Bittern In Winter
Chiswick student's wildlife photograph in prestigious exhibition
Chiswick student Oscar Dewhurst’s photograph of a bittern, taken at the London Wetland Centre, has been selected for inclusion in the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012 exhibition.
There were 48,000 entries from 98 countries for the competition from which 100 photographs, including Oscar's, were chosen. The world-renowned annual exhibition at the Natural History Museum provides a spotlight on the rarely seen wonders of the natural world.
The organisers say that one of Oscar’s favourite photographic subjects is the bittern. And one of his favourite places to photograph it is at the London Wetland Centre, where several of these secretive herons usually overwinter in the reedbeds. They tend to stay tucked among the reeds, searching for fish at the water’s edge and are notoriously well camouflaged and shy. But when the water freezes, they are sometimes forced out onto the ice to look for food.
‘During the very cold winter of 2010,’ says Oscar, who is a sixth form student, ‘there were seven bitterns at the site.’ He explains how he was in the public hide, photographing a bittern close by, when a blizzard started. He was just about to pack up and leave when he saw ‘another bittern suddenly set off across the ice.’ The image ended up being his favourite shot of the day.
His photo of this bittern at the London Wetland Centre was Commended in the 15 – 17 age category. The exhibition can be seen at the Natural History Museum until next March when it will go on a worldwide tour. Other photographs taken by Oscar can be seen on his website;
www.oscardewhurstphotography.co.uk
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition 2012
19 October 2012 - 3 March 2013
Open 10.00 - 17.50 daily
Open late last Friday of every month October to February 2012 (excluding December)
The 100 winning images on show are selected from 1,000s of international entries and are beautifully displayed in sleek backlit installations.
November 7, 2012