National History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year snaps at Wolverhampton Gallery
A prestigious annual competition to find the world's best wildlife photographers has come to the city for the very first time.
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is delighted to be hosting a stunning collection of snaps from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, compiled by the National History Museum.
Now in its 51st year, the competition sees in the region of 40,000 entries from both professional and amateur photographers all around the globe, whose talents showcase the beauty of the natural world, whether that be its breathtaking landscapes or amazing animal antics.
These are then whittled down to the very best, and this is clear to see by the 75 incredible images which are on display in Wolverhampton as part of a world tour.
The Gallery's manager for arts and culture, Marguerite Nugent, said: "Walking around the exhibition, it is like watching the best wildlife documentaries that we all know and love by the likes of David Attenborough."
The photographs are beautifully displayed using light boxes that cover the walls of the dark exhibition space. "There is something about seeing them backlit which you just don't get with prints," added Marguerite.
As impressive as the shots, are the stories about the people behind the lens, including in some cases those who are still children.
The talent of young photographers has led to the competition including junior categories, an opportunity which has been embraced by Spanish snapper Carlos Perez Naval, who has multiple successful entries in the under 10 category.
As soon as you walk into the exhibition space your eyes are drawn to his perfectly captured monochrome moment when a Californian ground squirrel and sharply-beaked Western gull face off over some water in the aptly named 'To drink or not'.
Certain creatures seem to have particularly fascinated several entrants, such as the sly fox. Of course it is an animal that can evoke contradictory feelings for different people, and UK photographer Richard Peter's piece Shadow Walker is one that plays on that, with mammal perfectly silhouetted against a Surrey homeowner's brick wall.
The exhibition is running from July 23 to September 18, with tickets costing £4 for adults, £2 for children, free for under twos and family tickets available for £10.
To find out more about the exhibition and how to book tickets, got to http://bit.ly/1Mw8bQ9
To coincide with the exhibition the gallery is also running a number of related activities, including Wildlife Wednesdays from July 27 to August 24, providing children with arts and crafts based on the natural world to keep youngsters entertained during the summer holidays.
