Glasgow Natural History Society

PhotoSCENE 2024-25

A Natural History Photographic Competition sponsored by Glasgow Natural History Society and the University of Glasgow School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine (SBOHVM).

I hope that you all have been making the most of the summer weather and have had plenty of opportunities to get outdoors and take part in some of the excellent GNHS summer outings. I also hope that many of you have been making use of your phone or camera to capture lots of the fauna and flora our island has to offer.

It is with that in mind that I would like to remind you that 31st October 2024 will be the closing date for entries to this year’s GNHS PhotoSCENE competition. In the meantime I would like you to put this date into your diary, PDA, PostIt note on you fridge door or wherever else you keep note of really important dates.

Photography is a really important (and accessible) tool for promoting awareness of the many factors that are causing the worldwide decline in biodiversity and no matter what tool you use to capture your images I would wholeheartedly encourage you to submit your images for consideration.

The aims of the competition are to promote an interest in natural history and the work of the School, to support The Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE), and to promote a greater linkage between GNHS and the School, to provide photographs useful for publicity, and to enhance the evening programme of the GNHS.

This year will be the 13th running of this event. The aims of the competition are to promote an interest in natural history and the work of the School, in particular The Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE), to promote a greater linkage between GNHS and the Institute, to provide photographs useful for publicity, and to enhance the evening programme of the GNHS.

Entry is restricted to members of the GNHS, and students and staff of the School (including Affiliates). Some of the winning entries will be published in the Glasgow Naturalist, and may also be used in the GNHS newsletter and online presence, or by the School. It is also hoped that this year a selection of winning photographs (both past and present) will be presented for public viewing by being featured in a short exhibition at a local West End gallery.

All photos should have been taken in Scotland, or on University expeditions including abroad, or on GNHS excursions. Permission must be given to the organisers to use submitted images for non-commercial purposes for 5 years. The copyright holder may continue to use the images for his/her own purposes.

Entries should have a natural history / biodiversity content, i.e. featuring animals, plants, fossils and / or the work of researchers and natural historians in science − e.g. work in a lab, students on field courses etc. (but not scenery). Entries will be limited to 5 per entrant, and must be accompanied by a note detailing the subject, when and where the image was taken, with what equipment, and any digital enhancement. Entries should be renamed, e.g. not Image1.jpg but Leopard.jpg.

Entrants should ensure, when photographing animals, that as little disturbance as possible e.g. of occupied nests occurs. Photographs of Schedule 1 species in Scotland will not be accepted unless a current photography licence has been obtained from NatureScot.

Simple digital enhancements are allowed, but must be declared, e.g. cropping, boosting contrast or sharpness, but whole scale alteration of pictures is not allowed. Panoramas consisting of more than one picture are acceptable as are focus-stacked images.

Entries should be submitted by 31st October 2024, and have been taken within the last 2 years to this date. Entries should be submitted to Lorna Kennedy (Lorna.Kennedy@glasgow.ac.uk). Entries should be submitted digitally as high quality jpegs suitable for printing, with prizes most likely to be awarded to images comprising at least 4 to 6 megapixels. 6 megapixels means in practice an image with dimensions of 3072 x 2048 pixels or similar. Most modern phone cameras can produce files well in excess of this, enough for printing to A4 at 300 dots per inch. If you are in any doubt about whether an image would be acceptable, please send questions to the GNHS Photographic Convener Andy Wilson (photoscene@gnhs.org.uk) or Professor Stephen Phillips (Stephen.Phillips@glasgow.ac.uk).

Prizes will be awarded by a judging committee, on the combined basis of photographic, artistic, and biological interest. The judging committee will be drawn from GNHS and SBOHVM members. The judges will be looking for images which have impact and contribute to a wider appreciation of the fragility of our natural environment. Successful conservation starts with awareness and photography is one of the foremost tools to achieve this. Judges, their immediate family members, and previous prizewinning entries will be ineligible to enter the competition.

As ever we are again grateful to the School for their co-operation and organisational and financial help. The total prize fund will be £800 per year and prizes will be distributed at the judges’ discretion.

The competition results will be announced and prizes awarded at a members’ photographic night slide show as part of our Winter Programme - probably in the Boyd Orr Building in February, but keep an eye on the winter programme for confirmation of the time and place). The arrangements will also be published by email to members and to staff and students of SBOHVM.

Previous PhotoSCENE Winners

The winning PhotoSCENE entries from each year to date can be seen here.