I am incredibly honored to receive the gold award for the International Image Challenge hosted by Master Photographers International. I took this photo of a running grizzly bear in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia. It was an incredible feeling to see a massive grizzly running in my direction and I was able to freeze the action with a series of shots using a fast shutter speed. Nature photography is never easy, but when you know the right camera settings to use, half the battle is over. I named this photo “Powerful Presence” and I think you know why!
This is an image I took in China. I love this location and hope to go back one day. I am very honored that it received a gold award from Master Photographers International.
I literally SCREAMED when I got this photo! I was shooting with five second shutter openings and I was able to capture forks of lightning over the tree. Wow.
I “camped out” near an osprey nest and waited to get this photo. So worth it!
A grizzly bear cub. How cute is this? The little thing was standing on it’s hind legs to see over the tall grass. It was curious why there was a guy pointing a long lens at it.
You would think this is somewhere near Tahiti, but it is actually in Islamorada, Florida in the keys. Wow do I ever love this place. I had to pay $500 to get access to this private beach at sunrise. So worth it!
South Carolina is such a cool place. This is the famous Angel Oak Tree and it is more than 1000 years old, which is why I called this photo “Tree With an Ancient Memory”.
This is the Portland Head Lighthouse in Portland, Maine. I chose intentionally not to use a long exposure filter to smooth out the water for this shot. Just because you can doesn’t mean you always should. The judges scored this photo much lower because of that decision. However, it is still a gorgeous photo and I like seeing the texture on the water.
Entering your photos in a competition is an excellent exercise because it gives you a deadline to select your best photos and to retouch them in the best way you can. I can’t wait to take more photos in the coming year and I will submit them again next year.
Happy shooting!
Tim Shields
