I am happy to announce that my image ‘ Foggy Grebes’ was awarded Highly Commended at the 2011 Memorial Maria Luisa nature photography competition in Spain. Almost 17,000 photographs were entered by 1,600 photographers from 54 countries. I am proud to be among the winners for the second year in a row. As usual, there was other Dutch success too, with both Johan van de Watering and Martin van Lokven being awarded a Highly Commended image. The image itself was taken only a few kilometres from my home on a cold spring morning. Fog was predicted, and usually the densest fog can be found over bodies of water.
So I naturally headed to the local fishing ponds. At one spot, I could photograph straight into the rising sun, that set the fog ablaze with a wonderful pinkish orange pastel hue. The reed beds along the shore made for a wonderful natural frame. All I needed was a subject. As on cue, this couple of Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus; Fuut) came swimming out of the dense fog and made a wonderful, recognizable subject.
Great Crested Grebes; Canon 1D Mark III w. 500/4L IS and 1.4x; 1/400s at F5.6 and ISO400; tripod
