Beyond the Grid Wildlife Photography Contest - July 2023
Did you explore the world of wildlife photography this past July? If you’re a wildlife photographer, you probably did!
In this article, we’ll reveal the winners of the third edition of Beyond the Grid, a wildlife photography contest where the community's best wildlife photographers shine beyond Instagram. It was a very tight competition with over 50 submissions from around the world.
Keep scrolling to see the July 2023 winners of Beyond the Grid!
If you missed the previous contests, you can see the winners below:
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Why Beyond the Grid?
Although Instagram has become the most popular way to share our work, it’s not always optimized for this purpose. It also prioritizes people who can best market their work rather than produce the best photography.
That’s why Beyond the Grid aims to give visibility to more wildlife photographers outside of Instagram on a medium that better represents the fruits of our hard work.
Every month, we will shine a spotlight on the community's best wildlife photographers. Being a wildlife photographer can be challenging, but the results, as you can see from the work of the individuals below, can be absolutely breathtaking.
Participating in Beyond the Grid has many benefits:
Free entry to a wildlife photography competition (most are usually paid)
Your work is shared not only on social media, but on this website
You join a community of like-minded individuals passionate about nature
You get constructive feedback from photographers like you to take your photos to the next level
If you place within the top 5 winners, you become a judge for the next month
I am always looking to improve the quality of this competition and what participants get out of it (i.e. prizes), so keep an eye out for updates. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know.
To be featured in the August issue, submit your photos via this form by Sunday, September 10 at 11:59 pm Eastern and use the tag #BTGAugust2023 on Instagram.
How the winners are selected
The judges spent a long time evaluating each photo anonymously without seeing who the photographer is using three categories:
Visual impact: how impactful the image is when you see it.
Composition: how effective the composition is to make a pleasing photo.
Technical quality: This includes everything from proper focus, sharpness, dynamic range, noise, and more. How do the technical elements affect the photo?
Visual impact is scored out of 10 and composition and technical quality out of 5. Once all the judges have submitted their scores, I sum up all their scores to get the top 10 to see if there are any ties.
If there’s a tie, I then look at which of the tied images scored the highest on visual impact to break the tie. If there’s a tie again, then I check the composition scores and technical quality if there’s yet another one. The top 5 are the month’s winners and 6-10 are the honorable mentions.
Beyond the Grid - July 2023 Winners
Let’s get into the July 2023 winners of the Beyond the Grid wildlife photography contest.
You will find the top five winners in order, beginning with first place. The judges provided their feedback for the top five, including what they liked and what could be improved. However, photography is very subjective, so please take any constructive criticism with a grain of salt.
The five honourable mentions are listed in the section after, so keep scrolling to see even more fantastic photos.
Meet the talented judges at the end.
Please enjoy the overall winners of the July 2023 Beyond the Grid wildlife photography contest!
1) Smokey haze - Sasha Farzaei (Ash Farz)
Ring-billed gull | Sony A7IV + Sony 200-600mm | ISO 100, 1/8000, f/22 @ 200mm
Description:
Ring-billed gull flying past the harsh midday sun. The day was slow and nothing really showed up. As I headed home, interesting clouds had formed and covered the, now harsh, sun. This ring-billed gull was the only bird that flew at just the right spot.
Why the judges loved it:
Well-composed with a good variety of textures and colors, giving the image depth.
Eye contact starts at the subject (gull) leading to the moon, enhancing the mood.
Composition is well-balanced with darker clouds guiding the eye to the subject.
Perfectly controlled exposure in a scene that could be easily overexposed.
Interesting contrast between the warmer and colder tones in the clouds.
What could be improved:
Slightly more light around the bird or capturing a fraction of a second later to have the bird closer to the moon.
Clouds above the bird could be a bit brighter to make him stand out more.
Timing could be improved to capture the moon fully.
A slightly brighter shot to make the bird stand out more against the clouds.
2) Carl Pawlowski - Least sandpiper
Least sandpiper | Nikon Z8 + Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S | ISO 72, 1/13,000, f/4.5
Description:
It was late afternoon, harsh light and I had to get creative with the angle and lighting to get something I’d be happy with. It was fun to shoot directly into the sun with changing bokeh balls in the background.
