2013 Florida Top Ten Photographer & 1st Place Wild Animals Awards

It is my great pleasure to announce that I won two awards and four merits at the 2013 Florida Professional Photographers (FPP) competition!! The first one is a first place winner in the Wild Animals category and the second one is the 2013 Florida Top Ten Professional Photographer award.

The photograph below received the 1st place Wild Animals Award:

Willet landing. This photograph was created at Fort Desoto, Florida.
ISO 400 | f/7.1 | 1/2000 | Manual Mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review), the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld while sitting on the sand.

I had the opportunity to hear the judges discussing about the scoring and they very much appreciated the pose, the sharpness and the tilt of the wings. Such a shot while requiring patience, requires technique! There is a way to position yourself to maximize your chances.

Red-billed Tropicbird banking in flight. This photograph was created at South Plaza, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
ISO 400 | f/7.1 | 1/3200 | Manual Mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x Extender III, the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld.

This Red-billed Tropicbird banking in flight photograph was possible thanks to the angle obtained while shooting from the top of a cliff. It is otherwise extremely difficult to achieve such a perfect banking pose.

Sally Lightfoot Crab on the lava rocks. This photograph was created at Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
ISO 1000 | f/6.3 | 1/250 | Manual Mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x Extender III, the Canon EOS 5D mark III on a gimbal head and tripod.

And the forth one that received a merit below:

Roseate Spoonbill landing on the mudflat. This photograph was created at Alafia Banks, Tampa, Florida.
ISO 400 | f/7.1 | 1/1600 | Manual Mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x Extender III, the Canon EOS 5D mark III on a gimbal head and tripod while wading in the water.

The photograph above is one of many great creations from Alafia Banks. Join me next year to the Fort Desoto and Alafia Banks photography workshop in Tampa, Florida, if you wish to learn how to achieve such creations! 🙂

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Steven