CANON/AIPP 2009 AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS ANNOUNCED

At the Annual Canon / AIPP APPA Awards Dinner last night in Sydney, I was very proud to be recognised as the 2009 Canon/AIPP Australian Science, Environment and Nature Photographer of the Year. In it's 33rd year, the 2009 APPAs attracted a record number of entries from all sectors of Australia's professional photographic community.

This is the second time (previously in 2007) that I have taken out the category. My winning portfolio included 1 Silver Award, 1 Silver with Distinction, 1 Gold and 1 Gold with Distinction.

The Canon APPA's Science, Environment and Nature category was again gratefully supported by photographer's carry bag company Lowepro.

You can visit the AIPP's web site to see where the Canon APPA Exhibition can be seen, and to order the 2009 Awards Book.

2009 QPPAs
The AIPP's Queensland Professional Photography Awards were judged during April. This year I entered the Documentary Category with 4 images from Papua New Guinea. My prints received 2 Silver Awards; 1 Silver with Distinction; and my top scoring print, Passing Dugout, received a Gold. The aggregate of the these scores was not quite enough to win me the category, that honour going to Andrew Porfyri and I came in Runner-up. Andrew's Documentary portfolio also won him the title of Queensland Professional Photographer of the Year. You can see all the results here

OILS is OILS
On Saturday 14 March 2009, I chartered a helicopter and flew Moreton Island's east coast to see how the beach was coping with the estimated 200,000 litres of oil spilled from the cargo vessel Pacific Adventurer in rough seas off southern Queensland three days earlier.

Of added concern to the ocean off southern Queeensland are the 31 shipping containers full of ammonium nitrate fertiliser that toppled off the ship during the incident. The Australian Navy minehunter HMAS Yarra has been called in to help search for the rogue containers.

The offending ship's Captain has had his passport confiscated pending investigation. See an animation of how the incident unfolded on the Maritime Services QLD website.

You can see the track the chopper took thanks to a great little App called GPS Kit on my new iPhone.

2007 ANZANG AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to the Winners and place-getters in the recently contested ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards.

A record number of entrants ensured a high quality field of photographs, and the awarded images are testiment to each photographer's dedication and passion for their subjects.

Two of my entries were Highly Commended, and will be included in the 2007 ANZANG book and travelling exhibition. Check out the ANZANG website for exhibition dates. This year's book is being published by CSIRO and will be available at leading bookstores soon.

My first Highly Commended image was in the Threatened Species Category and was shot on Heron Island under the full moon in early March this year. It was captured just after midnight on one of my most memorable nights on the Great Barrier Reef, and features a female green turtle returning to sea after laying her clutch.

The second Highly Commended was entered in the Black and White section, and was shot under blustery conditions at Graville Harbour on Tasmania's wild west coast.

PALMA AQUARIUM OPENS
Last month on the Spanish island of Majorca, Palma Aquarium opened for business. The latest marine park developed by Coral World International this state-of-the-art facility takes visitors on a journey from the Mediteranean Old World, across the oceans to the tropical seas of the New World.

I've worked with two other Coral World parks, AQWA and Maui Ocean Center, having published souvenir books, postcards and created promotional images. At Palma I've provided a number of images for large display murals (some up to 3mx9m long) throughout the facility, as well as content for multi-lingual educational touch-screens. I've also published the park's postcard range, and they are stocking a range of my Open Edition Matted Prints in the gift shop.

Design and construction of Palma Aquarium was overseen by Dean Lee, now of Blue Sea Australia. Dean has been kind enough to provide the images of the park which you see below.

CANON/AIPP 2007 AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS ANNOUNCED

At the Annual Canon / AIPP APPA Awards Dinner last night in Melbourne, I was very proud to be recognised as the 2007 Canon/AIPP Australian Science, Environment and Nature Photographer of the Year. Now in it's 31st year, the 2007 APPAs attracted a record number of entries from all sectors of Australia's professional photographic community.

My winning portfolio of underwater photographs included three images shot on the Great Barrier Reef over the recent Summer, plus one from Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.

The Canon APPA's Science, Environment and Nature category was sponsored by photographer's carry bag company Lowepro. I've been relying on Lowepro bags for my whole career, and am looking forward to choosing some of their latest styles to add to my arsenal, given the way my field kit evolves in the digital age. These great bags are distributed in Australia by Maxwells and are available from all good camera stores.

You can visit the AIPP's web site to see where the Canon APPA Exhibition can be seen, and to order the 2007 Awards Book.

HEY, I KNOW THAT BEAR!

While watching tele the other night, the star of the new John West Salmon ad caught my eye. The ad was shot at Brooks Falls, in Katmai National Monument on the Alaskan Penninsula, where I enjoyed photographing Brown Bears back in 1993.

The main star in the clip is the same bear that features on my "Brooks Falls" poster. You can purchase the poster here or you might like to order a high quality print ready to frame.

You can also do a search in my database using the keyword " bear " to see some other images from Katmai.

2006 ANZANG AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The winners of this year's ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards have been announced, and I'm proud to report the news that I've taken out the Threatened Species Category with an image of a Yellow-eyed Penguin captured at Moeraki, on New Zealand's South Island.
This is the third year of the competetion, which features images created in the region that includes Australia, New Zealand, Antarctic and New Guinea and the South West Pacific. Over 1100 entries were received for the 2006 awards, making it the largest nature photography competition in Australasia.
As well as the category win, I received two Highly Commendeds in the Underwater Category, with a Whale Shark image from Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, and a portrait of a Southern Humpback Whale from Va'vau in Tonga.
The Yellow-eyed Penguin and Whale Shark images are available as Limited Editions of 25 prints, while the Humpback is available as a Gallery Edition or canvas. Please contact me direct at info@darrenjew.com for details.

GREAT BARRIER REEF FISH STOCKS REBOUNDING

11 September 2006 According to a recent study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and James Cook University, fish stocks in sanctuary zones where fishing is no longer allowed are recovering at encouraging rates.

"What is truly exciting about this research is that not only are the protected areas flourishing but there is very likely to be a spillover effect to surrounding areas which will benefit the whole ecosystem. This research clearly shows that a network of marine sanctuaries with a strong zoning plan is vital to ensuring the sustainable future of the reef." said Richard Leck, a marine and coastal policy officer with WWF-Australia.

You"ll find more details on the WWF website

EARLY FIRE SEASON
7 September 2006 Our local wetland, 3rd Lagoon Reserve, already suffering from the prolonged dry, is today being ravished by fire. I noticed the smoke on the way home from the post office at around 9.30am, and it is still burning now, 3 hours later. Some local roads were cut, and the Qld Fire and Rescue Service's water-bombing helicopters have been around most of the morning.

GOODBYE TO THE CROCODILE HUNTER

My condolences go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Steve Irwin in these tragic times.

A truly larger-than-life character who inspired kids around the planet to get their heads out of computer games and into the real world, he left his mark on nature TV programing through his unbridled enthusiasm for the world around him.

His legacy won't just be the increased environmental awareness he created directly, but in the influence his larrikin style has had, and will continue to have, on the way wildlife is brought into our homes.