Published Images from VLF Wildlife Photo Competition - final results (placings)
Discussion
9 replies
Posted by Marc Langille on November 2, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Hi Everyone,
I forgot to post this in a timely fashion... doh...
Four images will be published when the book goes to print next July/August, and the dedication ceremony will be next September… (the Canon shots garnered two 3rd places).
Over 1400 images were submitted for this competition. I came in 13th overall (there was a tie for 10th/11th), which is the top third in the event, yet I only submitted in 2/3 of the classes (I still submitted 50 images, but sometimes 2 in a class). Positions 9th à 13th were all within 81 points of each other. Those ranged from 805 à 886 points (9th à 13th place). The overall winner garnered 1221 points.
Everyone who finished ahead of me has been doing the competition since 1990, so they have 18+ years experience, 9 competitions, and local knowledge under their belt. In contrast, I took a 7 month layoff from photography for various reasons, and had less than 1.5 years of serious shooting under my belt.
To put further perspective on my results:
36 days in a 70 day period were allocated for the competition (it lasted 90 days)
8 days lost due to travel = 28 days left.
10 days lost due to no tripod/binoculars (*) = 18 days left.
3-4 days lost due to poor weather (45mph winds, etc.) = 14 days left.
Therefore I had ~14 days of really good photographic opportunities within the 90 day competition period.
(*)The box I shipped the tripod in arrived damaged, and the binoculars were missing. Therefore I had to send it to the shipper for a manifest inspection to file the claim. It eventually ended up with 5 tracking numbers, and was out of my hands for 33 days...
It's a nice opportunity to give back to land conservation, and seems to indicate that I am on the right track as a relative rookie (in terms of wildlife photography).
I hope you enjoy them!
Regards,
Marc
Posted by John Moore on November 2, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Congratulations Marc. I especially like the racoon shot and the egret photo. You caught both of them in action.
Posted by Daniel Loomis on November 2, 2008 at 4:16 PM
The Great Egret is stunning! Nature red in tooth and claw (and beak!).
Posted by Randy Wilson on November 2, 2008 at 5:49 PM
Yes, congratulations on a wonderful job and successful competition. That's one racoon I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on November 2, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Congratulations Marc! That's quite an impressive achievement and one that will grace your photographic resume for a life time! Thanks for sharing your good fortune with us.
Now the question is ... will you do it again next year?
Posted by Ed Cooley on November 2, 2008 at 6:48 PM
Congrats and thanks for posting Marc. I am very curious to know your thoughts of the contest overall.
Posted by Bill Dark on November 2, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Way to go Marc - what an accomplishment! That wasn't easy to do I'm sure with the limited amount of time. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to seeing more of your work at the NWANP meeting this week.
Posted by Marc Langille on November 2, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Thanks John and glad you enjoyed the raccoon and egret shots!
Thank you Daniel -- it was really a treat to look at that shot the first time on a computer screen. I had a pretty good feeling that both shots had a chance at placing, since they are unusual shots.
Randy: I met him several times while I was there...luckily no dark alleys...
Posted by Marc Langille on November 2, 2008 at 7:21 PM
Thanks everyone for the kind words! I sincerely appreciate them...
Wayne: luckily it's only every 2 years - I think it would cause burn out, given the length of the two competitions. The ICF ProTour is 30 continuous days, and the VLF contest is over 90 days (but you may come and go).
Ed: It's a really good learning experience - photographing animals that rarely encounter a human being, so it's much, much different. More than a few other types of wildlife photography are involved with animals that have had some or sometimes even frequent exposure to humans. This raises the difficulty of photographing to a new level. Having private lands to photograph on is HUGE - no interruptions by inadvertent passers by in a state or national park. It has some hiccups that need to be ironed out, and they are in my mind minor things.
Bill: thank you sir and I look forward to meeting you!
I ended up 13th overall, and only submitted in 2/3 of the classes. The only photographers ahead of me have been in the competition since it's inception in 1990, so they all have 18+ years of wildlife photography experience in comparison to mine - barely 1.5 years. That encourages me for the future, although anything can happen in two years!
I also plan to bring and display a few humorous images too...
Bottom line: I've changed a lot since January of this year. I believe I'm overall a different person, physically and mentally. People ask me: you've changed... what's different??
Mentally: my patience levels went way up, and my appreciation for nature has hit a new level. Physically: My face looks leaner, which confuses them at first. I eventually show them my belt - it's got 3 extra holes punched in it... back to 34's for me (I'm nearly 6'3"). It's not just on my waistline, it's all over... 30+ pounds lost and a resting HR low enough that it's almost as if I was training/racing again... I'm not going back!