Why the judges loved it:
Variety of textures provided by the bokeh and foliage, enhancing the image's depth.
Plant textures in bokeh act as leading lines pointing toward the subject.
Patterns in the bokeh make the shot visually appealing.
Subject pose is perfect for a silhouette.
Details in the bokeh show the environment of the subject.
What could be improved:
Balance the bright spot behind the sandpiper.
Clone out the bright spots left and right of the sandpiper.
Darken the distracting brighter spot close to the bird's belly.
More details in the foreground, even in a backlit shot.
Brighten the foreground to prevent the subject from blending in.
3) Synchronous flight - Soren Goldsmith
Black skimmer | Nikon Z8 + Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR | ISO 1600, 1/1600, f/6.3 @ 44mm
Description:
A colony of black skimmers takes flight at once. Every 15 minutes or so this synchronous flight would happen and thousands of birds would flood the skies. By shooting at 40mm, I attempted to capture this moment just as it was from my perspective.
Why the judges loved it:
Large number of birds heading towards the viewer creates a sense of immersion.
Warm tones contrast beautifully with the scene.
Using a wider-angle lens was the right choice to showcase the massive number of birds.
The tones and the sense of scale.
Super cool representation of the vast landscape and a huge number of birds.
What could be improved:
Reduce the many layers of the background.
Improve image quality and address issues with birds not looking sharp.
Adjust the composition to give more space in the direction the main bird is flying.
Improve focus and eliminate the sand below the bushes to create the illusion of being sky-high with the birds.
4) Black bear - Ulysse Brault-Champion
Black bear | Nikon D500 + Sigma 150-600MM F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | S | ISO 4000, 1/3200, f/6.3
Description
It's 5 am, it's completely dark. I'm already in the mountains looking for wildlife. 5:26 am, I see something on the edge of the path. A bear!!
Why the judges loved it:
Simple, clean composition with a challenging subject.
Unique shot of the species with beautiful layers.
The colors and how each layer gets lighter starting from the bottom.
Minimalist three-color palette acts like a gradient to make the bear silhouette stand out.
What could be improved:
A bit more care with blue tones near the edge of the silhouette.
Adjust the bear's placement as it's too far on the upper left.
Consider a wider perspective of the scene.
Improve focus and address the dust spot on the right side of the shot.
Shoot with a wider focal length (if possible) to show more of the environment.
5) Atlantic puffin - Mark Bernards
Atlantic puffin | Nikon Z6 II + Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S | ISO 1100, 1/160, f/4 @ 120mm
Description:
I visited the Elliston Puffin Viewing Site recently, and it lived up to its name! There were hundreds of puffins (along with dozens of gulls, guillemots, and razorbills) on the rocky cliff shores. It was a really foggy evening, which would have made photography very difficult if the puffins weren't as tolerant of human presence as they were.
Why the judges loved it:
Simple composition with nice depth in the background.
The pose of the bird is interesting and adds character.
The idea of adding mountains to the background enhances the scene.
The background and depth of field create a sense of immersion.
The landscape peeking through the fog adds depth and mystery.
What could be improved:
Improve separation between the out-of-focus foreground and the subject.
Brighten the bird and the overall scene for better clarity.
Show more of the environment, possibly by using a wider lens or changing the angle.
Adjust the crop to better frame the subject.
Brighten the image to make both the subject and background pop more.
Beyond the Grid - Honourable mentions
6) Midday tern - Harry Sedin
Common tern | Canon R7 + Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM | ISO 100, 1/1000, f/5.6
Description:
I took a small boat out to a shallow, rock “island” outside my house, because what resides on it is a photographer's dream. I counted ~150 terns, both Arctic and Common, flying and resting in every direction. Because of how close they flew, I attached my wide angle and waited for the terns that glided so close I could grab it. Once a gang of terns took off, an individual flew directly above head, right inside a cloud. It was so close that this image was taken at 15mm!
