Work of Northern Ireland Bird Photographers
Winners and Judges
 		  
2010  No. 37    -     Judge:     Chris Gomersall
   

Chris was staff photographer in the RSPB for some fourteen years, before leaving to pursue a solo career in November 1998.
A professional photographer, his style is very much concerned with photographing wildlife subjects at home in their natural habitat, with an emphasis on ambient light and sensitive composition.

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

Digiscoping
Best Slide Ian Dickey Richard Smyth Harry Dale no award this year
Best Portfolio Ian Dickey Sam Young Dave Adrain  
   

       BACK

2009  No. 36    -     Judge:     Jari Peltomäki
 
  • Director of Finnature Ltd - incoming tour agency specialized in wildlife watching and photography holidays
  • Professional Wildlife photographer since 1998
  • Chairman of Professional Wildlife photographers of Finland association (NF) since 2007

Awards

  • Glanzlichter 2009 (Germany) - Highly Commended in ”Humorous Views of Nature” cat
  • Festival de´loiseau et de la nature (France) - Second prize in birds category 2008
  • Glanzlichter 2008 (Germany) - Highly Commended in Mammals category 2008
  • International Federation of Wildlife Photography - Third prize in IFWP in birds category 2007
  • International Federation of Wildlife Photography - Third prize in IFWP in birds category 2008
  • BBC´s Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY)- Highly Commended in Animal Behaviour category 2003
  • BBC´s Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY)- Highly Commended in Animal Portait category in 2005
  • Nature´s Best Magazine - Highly commended in 2005
  • Finnish Wildlife Photographer of the year 2007 - Highly Commended in birds cat
  • Finnish Wildlife Photographer of the year 2006 - Highly Commended in birds cat
  • Finnish Wildlife Photographer of the year 2005 - Highly Commended in birds cat
  • IWP (UK) - International Wildbird Photographer of the Year 2004
  • IWP (UK) - Category winner in Portfolio and Composition & form categories in 2005

Publications

  • Hundreds of published wildlife photographs in Finnish and international books, calendars and magazines
  • Portfolios in Birdwatching and Birds Illustrated Magazines in UK
  • Member of the Wild Wonders of Europe team of photographers

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

Digiscoping
Best Slide David Dugal Ian Dickey Graham Hall Allen Gillespie
Best Portfolio Brian McKenna Allen Gillespie Danny Boyd  

........

 
2008  No. 35    -     Judge:     David Cromack
 

David runs Buckingham Press with his wife Hilary to publish The Birdwatchers Yearbook, Best Birdwatching Sites books, and ID Insight cards. He also publishes a quarterly magazine www.birdsillustrated.com David was editor of Bird Watching magazine for 18 years until May 2006.He has helped judge British Birds magazine Bird Photograph of Year, Reading Ornithologists Group's Gordon Langsbury Trophy, International Wildbird Photographer and the Picardy Wildlife Film Festival competitions.

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

Digiscoping
Best Slide Adrian McGrath Stanley McIlreavy Ian Dickey Allen Gillespie
Best Portfolio Geoff Campbell Ian Johnston Stuart McQueen  

........ comments from David Cromack the 2008 judge:

·         The overall standard of the entry was very high

·         Quite a lot of the photographs would have benefitted from strategic cropping, not only to remove unwanted foreground or background, but to make the subject less central.

·         Try to make the overall image look dynamic – not just another technically perfect, beautiful bird sitting on a perch.

·         Judges get to look at a lot of excellent, perfectly exposed and composed photographs, so try to make your entry look different from the rest and make the judge ‘sit up and look twice’.

 
   
2007  No. 34    -     Judge:     David Tipling        http://www.davidtipling.com
  David Tipling

One of the UK's leading wildlife photographers.Has won several awards for his photography including the 2001 European Nature Photographer of the Year.� David has authored and co-authored a number of books including Bird Photography (2005) and The RSPB Guide to Digital Wildlife Photography and The Birdwatchers Guide to Digital Photography - both 2006.

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

Digiscoping
Best Slide John Taggart Adrian McGrath Allen Gillespie Allen Gillespie
Best Portfolio John Taggart Adrian McGrath Allen Gillespie  
 


Winners of the Advanced, Intermediate and Beginner categories in the 2007 WONBP No.34

Left to right -  Adrian McGrath, Richard Gray (Chairman of NIOC), Allen Gillespie and John Taggart

 

  
2006   No. 33     -     Judge:     Mike Brown
   

 Professional photographer Mike Brown was born in Yorkshire, England in 1960 but moved with his family to the West Cork village of Courtmacsherry in 1974.  A keen natural history photographer, Mikes awards include - ESB Environmental Photography Awards "Winner - Professional section 2002" Irish Professional Photographers Association "Photographer of the Year 2003" "Best Pictorial Image 2005".

