Fauna - 1st Place Winner

Gallery: EPA 2010Posted March 12, 20103,945 views49 comments

Fauna Gallery - 1st Place Winner
Grey Seal pup facing the elements

Life can be very tough for young Seal pups as not only are they abandoned at such a young age they also have to cope with the winter weather which can be harsh at times along our coasts. This one was sitting out a Sandstorm and me well I am still getting sand out of my tripod.

Canon 1Ds MK11, 500mm Lens, F4, ISO 200

Danny

Comments

49 comments

Comment posted by James Campbell on March 12, 2010 at 4:37 PM

Hi Danny, this is simply awesome! The seal sitting, eyes closed in a blur of everything with the sand shaping up and around its head - really very special indeed... Cant suggest a thing I would like to see any different

Registered on January 12, 2009, 48 Posts, 377 Comments

Comment posted by Joe Sulik on March 12, 2010 at 4:45 PM

This is incredible Danny, I love how its appearing out of the sand, I think it really shows the challenges of everyday life for this seal.

Registered on January 7, 2009, 51 Posts, 165 Comments

Comment posted by Luca Mussato on March 12, 2010 at 4:46 PM

Danny it is... wow. difficult conditions for both the seal and you.fantastic details.

cheers Luca

Registered on November 14, 2006, 118 Posts, 855 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 12, 2010 at 5:21 PM

Nice catch - something different.
Good detail, comp, colors and effect!

Sandsy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on March 12, 2010 at 7:34 PM

Just awesome! The face just peeking out of the sandstorm. Also like the blue sky.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Benjamin Olson on March 12, 2010 at 8:26 PM

Superb, i love the creamy look of the image. The sand blowing from his head is fantastic. Way to stick it out in those conditions, it must of been quiet unpleasant!

Registered on April 7, 2007, 169 Posts, 725 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on March 12, 2010 at 9:54 PM

Wow!!! This is awesome Danny!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on March 13, 2010 at 12:18 AM

Hi Danny! You have a winner here again in this year's BBC WPOTY! Absolutely stunning image!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on March 13, 2010 at 12:19 AM

Splendid image Danny. Cool angle, great light and good detail on the seal. What I like particularly though is the bit of detail in the wind blown sand just right and above the seals head, this gives the image a sense of motion from which the viewer can identify the conditions as a sandstorm.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Murali Santhanam on March 13, 2010 at 12:28 AM

Wow! What a setting for capturing Seal pup. Great picture.

Registered on July 31, 2008, 43 Posts, 331 Comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on March 13, 2010 at 3:20 AM

Simply lovely Danny! I have seen a lot of great seal images on the UKNP forums, but this one really shines above them all. Fantastic creamy look with a nice contrast between the blwoing sand and the blue sky, and the pose is simply great, really tells a story. Thanks for sharing this

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by Justin on March 13, 2010 at 7:16 AM

Hi Danny,
This is superb. The light, the setting and the way the seal stands out from the totally difuse windblown sand is excellent.
The upper section of blue sea and the sand above the animal's head is the icing on the cake.
The large version is a real pleasure to view.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 106 Posts, 1697 Comments

Comment posted by Balan Vinod on March 13, 2010 at 9:50 AM

Danny ..love the shallow dof and two tone BG ...wonderful work ..well done ..

Balan Vinod

Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on March 13, 2010 at 11:33 AM

Awesome shot. What a great illustration of the tough weather you described. Love the sand glancing off the head.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on March 13, 2010 at 3:15 PM

Really great shot Danny - definitely an award winner in my book!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on March 13, 2010 at 9:45 PM

Great light and great perspective! Well done.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on March 14, 2010 at 1:12 AM

It's a masterclass frame ! You certainly have a winner here, all the elements are adding upto it!

Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on March 14, 2010 at 3:50 PM

Beautiful capture, wonderful light!
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on March 14, 2010 at 11:34 PM

Love the color and the way the sand is blowing off the head. Great detail as well.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Erik Van de Water on March 15, 2010 at 2:28 AM

Your dedication paid off. The simplicity of this scene is awesome. Perfect shutter speed.

Registered on February 27, 2010, 6 Posts, 72 Comments

Comment posted by Sandra Hendrikse on March 15, 2010 at 3:43 AM

What an evocative scene, Danny. A real struggle against the elements. Cracking shot.

Registered on January 23, 2008, 48 Posts, 769 Comments

Comment posted by Darren Colello on March 15, 2010 at 5:32 PM

This is so spectacular!!! I love the detail, the colours the overall composition. This just seems like an award winning image IMO. Well done.

Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on March 16, 2010 at 9:04 AM

Hi Danny,

Sorry I'm getting at this one so late - took a few days off to test some equipment. Anyway - fantastic shot. Great use of what I call focus contrast - superb out-of-focus zones contrasted with the tack-sharp elements REALLY draw the eye. Colour palette is wonderful. Composition spot on. Great light. And, a nice visual story to boot - to me this just says so much about how any organism has to endure to survive. Just wonderful.