7) Double-crested cormorant - Carl Pawlowski
Double-crested cormorant | Nikon Z8 + Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S + Nikon Z 1.4x TC | ISO 720, 1/1250, f/8 @ 560mm
Description:
At first I thought that this cormorant was sick, but as I approached it seemed to perk up and fly off to another group of cormorants and was acting normal.
8) Indigo bunting - Jennifer Hottinger-Sloan
Indigo bunting | Canon R5 + Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | ISO 3200, 1/6400, f/7.1
Description:
Another peaceful moment when the indigo bunting stopped singing to survey his flowers!
9) Killdeer fledgling - Matt Parish
Killdeer | Canon R8 + Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM | ISO 2000, 1/400, f/11
Description
A very new killdeer fledgling explores its new surroundings.
10) American dipper - Alex Busato
American dipper | Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm | ISO 800, 1/800, f/6.3
Description
American Dippers are my favorite bird, but living on the U.S. east coast I’m lucky if I get to see them once a year. On this trip to Rocky Mountain National Park early in July, we came across this individual foraging in the popular Alluvial Fan area. The bird danced among the rapids and colorful rocks before flying far up a waterfall presumably to feed its young. A few minutes later it would return and get back to work, allowing me to capture this dynamic shot.
Meet the Beyond the Grid judges
Beyond the Grid monthly top five winners get the chance to become judges for the following month. Thank you to our June 2023 winners David, Jack, Justin, Alexandre, and Adam for their participation as judges in the July contest.
We look forward to welcoming you back as participants and hopefully judges in the future!
Click here to see the June 2023 contest and their winning photos.
David Trochanowski
David Trochanowski is an amateur wildlife and landscape photographer based in Toronto, Canada. He began with landscape photography, and developed many of his shooting and editing skills in this genre. As he acquired longer lenses, they allowed him to reach a whole new array of subjects, and he gradually shifted his focus to wildlife, and in particular, birds. David now spends a lot of his time learning about and observing birds, and he especially enjoys how his experiences in the field continue to elevate his knowledge, awareness and deeper familiarity of the natural world.
David’s gear:
Jack Medeiros
Jack Medeiros is a wildlife photographer based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He has always been passionate about wildlife since a very young age and wildlife photography lets him pursue that passion. Jack enjoys getting up very early in the morning to be on location right before sunrise and peak animal activity. His approach in his photography is to showcase the beauty in the often unnoticed wildlife in his hometown in pleasing and unique ways to tell a story.
Jack’s gear:
Justin Landreville
Justin started wildlife photography about three years ago but has always loved spending time in nature. His desire to find new species, and always search for the best angle to create unique images pushes him to improve his work. He loves to showcase animals in their environment and is constantly looking for new ways to create an image that hasn’t been seen before. Creativity plays an extremely important role in his vision of wildlife photography. Recently, he has been exploring urban environments to find interesting textures and highlight some common species that we often overlook.
Justin’s gear:
Alexandre Lauzier
Vegan wildlife photographer with a veterinary technician background, Alexandre Lauzier offers an honest and authentic look at an environment he has come to know through his explorations. Through his works, he advocates a careful relationship with Nature and wildlife, imbued with patience, respect and reciprocity.
Alexandre’s gear:
Adam Kunsken
Adam is a 17-year-old wildlife photographer based in Ottawa, Ontario. His love of the great outdoors has him taking advantage of every possible moment spent trying to capture the next perfect shot.
Adam’s gear:
Thank you to all participants!
With over 50 engaging and high-quality photos from wildlife photographers from the community, the July 2023 edition of the Beyond the Grid wildlife photography contest is in the books!
Thanks to everyone for showcasing their incredible work.
Submit your best wildlife photos of August
Missed submitting your July photos? No problem.
To be featured in the August issue, submit your photos here by Sunday, September 10 at 11:59 pm Eastern and use the tag #BTGAugust2023 on Instagram. We can't wait to see your work!
Want to become a better wildlife photographer?
If you are interested in learning more about the technical and artistic side of photography to take your photos to the next level, check out these awesome tutorials that can help you take amazing wildlife photos!