2022 Photo Competition

The Society’s Annual Photographic Competition was held online this year, with the winners being announced on 15th February 2022. The final 8 photos are shown below, with the winner and 2nd and 3rd entries shown in the captions. Two 2 photos tied for 2nd place.

The photographers’ more detailed descriptions of the winning entries are given below the photographs.

The competition is for the Ron Arnold Shield. Ron Arnold was an early member of the Society and a keen photographer. The competition was set up in his memory, and is open to all members of the Society.

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Notes on the Winners’ photos

Winner – June morning on the river – Julie Lane

Female banded demoiselle (
Calopteryx splendens) taken on 9th June at 6am. The demoiselles were roosting all together in the vegetation next to the river Ouse. I went down early to get some photos whilst they were inactive as they are very difficult to capture later in the day when the temperature has risen.  The dew on their bodies was wonderful to see and I was very pleased with my photos that morning. My camera is a little compact Sony DSC-WX350 with a x20 optical zoom.
 
The River Ouse at Olney early on the morning of 9th June with a mute swan making its way across the river. If I can bring myself to get up at 5am at this time of the year on a clear morning, the dawn chorus and the mist rising off the river makes the effort worthwhile. The camera used was my Sony DSC-WX350 with a x20 optical zoom.
2nd place (tied): Orange-tip butterfly egg hatching, with nymph of Springtail beside it – Paul Lund
Taken outdoors in my garden, an Orange tip butterfly egg hatching, with a Springtail nymph.
I used a macro lens, tripod and twin flash – and a lot of patience.
2nd place (tied): Female Sparrowhawk – Ann Jones
The sparrowhawk photograph was taken on the 23rd February last year.  We do get sparrowhawks occasionally in our garden but not often; usually when one has caught one of the many woodpigeons. In that situation the bird will stay on the ground whilst it is eating its prey.  This sparrowhawk was just outside the garden.  A door leads from the garden which is walled to the grass verge outside, and that’s where I saw the sparrowhawk.
Take with a hand-held camera with a 400mm telephoto lens.
3rd place: Morning mist – Harry Appleyard
I decided to take a change of scenery with a trip to Ivinghoe one morning in September last year, mainly for Autumn bird migration but it was made worth the journey by the views alone with mist rolling through the nearby countryside stretching towards Dunstable Downs.