Thanks for sharing this superb image - an inspiration to all!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on March 16, 2010 at 9:08 AM

Not sure how I missed this photo but it's really impressive A great sense of environment and the dark blue sky is really dramatic. Congrats on the WP

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Goldstein on March 16, 2010 at 11:37 AM

Exceptional image! Congrats on the WP.

Registered on March 18, 2006, 119 Posts, 878 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 16, 2010 at 1:24 PM

Congrats for a well-deserved EP !

Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on March 16, 2010 at 2:15 PM

very special - catches the atmosphere and feeling of the seal very well.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on March 16, 2010 at 4:32 PM

Just great! Your comments and the photo are such poignant reminders of how hard it is to survive. This pup looks courageous, determined and weary.

I'm surprised you're not still working sand out of your teeth! How did your camera fare?

Many congrats on the EP.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Joan Cambray on March 16, 2010 at 6:07 PM

Wow - that is an absolutely stunning image!!!! The colors, the sand caked around its eyes and nose, the position of the seal with its nostrils closed against the sand, the sand grains coming off its head, and the way it melts into the BG -- all so very spot on!

Congratulations on a very well-deserved EP!!

Registered on October 31, 2009, 6 Posts, 47 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Haskell on March 16, 2010 at 7:03 PM

Hi Danny

This is a very special shot of a Seal. Lovely sand blowing off the head too.

Ian

Registered on October 30, 2008, 24 Posts, 673 Comments

Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on March 20, 2010 at 12:13 AM

Awesome in every way, Danny. Well deserved EP!

Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on March 21, 2010 at 6:22 PM

This is one of the best wildlife images I have ever had the pleasure to view. The large image is stunning, really stunning. All the elements are here; light, shadow, depth, action, raw nature, and the technical work is masterful. Sometimes, you think you have seen everything a wildlife image can bring, being that we here on NPN look at so many wonderful images. This image reminds me of what excellence really looks like. Above top-shelf stuff.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Laura Stafford on March 22, 2010 at 3:44 PM

What an awesome photo. The background is perfect, and the position of the seal pup adds to the the pleasing composition.

Laura Stafford

Registered on November 3, 2009, 52 Posts, 375 Comments

Comment posted by Danny Green on March 22, 2010 at 6:33 PM

W thanks everyone for their nice comments and it is a nice feeling to get an EP as well.

Many thanks

Danny

Registered on November 27, 2005, 70 Posts, 313 Comments

Comment posted by Anthony Vincent on April 2, 2010 at 5:30 PM

Congrats on a superb photo and photo of the month. Well deserved, just perfectly caught.

Registered on February 5, 2009, 199 Posts, 2775 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on April 2, 2010 at 8:09 PM

This is really a Wow Image! Absolutely fantastic. Really shows the tough life that these seals have. Amazing work getting this photograph.

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on April 3, 2010 at 2:10 PM

classic photo--congrats!

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on April 4, 2010 at 12:41 PM

A classic photo perfectly excecuted. The bokeh is simply divine.

Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Guffey on April 6, 2010 at 6:19 PM

Simply put..........OUTSTANDING!!!!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 553 Posts, 1954 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on April 17, 2010 at 12:06 PM

Congrats on this cover shot for NPN. Beyond words incredible! Hope you are entering this in contests, cuz it's a winner for sure!

Registered on December 12, 2008, 213 Posts, 2226 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on April 17, 2010 at 6:53 PM

What an amazing image Danny. Congratulations on the POTM

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on April 20, 2010 at 8:11 AM

Absolutely stunning,

Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Shane McDermott on April 30, 2010 at 10:14 AM

This is such a beautiful image, really pulls at my heart.

Registered on November 12, 2007, 49 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Sandipan Dutta on January 3, 2011 at 12:29 AM

Heartiest congratulations on EPA 2010 ...

Registered on March 9, 2009, 171 Posts, 493 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 3, 2011 at 1:50 AM

Danny, big congrats on the 2010 Fauna 1st place award!
Wonderful image!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on January 4, 2011 at 2:23 PM

While such a wonderfully compelling image, it is hard to look at yet hard to look away. Superb work, Danny, and a deserving EP 2010.

Registered on February 17, 2004, 236 Posts, 1197 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on January 4, 2011 at 3:37 PM

Congratulations on the EPA 2010, Danny!!!

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on January 13, 2011 at 6:21 PM

Congratulations Danny, a well deserved winner

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by Lee fisher on January 14, 2011 at 4:34 AM

Congrats on the win Danny

A superb shot and much deserved mate
Cheers Lee

Registered on September 10, 2010, 13 Posts, 89 Comments