Næss of Norway. In the description, he explains, “I spotted a seal breathing hole and saw stirrings. I waited motionlessly right next to it – a bit like a polar bear might do – until a head popped up.”

There are also some great images in the youth category. There’s one titled “Puffin Pose” taken by Adrien Imre of Hungary. The description says, “One lovely, long, light evening on Runde, an island off the southwest coast of Norway, Adrien sat watching a rock. She was on a photo workshop and had chosen the rock because of the ‘gorgeously green’ background and hoped a puffin would choose it, too. ‘My rock-watching paid off’, she says, ‘when this character landed and turned to look at me’. A photogenic bird, an ‘intimate ambience’ and beautiful light gave her the photograph she was after.”

This amazing group of photographers from all over the world have taught me not only about the beauty of the natural world, but also about the patience, respect and knowledge required to do wildlife photography.

If you can’t go to the exhibit, you can check it out online. Vote for your favorite photo and read comments from the judges, experts and exhibition visitors as you browse through the exhibit.

National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall
Cost: Free
Location: 1145 17th Street, N.W. (17th and M Streets NW) near Farragut North and Farragut West subway stations
Hours: Open Monday through Saturday and holidays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed December 25.
National Geographic Live: Talks, concerts, film screenings & more.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/museum/
For more information, call (202) 857-7588.