Believe it or not, this photograph won only an Honorable Mention in the competition for a place in the Smithsonian’s Wilderness Forever exhibit that opened earlier this month. The category was Scenic Landscape, Amateur and this is Samuel Feron’s shot of the Mineral Aurora, Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, in New Mexico. Feron, from Noisy-le Sec, France, mentioned how quickly the spots of sunlight moved across the landscape, and I’ve experienced that. A still photo can’t capture it, but it’s something you never forget. And I love the rich earthy palette and dramatic lighting. Only Honorable Mention? I think it deserved much better.
The Wilderness Forever exhibit, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act, features 63 photographs chosen from among thousands submitted for consideration. It was organized by Wilderness 50, a coalition of government agencies, non profit groups, foundations and other supporters along with Nature’s Best Photography Magazine and the Smithsonian Museum.
You can drool over all the winners on the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History website.
And by the way, in case anyone is thinking about Christmas, I really, really want this in my living room.
That’s gorgeous. Wonder how much post processing went on?
These days one never knows. It’s kind of sad that every time we see a great photograph, one of the first things we wonder about is post processing. Gone are the days when we could assume that what we see is exactly what the camera saw. Maybe that’s why the photo only won an honorable mention; folks thought it looked manipulated? It’s still a spectacular work of art, but it might not be a spectacular photograph in the old sense of the word.