A FREELANCE filmmaker from Moray has won the top prize in the British Wildlife Photography Awards.
Barrie Williams’s stunning image of gannets nesting on clifftops while others fly over a dark sea below beat thousands of entries to win the overall prize of £5000.
The image, taken on the island of Noss in the Shetlands, was described as “beautiful and evocative” by the judges.
Williams, a keen snorkler and surfer who now lives in Edinburgh, said he was blown away by the number of gannets when he visited the uninhabited island, describing the scene as a “seabird orchestra”.
He said: “Looking down, it appeared to me that the gannets far below looked like stars against the dark backdrop of the sea.
“Add to this the nests scattered across the cliffs and I knew I had found my image.”
Williams’s winning image will be showcased in a touring exhibition and book alongside images from other winners and commended entrants.
Judge Paul Wilkinson – head of living landscape at the Wildlife Trusts, the umbrella organisation made up of 47 local Wildlife Trusts – said the judges felt the unique perspective of the shot and its ability to reveal something new about seabird life made it a firm favourite.
He said: “Worlds collide in Barrie Williams’s beautiful and evocative image, which demands a double-take, affording a unique insight into the habitat and behaviour of gannets.
“Sea cliffs provide a haven from potential predators, a place for birds to breed, hunt and safely raise the next generation.
“This vertigo-inducing shot shows guano-stained rocks, the bustle of lower ledges with birds packed tightly and gannets hunting over the inky seas below.”
Other winners included Tim Hunt’s extraordinary close-ups of fairy moss and Chris Speller’s tiny mite walking over a frog’s head.
Elsewhere, pictures of sunlight streaming through woods, a common lizard on a tree and a gang of starlings looking menacing in a London car park were among the judges’ favourites.
Mark Carwardine, zoologist, writer, photographer and broadcaster, said: “The bar in wildlife photography has already been raised to unimaginably high levels of sophistication, innovation and artistic vision – yet the standard somehow continues to get better and better.
“This latest collection of images is testament to the sheer level of interest in wildlife in Britain and, above all, the remarkable abilities of our wildlife photographers.”
Williams, who studied marine biology at Heriot-Watt University, says his film work and photography is inspired by the unique characteristics of his subjects.
“What I love most about film is capturing the personality of the contributors – whether they are people or puffins – and sharing their stories,” he says on his website.
“Photography excites me as its poses the challenge of capturing those same personalities in a single frame.”
Prizes were awarded in 16 categories, including for a documentary series of photos, which was won by a collection capturing toads on roads in the North York Moors National Park, and a seasons category scooped by images of roe deer in Suffolk fields through the seasons.
Winning images, video and highly commended entries can be seen online at www.bwpawards.co.uk
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