I’m thrilled to have images from a bucket list trip to Antarctica this past February win two awards at this year’s Bill Muster Photography Awards during the SATW Convention in Istanbul in November. The trip to Istanbul was already special in itself since I celebrated my birthday the following day and it was my first time back in the city since I’d travelled there with my grandmother more than 35 years previously. To be recognized for my photography in a place that sparked my travel bug AND my love for capturing images and storytelling, was truly a full circle moment.
This year, since I had so many great photos from the frozen continent – thanks to a loaner Nikon Z8 camera and 180-600mm lens – I decided to enter 10 images in the Single Subject category. I received a Bronze for my submission.
For the Animal category, I entered another image from Antarctica and I wasn’t sure if I’d made a mistake when I heard an audible gasp in the room when it appeared on the screen during the slideshow before the winners were announced. So I was really surprised when they announced my name as the Gold winner. When I took the photo, I remember hoping I’d have one image in focus of a leopard seal hunting a chinstrap penguin. While I took many photos of the hunt, this one stood out in terms of the action and perhaps even some hope that the penguin might get away. *Spoiler alert*, it did not but this is the circle of life and proved to be a good day for the leopard seal. Surviving in such a harsh environment is not easy but it is amazing to be in a place where humans have so little direct impact and nature really dominates.
