Museum goes wild with bold animal images

Some of the world’s best wildlife photographs will be on show at Canterbury Museum in a new exhibition.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year showcases stunning images celebrating the diversity of the natural world, from intimate animal portraits to astonishing wild landscapes.

Bold Eagle by Klaus Nigge is one of the photos in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition which opens at the Canterbury Museum on Saturday.

The exhibition, which opens on Saturday, shows almost 100 of the best pictures from the Natural History Museum’s 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Among the displayed images is the 2017 winning photo, Memorial to a species, by South African photojournalist Brent Stirton. Stirton photographed a recently shot and de-horned black rhino in a South African game reserve.

Canterbury Museum Director Anthony Wright says the exhibition’s images highlight nature photography as an art form, but also challenge viewers to consider some of the natural world’s big issues.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Museum,” he says. “Our founder, Julius von Haast, was passionate about bringing natural wonders from around the world to Canterbury. We’re proud to continue that tradition – in a more modern, sustainable way – by displaying these stunning wildlife images.”

For the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, now in its 53rd year, almost 50,000 images from professional and amateur photographers in 92 countries were judged by a panel of industry-recognised professionals for their originality, artistry and technical complexity.

Canterbury Museum will run a photo competition of its own while Wildlife Photographer of the Year is showing. The Museum’s Amazing Animals! competition is open to Canterbury photographers aged 15 and under. 

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. The exhibition runs from 11 August to 18 November at Canterbury Museum.