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

  
Best Slide

Gerry Bond

Mike Meidlinger

David Adrain

  
Best Portfolio

Tom McDonnell

John Taggart

David Adrain

  
2005   No. 32     -     Judge:     Chris Gomersall
   

Chris was staff photographer in the RSPB for some fourteen years, before leaving to pursue a solo career in November 1998.
A professional photographer, his style is very much concerned with photographing wildlife subjects at home in their natural habitat, with an emphasis on ambient light and sensitive composition.

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

  
Best Slide

Jack Malins

Tom McDonnell

Nigel Moore

  
Best Portfolio

Jack Malins

Tom McDonnell

Nigel Moore

  
2004   No. 31     -     Judge:     Tony Hamblin FRPS
    Professional Wildlife photographer and international photographic judge, from Bradford-on-Avon, Warks.  Has been very successful in numerous photographic competitions, including BBC Wildlife / British Gas Competition and British Birds, "Bird Photographer of the Year".

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

  
Best Slide

Tom Ennis

Ray Bennett

Michael Ruddock

  
Best Portfolio

Tom Ennis

Ray Bennett

Christine Wilson

  
2003   No. 30     -     Judge:     Roger Tidman FRPS
    Roger Tidman is a professional wildlife photographer and international photographic judge, from Norfolk.  Amongst the other awards he has gained Roger was winner of the British Birds Bird Photographer of the year title in 1996, 2001 and 2002

Award

Advanced

Intermediate

Beginners

  
Best Slide

Jim Megarry

Kevin Johnston

Insufficient entries

  
Best Portfolio

Jim Megarry

Kevin Johnston

Insufficient entries

  
   
2002   No. 29     -     Judge:    

Mike Lane FRPS     http://nature-photography.co.uk/
   

A full time wildlife photographer specialising in birds and mammals. Although he travels to foreign lands a great deal, his main love is British wildlife.  He gets far more satisfaction photographing humble wrens and chaffinches than exotic parrots in distant rain forests.

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Ian Jackson Malcom Moorehead Russell Birch  
Best Portfolio Ian Jackson Ray Bennett Russell Birch  
2001   No. 28     -     Judge:     Tony Hamblin FRPS
    Professional Wildlife photographer and international photographic judge, from Bradford-on-Avon, Warks.  Has been very successful in numerous photographic competitions, including BBC Wildlife / British Gas Competition and British Birds, "Bird Photographer of the Year".

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Anthony McGeehan Jim Megarry Tom McGeehan  
Best Portfolio Tom Ennis Jim Megarry Tom McGeehan  
2000   No. 27     -     Judge:      David Kjaer FRPS
    From Warminster, Wilts. A widely travelled Professional Wildlife photographer, renowned for discovering wildlife photographic sites both in Great Britain and on the Continent.

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Tom Ennis Warren Fowles Jim Megarry  
Best Portfolio Tom Ennis Warren Fowles Jim Megarry  
1999   No. 26     -     Judge:      Dr Mark Hamblin   http://www.markhamblin.com
    Full time professional wildlife photographer. Lives in Sheffield and writes in the Ornithological and Photographic press.

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Tom Ennis Brian McKenna Jeff Larkin  
Best Portfolio Tom Ennis Brian McKenna Jeff Larkin  
 
1998   No. 25     -     Judge:      Niall Benvie    http://www.sol.co.uk/n/niall.benvie/index.htm
    Full time professional wildlife photographer from Scotland.  Author of photography books and contributes regularly to the Wildlife and Photography press.  Has achieved success in the BBC Wildlife / British Gas photographic competition.

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Anthony McGeehan Dereck White Brian McKenna  
Best Portfolio Tom Ennis Dereck White Brian McKenna  
1997   No. 24     -     Judge:      David Tomlinson
    Partner in a successful Wildlife Photo Agency "Windrush Photos".  Former editor of Country Life and now a full time Countryside / Wildlife journalist.  He lives in Kent and has led a number of wildlife trips to various sites around the world.

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Terry Lee Ivor McDonald John French  
Best Portfolio Tom Ennis Ivor McDonald John French  
 
 
1996   No. 23   -   Judge:      Gordon Langsbury FRPS
    Regular photographic contributor to virtually every U.K.Wildlife Magazine.  Has received placings in British Birds - "Bird Photo of the Year".  Gordon lives in Maidenhead and has authored a number of books, articles and at least one video on Wildlife Photography.  He has led photographic trips abroad including to the USA.

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Jim Partington Ian Herbert Ray Bennett  
Best Portfolio Ken Douglas Rosemary Mulholland Ray Bennett  
 
   
 

1995   No. 22   -   Judge:     

 Rene Popp
    A leading Dutch wildlife photographer.  Long time associated with Dutch Birding Magazine and regular contributor to the British Ornithological press.

Award

 Advanced Intermediate Beginners  
Best Slide Jim Partington Chris Murphy Martin Mulholland  
Best Portfolio Jim Partington Chris Murphy Martin Mulholland  
 

BACK