91短视频 photography students brushed shoulders this fall with some of the most acclaimed nature and conservation photographers in the world at the 21st annual Nature鈥檚 Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International聽Awards. Held at the Natural History Museum in Washington D.C., the evening gala hosts a dinner, awards ceremony and gallery opening for photographers with work selected from among 25,000 entries.
Diana Mendoza, Sarah Longenecker, Lauren Eckenroad and Aaron Dunmore greeted photographers and VIP sponsors, handed out name tags, and directed guests through various venues during the evening. With the exception of Dunmore, all are students in Professor 鈥檚 class.
This is the third consecutive year that 91短视频 students have volunteered at the event and garnered praise from organizers, Johnson says. 鈥淓vent organizers are delighted when 91短视频 students return year after year. It鈥檚 a chance for them to view some of the best work in an exciting field, and to gain knowledge, grow networking skills and learn about professional practices.鈥�
Macson McGuigan, who volunteered at the 2015 event, recently received a North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) scholarship to attend the 2017 Summit in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a double major in digital media and environmental sustainability. [View his work for .]
鈥淲hile there, he鈥檒l work with professional mentors in the field and collaborate on a creative story project with other student scholars,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淭he broadening experience of attending the Nature鈥檚 Best event helps our students gain important skills that can lead to opportunities like this.鈥�
Meeting famous photographers
One of Longenecker鈥檚 favorite moments was greeting Clay Bolt, a colleague of Johnson鈥檚 who had Skyped into the class to talk about his work with World Wildlife Fund and National Geographic. Bolt, who is president of NANPA, specializes in photographing 鈥渢he world鈥檚 smaller creatures,鈥� according to his blog.
鈥淚t was exciting to introduce ourselves to him and meet him in person,鈥� Longenecker said. She also met the creators of two favorite images in the exhibit, Cristobal Serrano from Spain, and Nico Perez , of Argentina.
Eckenroad鈥檚 highlight was meeting 23-year-old Canadian Jess Findlay, who won the Nature鈥檚 Best International Youth Photographer of the Year award in 2011. That win prompted him to pursue photography full-time, and he鈥檚 since won BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Coursework, equipment prepares students for profession
Interacting with photographers was a special experience, said Eckenroad, who plans on opening her own photography business after graduation. 鈥淚t was amazing to see that hard work, dedication and lots and lots of time pays off. I walked away extremely inspired and more driven to improve at my craft.鈥�
Though the event was attended by elite photographers who travel the world, Longenecker said viewing their work made the field seem more accessible and success 鈥渁 little bit more attainable.鈥�
鈥淭he event made me think the work we do in our class at 91短视频 isn’t far removed from the world of professional conservation photography as it once had,鈥� she said, adding that Johnson鈥檚 tutelage and professional experience have been invaluable.
Students are pushed to produce high quality work, she says, with the aid of Johnson鈥檚 expertise and with access to similar equipment used by these award-winning professional photographers.
鈥淯nder each photo in the exhibit there was a caption listing the equipment and settings used to create the image,鈥� she said.鈥滻 was surprised to see that most of the equipment the photographers’ used was equipment that is available to us at 91短视频.鈥�
Johnson began offering the conservation photography class in fall 2013 after spending a sabbatical year in the Pacific Northwest, where he and his wife, writer Anna Maria Johnson, joined creative forces on a photo essay project about the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and the need for conservation.
The course attracts mainly advanced photography students in 91短视频鈥檚 major but is open to interested students in other relevant majors such as e.
During field trips to the George Washington National Forest and other nearby wilderness locations, students practice skills and gain confidence in their arts-based advocacy. Photos taken by students have been used by area non-profits such as Friends of Shenandoah Mountain in advocacy efforts around the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline project.
Conservation photography, says Longenecker, is 鈥渁bout creating empathy and appreciation for the creatures living all around us and their habitats. Most people don’t get the opportunity to see the same things that conservation photographers see, so it’s important for photographers to share these unique experiences with other people visually so that they can understand and appreciate the natural world, even if they don’t get the chance to explore it firsthand.鈥�
Sitting in the audience at the Nature鈥檚 Best Photography Awards, Longenecker wasn鈥檛 surprised to hear Photographer of the Year Daisy Gilardini share a similar message. Gilardini鈥檚 image of a polar bear and her cub, titled 鈥淢otherhood,鈥� won the grand prize.
Gilardini 鈥渨as thankful for the opportunity to be the voice of animals and ecosystems that can’t speak for themselves,鈥� Longenecker said. 鈥淪he kept emphasizing that the focus should not be on her, but rather on the animals she was representing. I was impressed with her dedication and passion for her work.鈥