I am delighted to be able to announce that the photos I entered into The British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) won the Schools Category! I entered a portfolio of six images of bluebells at Hartshill Hayes. These images were all taken by year 5 & 6 pupils from Michael Drayton Junior School on a photography day organised by myself and Iain Green, a fellow photographer (www.wildwonder.co.uk) Iain and I took four groups of 9-11yr olds out into nearby Hartshill Hayes when the bluebells were in full bloom and talked to the children all about creating a photograph that would represent this amazing natural spectacle.
From framing the shot, spotting good light, looking more closely than they had ever done before and possible going for a completely different angle, the pupils were soon raring to go! Most had never really looked closely at bluebells, despite it being in an area that many of them pass regularly. They were highly enthusiastic and spotted all sorts of wildlife within the bluebells, as well as seeing wonderful opportunities using branches, wood and natural objects to frame their shots.
I was so impressed with the images, that I decided to enter them to this prestigious competition, although it was really difficult to choose just 6 images. The 6 I chose were contrasting images, hopefully to demonstrate the wonderful ‘eye’ the pupils had for spotting a great angle or shot. I am extremely proud of all the children, as there were SO many wonderful images. Our prize of a Canon DSLR camera and lens for school will mean we can do even more photography and hopefully win some more competitions! A big thank you also to Iain, who ran the day with me.
You can read more about the day from my blog post from the day HERE and check out the website by clicking the image below.
Below are the 6 images I entered……
I will be travelling down to London on Wednesday , with the Head Teacher, Diane Compton, from school, to the Awards Evening, hosted by Chris Packham….. I can’t wait! :o)