Again, the images I take are never about me and my gear/timing/luck/whatever. It's about nature: it's stunning beauty that I love showing people! It's my hope to get them to slow down and enjoy the world around us (not you folks, I know you're already there!!!).
Regards,
Marc
Posted by Tom Kennon on November 2, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Congratulations Mark, all your shots are great, but I really like the Racoon!
Discussion
9 repliesI forgot to post this in a timely fashion... doh...
Four images will be published when the book goes to print next July/August, and the dedication ceremony will be next September… (the Canon shots garnered two 3rd places).
Over 1400 images were submitted for this competition. I came in 13th overall (there was a tie for 10th/11th), which is the top third in the event, yet I only submitted in 2/3 of the classes (I still submitted 50 images, but sometimes 2 in a class). Positions 9th à 13th were all within 81 points of each other. Those ranged from 805 à 886 points (9th à 13th place). The overall winner garnered 1221 points.
Everyone who finished ahead of me has been doing the competition since 1990, so they have 18+ years experience, 9 competitions, and local knowledge under their belt. In contrast, I took a 7 month layoff from photography for various reasons, and had less than 1.5 years of serious shooting under my belt.
To put further perspective on my results:
36 days in a 70 day period were allocated for the competition (it lasted 90 days)
8 days lost due to travel = 28 days left.
10 days lost due to no tripod/binoculars (*) = 18 days left.
3-4 days lost due to poor weather (45mph winds, etc.) = 14 days left.
Therefore I had ~14 days of really good photographic opportunities within the 90 day competition period.
(*)The box I shipped the tripod in arrived damaged, and the binoculars were missing. Therefore I had to send it to the shipper for a manifest inspection to file the claim. It eventually ended up with 5 tracking numbers, and was out of my hands for 33 days...
Link to the 4 images:
http://valleylandfund.com/cgi-bin/photos/photos.cgi?db=default&uid=default&view_records=1&Year=2008&Photographer=Marc%20Langille
UPDATE: I see a lot of artifacts on those compressed JPEGs that the VLF uploaded. Here are links to larger images...
Great Egret:
http://www.marclangille.com/photos/337009868_xhh7s-XL-3.jpg
Racoon:
http://www.marclangille.com/photos/343848375_NSdny-XL-4.jpg
Skipper:
http://www.marclangille.com/photos/378069453_4i22h-XL-1.jpg
Orb Weaver (cleaning itself after a meal):
http://www.marclangille.com/photos/350728100_5wURu-XL-4.jpg
It's a nice opportunity to give back to land conservation, and seems to indicate that I am on the right track as a relative rookie (in terms of wildlife photography).
I hope you enjoy them!
Regards,
Marc
Now the question is ... will you do it again next year?
Thank you Daniel -- it was really a treat to look at that shot the first time on a computer screen. I had a pretty good feeling that both shots had a chance at placing, since they are unusual shots.
Randy: I met him several times while I was there...luckily no dark alleys...
Wayne: luckily it's only every 2 years - I think it would cause burn out, given the length of the two competitions. The ICF ProTour is 30 continuous days, and the VLF contest is over 90 days (but you may come and go).
Ed: It's a really good learning experience - photographing animals that rarely encounter a human being, so it's much, much different. More than a few other types of wildlife photography are involved with animals that have had some or sometimes even frequent exposure to humans. This raises the difficulty of photographing to a new level. Having private lands to photograph on is HUGE - no interruptions by inadvertent passers by in a state or national park. It has some hiccups that need to be ironed out, and they are in my mind minor things.
Bill: thank you sir and I look forward to meeting you!
I ended up 13th overall, and only submitted in 2/3 of the classes. The only photographers ahead of me have been in the competition since it's inception in 1990, so they all have 18+ years of wildlife photography experience in comparison to mine - barely 1.5 years. That encourages me for the future, although anything can happen in two years!
I also plan to bring and display a few humorous images too...
Bottom line: I've changed a lot since January of this year. I believe I'm overall a different person, physically and mentally. People ask me: you've changed... what's different??
Mentally: my patience levels went way up, and my appreciation for nature has hit a new level. Physically: My face looks leaner, which confuses them at first. I eventually show them my belt - it's got 3 extra holes punched in it... back to 34's for me (I'm nearly 6'3"). It's not just on my waistline, it's all over... 30+ pounds lost and a resting HR low enough that it's almost as if I was training/racing again... I'm not going back!
Again, the images I take are never about me and my gear/timing/luck/whatever. It's about nature: it's stunning beauty that I love showing people! It's my hope to get them to slow down and enjoy the world around us (not you folks, I know you're already there!!!).
Regards,
Marc